The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 71 Taylor Buchholz

We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 71 on our list, Taylor Buchholz.

Taylor Buchholz deserves to be on this list for pitching 1.1 scoreless innings against the Padres in the one game playoff in 2007 alone. But Buchholz’s career is much more important than his context in Rockies history. Especially considering his courage to speak about his anxiety and depression during his playing career.

Buchholz is from just outside Philadelphia and went to the same high school as Mike Scioscia. He was drafted by the Phillies in 2000 right out of high school. The Phillies traded him in 2003 to the Houston Astros as part of a deal for perennial All-Star Billy Wagner.

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Buchholz started out as a starting pitcher and pitched with the Astros with varying degrees of success in 2006.

Things changed for Buchholz when he was traded to Colorado along with Willy Taveras and Jason Hirsh for Jason Jennings and Miguel Aasencio. It was strange to be in the playoffs without one of the most prominent Rockies pitchers in Jennings but the trade was successful.

Buchholz initially was a starter with Colorado but was transitioned into a long reliever and eventually a setup man for Brian Fuentes. This new role all culminated during the 2008 season going 63 games with a 2.17 ERA with a .950 WHIP striking out 56. He only gave up 46 hits that season.

That’s when everything started to change for Buchholz. In 2009 he underwent Tommy John surgery. Then came one of Buchholz’s biggest battles. When recovering in 2010 from surgery he became a perfectionist becoming very anxious about every pitch.

This story by Wayne Coffey of the New York Daily News on Buchholz is a must read. It chronicles the struggles Buchholz overcame and how he is continuing to confront new challenges.

Buchholz pitched with the Mets in 2010 and had success but was never the same pitcher he was with the Rockies. He ended his career with one of the highest WAR values for a reliever in Colorado at 3.0.

Next: Colorado Rockies Ranking the 40-Man Roster: 15-11

Buchholz is on this list not just for his performance with the Rockies but his courage to bring the issue of anxiety and depression to the forefront of baseball. Thank you Taylor Buchholz.

Check out the previous story in this list about number 72 Joe Girardi here.

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