Rockies Year in Review: David Hale

Today, we feature Colorado Rockies starting pitcher David Hale.

Here at Rox Pile, we are starting a player review for each and every player that suited up in a Colorado Rockies uniform this season. This series will be going all the way up until Dec. 16 with player profiles posted every day.

The Colorado Rockies were busy in offseason prior to the 2015 campaign, looking for some cheap pitching to add depth to a rotation that lacked any for that matter. With general manager Dan O’Dowd now out of the picture and Jeff Bridich stepping in, the team traded catchers Chris O’Dowd (Dan’s son) and Jose Briceno in exchange for pitchers Hale and Gus Schlosser.

Prior to joining the Rockies, Hale made 45 appearances with the Atlanta Braves in 2014; six of those being starts. Hale was primarily used as a reliever in Atlanta, finishing 13 games for the team. The right-hander gave up 32 earned runs over 87.1 innings of work, good for a 3.30 ERA.

The 2015 season didn’t go as planned for the 27-year-old. Just like every Rockies’ pitcher it seems, Hale caught the injury bug and against his former team, the Atlanta Braves. Hale suffered a pulled groin on Jul. 9, sidelining him until the middle of August. Not to mention, Hale dealt with an oblique injury during Spring Training, derailing his Rockies debut until the middle of May.

Hale split time between Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate Albuquerque Isotopes and the Rockies — the results were basically the same. Hale made 11 starts for the Topes’, registering an 0-3 record accompanied by a dreadful ERA of 6.66. David gave up 37 runs in 50.0 innings pitched, allowing 70 hits while walking 22 batters.

As for the Rockies’, Hale wasn’t much better, sporting a record of 5-5 with an ERA of 6.09. Hale did prove to us he has the wipeout stuff on the mound, yet needs to limit the hits or big hits for that matter. Hale gave up a total of 95 hits over 78.1 innings this season, including 14 home runs, 25 doubles and two triples. Opponents hit just under .300 against Hale, sitting pat at .298.

Rockies’ pitchers always seem to struggle at Coors, yet Hale pitched better at home opposed to the road.

Home: 11 games, 4-2 record, 5.96 ERA, 44 strikeouts.
Road: 6 games, 1-3 record, 6.33 ERA, 17 strikeouts.

As you can tell, Hale was slightly better at Coors Field but he pitched in five fewer games on the road. On thing that stuck out to me was opponents were hitting .316 off Hale at Coors opposed to .264 on the road, yet Hale was statistically better at home — baseball is weird.

Next: Rockies In The Arizona Fall League

Hale was inconsistent to say the least during his first season as a member of the Colorado Rockies. Hale will have to prove himself in Spring Training and beyond next season to land himself a spot on the team.

Overall Grade: D