John Axford and David Hale added as Rockies’ bullpen takes shape

With the news that the Colorado Rockies have signed former Brewers closer John Axford and traded for Braves pitcher David Hale, the team has put together most of the bullpen that it will carry into 2015.

Despite Axford’s middling numbers the past four seasons and Hale’s complete 180 from some effective 2013 innings to a mediocre 2014, the Rockies appear to have a plan with these acquisitions.

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That plan is ground balls. Because as every baseball coach ever always said “they can’t hit them out of the ballpark if they’re on the ground.”

Luckily, both Hale and Axford have a very good ground ball rate, posting rates above 50% in 2014. Axford also provides value in strikeouts; a career 9.13 K/9 pitcher should help a bullpen that couldn’t miss bats through large chunks of the season last year.

Furthermore, the acquisitions do more than just represent a plan by the front office. They also possibly represent the final pieces of the bullpen the team will carry into the 2015 season. A bullpen that absolutely must be effective if the team has any chance to contend or even outdo its low 72-90 win projection. For most of the winter, the question lingered on what the Rockies were going to do beyond Adam Ottavino and LaTroy Hawkins and if they were going to trust in a bounce back year from Boone Logan and Rex Brothers.

The answer to that second question is still obviously yes. Both Brothers and Logan will make the roster, but the additions of Hale and Axford may provide some help if they don’t rebound. Or, at least if they don’t bounce all the way back.

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I wrote last month that I didn’t want a John Axford signing, that the Rockies should look elsewhere if they want a former closer to pitch in some high leverage innings. But, that doesn’t make this a terrible signing, per se. Axford’s vitals don’t play perfectly with Coors Field and that’s troubling, but he’s a ground ball pitcher who can still strike guys out and who could not only find effectiveness in Denver, but also at the other ballparks in the division.

He’s certainly set up to succeed, perhaps more so than other Rockies targets this winter, not naming names (Dillon Gee), but some pitchers the Rockies have targeted (Dillon Gee) would have no chance of success in Coors Field (Dillon Gee).

In the end, the Rockies are placing themselves in a more secure situation than before. You can’t count on all four guys to succeed, that would be rashly optimistic. But you can’t expect all four to fail either. You’ve placed yourself in a position to find a couple of effective relievers before the 8th and 9th inning, an invaluable resource in the modern era.

Next: Who is David Hale?