Colorado Rockies Offseason Speculation: Part 1

Aug 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Miller (60) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Coors Field. The Mariners defeated the Rockies 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Gah, where do I start? The bullpen was a travesty yet again during the 2015 campaign. However, there were a few bright spots to mention.

Adam Ottavino was crazy good during his 10 appearances this season and unhittable if you will. Ottavino logged 10.1 innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out 13. After that, Ottavino was shut down for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his UCL — opting for Tommy John surgery.

Justin Miller was an out of the blue kind of player for the Rockies — making quite the impression on fans. The month of September was a good one for Miller, collecting a record of 2-0 with one save in 12.0 innings. Not to mention, Miller gave up just one run on two hits, striking out 18 batters while holding the opponent to a .053 average.

We all know how well John Axford performed when Adam Ottavino went down, but as the season dragged on, Axford struggled. Just look at the statistics before and after the All-Star Break.

Pre All-Star: 29 games, 1-2 record, 2.36 ERA — 26.2 innings, 22 hits, 8 runs, 7 earned runs, 11 walks, 25 K’s. 16-of-17 on save opportunities.
Post All-Star: 31 games, 3-3 record, 5.90 ERA — 29.0 innings, 34 hits, 19 runs, 19 earned runs, 21 walks and 37 K’s. 9-of-14 on save opportunities.

As you can tell by the statistics, Axford appeared to be pressing in the second half, trying to be too cute if you will. For that information, all you have to do is look at his walk and strikeout comparisons between the first and second half. Axford walked and struck out more batters during the second half — 10 and 12 respectively.

As for the rest of the bullpen — scratch it and rebuild.