Rockies Sign Bobby Cassevah

I don’t know much about the newest pitcher for the Rockies. I know that he is named Bobby Cassevah, that he comes to camp on a minor-league deal, that he comes from the Los Angeles Angels, and that he has a rad name.

Cassevah on the Angels. Image: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Seriously, if he and Josh Outman were ever on the same team the Rockies would have to enter the discussion for pitching staff with the coolest names.

The Rockies’ interest in Cassevah stems from an overarching theme of this year’s Spring Training. The front office is obsessively focused on pitchers who work down in the zone and get lots of ground-balls. While those talking points will be thoroughly exhausted by the time Opening Day finally arrives, it is refreshing to see management acknowledge and learn from their mistakes one year ago. In 2012 they signed fly-ball pitchers like Jeremy Guthrie and Guillermo Moscoso but insisted they could survive in Denver because they forced “soft fly-balls.” It didn’t work, at all, and for once this stubborn front office acknowledged its errors.

When it comes to the tendencies of its pitchers, the Rockies have changed course. So Cassevah might not rattle any cages this month, but he is a welcome addition because of the reason why the Rockies showed interest in him: his career 70.7% ground-ball rate.

That and his name, of course.