The tremendous pressure on Brett Anderson to start 2014
By Hayden Kane
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Maybe the spat between Jorge De La Rosa and Wilin Rosario is just temporary. Maybe it’s not. Either way, De La Rosa’s meltdown on national television Monday night placed even more pressure on newly acquired starter Brett Anderson.
The Rockies play 16 games on the road in April. They play 19 games within the NL West. With a rotation that currently boasts Juan Nicasio, Jordan Lyles, and Franklin Morales, there is uncertainty abound. The team cannot fall off a cliff this month, and so they need Anderson to be the guy right away. They need a stopper. They need a stud.
Maybe De La Rosa will bounce back just fine next start. In theory he should, as much of his trouble on Monday night was self-imposed. And maybe Tyler Chatwood will only miss one start and be good to go after that. But it will sure take some pressure off everybody involved if Anderson gets his Rockies career off to a good start.
They say that fans should not overreact in April. That cliche is acknowledged and noted. They also say that division titles cannot be won in April, but they can be lost in April. That’s not to say the Rockies should realistically expect to contend for the NL West title this year, but they can still ruin their entire season this month if things snowball.
The cold hard truth is that the Rockies rotation, as it is made up right now without Chatwood and Jhoulys Chacin, is not very good. 3/5 of the rotation are unpredictable and prone to a drubbing from night to night. As such, Anderson needs to be good right away for the Rockies. He has gone from worthwhile risk to crucial piece of the starting rotation before taking the mound thanks to the circumstances around him.
Tuesday night is not a must-win for the Rockies, as that kind of talk in April is hogwash no matter how ugly any given loss was. That said, the Rockies do need to see signs of good things from Anderson in his season debut, because there is tremendous pressure on him right away in 2014.