Colorado Rockies 2016 Bullpen Wish List

2 of 5

Apr 24, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies closer A. Ottavino (0) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. The Rockies won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

As the Colorado Rockies limp to the finish line in 2015, it’s certainly not too early to lay out a wish list of sorts for what we’d like to see in the 2016 bullpen.

Late inning relievers

The Wish List: Adam Ottavino (closer), free agent or trade acquisition, Tommy Kahnle, Miguel Castro.

Unfortunately, Adam Ottavino isn’t going to be ready for at least the first couple months of the 2016 season after undergoing elbow surgery, so this wish list is already a bit unrealistic. But until he comes back, both Kahnle and Castro have the stuff (at least on paper) to fit in the late innings.

Kahnle, though, has faded down the stretch in 2015 thanks to awful command in his last several outings, so that’s always a concern. And Castro, who was the Blue Jays’ closer for the first month of 2015, didn’t impress enough to stay in the big leagues and eventually got traded to Colorado after being buried in AAA.

Both of those guys throw hard, and when they’re good, they are filthy, but consistency is a question.

The Reality: It has to be a new guy.

Because of the questionable consistency, a free agent or trade acquisition is ideal for the late innings in 2016. The Colorado Rockies simply don’t have enough quality organizational depth to use a guy who’s currently in the organization as a closer for a few months in 2016.

Since the Rockies have so many potential guys they could and/or should trade this winter (Carlos Gonzalez, Wilin Rosario, Jorge De La Rosa, Jose Reyes, perhaps Charlie Blackmon or even DJ LeMahieu), it’s somewhat likely they could get a late-inning reliever back in some deal that gets done.

Otherwise, the Rockies absolutely need to make a move on a free agent reliever this winter that can help in the late innings while Ottavino recovers for a few months.

Organizational Depth: Jairo Diaz.

Diaz has shown the Rockies something this week, albeit in very limited action in the big leagues. But he can absolutely bring heat with a fastball that touches 100 mph, and if he can command his pitches well enough, there’s an opportunity for him to spend a lot of time next season up in Denver.

Next: The middle reliever wish list

Jun 8, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher B. Brown (51) and catcher N. Hundley (4) shake hands after the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field. The Rockies won 11-3. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Middle inning relievers

The Wish List: Brooks Brown, Scott Oberg.

Brown has been buried at the end of the year after struggling with an injury, but when the dust settles at the end of September, he’s likely going to end up with some of the best relief numbers of anybody on the Colorado Rockies this year. The club would be wise to remember that for next season.

Oberg has come a long way in 2015, though he’s obviously not a finished product. With the stuff that he has and some of the nice work he’s shown, he might be a nice fit in the middle innings as he continues to learn how to throw in a big league bullpen. If Oberg can figure it out, he’s got big league quality velocity and stuff, and the Rockies shouldn’t let that go to waste just because of a bad 2015.

The Reality: Perhaps another new guy.

The middle relief corps could easily use the services of another new guy (or some of the organizational depth guys listed in the next paragraph) should Brown or Oberg falter, or get injured. Just please don’t make it someone older than 35…

Organizational Depth: Simon Castro, Rex Brothers, Nelson Gonzalez, Justin Miller, Eddie Butler (?!).

These are all fairly obvious; it’s time to figure out if Brothers has anything left in the tank or if his career trajectory is plummeting. And it’s also time for the Colorado Rockies to figure out what they might have in Nelson Gonzalez, who’s had a few really nice seasons in the upper levels of the minor leagues recently.

I list Butler here in a purely speculative way; Chad Bettis struggled as a starter before the Rockies moved him to the bullpen to see if they could harness his stuff. Bettis ended up failing there, too, and moved back into the rotation, where he’s been good in 2015.

Could the same happen to Butler? It’s not likely, but the Colorado Rockies are no doubt trying to figure out right now if they’ve got a future Major League starter or a prospect bust — and it’s time to figure out what to do with him.

Next: Figuring out the path for a lefty specialist

Apr 21, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher B. Logan (48) in the dugout after being pulled in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The specialists

The Wish List: Free agent or trade acquisition.

Let’s be honest: no left-hander in the Colorado Rockies’ bullpen has done anything worth anything this year to make himself a candidate to face important lefty batters in close games.

The Reality: Boone Logan, Christian Friedrich.

Let’s be equally honest: the Colorado Rockies have to keep giving Boone Logan a shot because of his contract. Maybe… third time’s the charm?

Also, considering that Christian Friedrich is out of minor league options and yet still under team control, expect the Rockies to give him every shot possible to find a role in Denver next season after the club has spent so much time grooming him into being a reliever (though, also expect that he could be designated for assignment at the end of Spring Training if he doesn’t make the team).

Organizational Depth: Rex Brothers, Kenny Roberts, Tyler Matzek (?!).

It’s time the Rockies figure out what Brothers has (like we mentioned above). Can he give them anything in the big leagues again, or has this guy totally lost it?

Tyler Matzek is listed here similar to how Eddie Butler was listed in the middle relief category; if the Rockies feel like Matzek needs to be eased back into things, do they use him as a reliever to face a batter or two at a time and build his confidence? (Or, do the high-pressure roles of a lefty specialist actually make this a worse role in which to place Matzek?)

Next: Keeping the long relievers as long relievers

Aug 20, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Y. Flande (58) following a strikeout in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Long relievers

The Wish List: Yohan Flande.

Flande is starting for the Colorado Rockies right now, though his best fit is probably in long relief, where he can face batters one or two times, fill the zone with strikes, and eat innings in almost any situation. It’s that third time through the lineup where Flande struggles as a starter, but in long relief, he’d never have to see the lineup three times.

The Reality: The long relievers have to start too often for their own good.

The reality for the Rockies’ long reliever is that far too often, they are turned into emergency starters that end up making five, or ten, or fifteen starts in a season (as is the case with Flande both last year and this year). If the Colorado Rockies’ starting staff could find consistency, and the long men could stay in their roles in the bullpen, rather than making starts, then we could actually have something here.

Organizational Depth: Christian Bergman, Gonzalez Germen.

Bergman is really close to Flande in terms of quality of long relief innings, but I like Flande a little more for this because (a) his stuff is better and harder than that of Bergman, and perhaps most importantly (b) he’s a lefty.

The Rockies likely aren’t going to have too many lefties next year, assuming there are no lefty specialists signed this winter, and Jordan Lyles, Tyler Chatwood, Eddie Butler, Chad Bettis, and/or Jon Gray return to the starting rotation in some combination.

More from Rox Pile

Home / Colorado Rockies News