Rockies Sign Kyle Kendrick As Fifth Starter

The pitcher shopping spree continues with the acquisition of free agent Kyle Kendrick, formerly of the Phillies.

The Rockies might have been in on James Shields, but once they realized ~~he didn’t want to pitch in Colorado~~ they didn’t have enough money, they homed in on the next best thing: former Phillie Kyle Kendrick!

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Yes, there is a vast, vast difference between Shields and Kendrick. Light years, perhaps. But still, the Rockies have done as they should–taken what was available to them and made the best of it. Kendrick slots in nicely as a fifth starter, after Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, Jordan Lyles, and Tyler Matzek. That’s not a championship rotation right there, but it is the most solid one we’ve had in years.

Thomas Harding notes that Kendrick is a sinkerballer, but not exactly a groundball pitcher, at least not so much the kind you want in Colorado. Kendrick does give up a lot of home runs; his career average is just over one per nine. That adds up to a home run or two per start, which isn’t great. But just to add some perspective, De La Rosa’s career average is only slightly less, and Lyles’s is the same. So it’s not as if pitchers like that haven’t been able to find success at Coors Field. Those averages are a bit deceiving, because these home runs tend to occur in bunches. A starter will go three outings without one, and then give up a couple in one outing. That’s not what you want either, but at least the damage is contained.

Over at Big League Stew, Mike Oz wishes the Rockies good luck with this signing, saying in passing that Kendrick will “usually win 10 or 11 games.” Um, I don’t know about you, but I will take those 10 or 11 and be thankful for them. The only starter who won more than that last year was DLR, and the runner up was Lyles, with 7. That’s partly because we had so many starters get injured. Kendrick is an innings-eater, which is often a pejorative, but the Rockies should be looking for somebody who can do that. Kendrick can stay healthy an entire season; he hasn’t pitched less than 114 innings since his debut in 2009.

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The other great thing about this signing is that it allows the younger guys who are poised to be superstars exactly what they need–time. I thought Eddie Butler was rushed into the bigs last summer, and I think bringing Jon Gray up any earlier than September could be a mistake as well. Both those guys need more time to develop their stuff, as does Christian Bergman. Kendrick allows them to stay in the minors until they’re ready, and the depth provided by guys like David Hale ensures they won’t get called up too early.

Kendrick is like a Jason Hammel–he can be the fifth starter, win 10 games, and if the other four starters do their job, that’s all we’ll need from him. Unfortunately, the Rockies’ history of injury and random suckage could force Kendrick to be more than that, at which point the anger of the masses will rise against him and the man who signed him, forgetting that he was never intended to be an ace in the first place.

Next: Rockies' bullpen takes shape

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