2015 Colorado Rockies: End of the Season Awards

Aug 21, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray (55) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie of the Year: Jon Gray

Rookie of the Year goes to the best rookie on a given team. Seeing that Colorado didn’t have many prized prospects or rookies for that matter, this is a no doubter — Jon Gray. Gray was Colorado’s first round selection back in 2013, 3rd overall.

The 24th best prospect overall in baseball, according to Baseball America, made his Major League debut this past season with the Rockies on Aug. 4 against the Seattle Mariners. The young right-hander was on a pitch count limit, giving up two runs on five hits over just four innings of work. Gray collected the no-decision in his MLB debut, yet showed some promise moving forward.

The rest of the season was up-and-down for Gray, making just eight more starts. The former Oklahoma Sooner finished out the 2015 season with a record of 0-2, including an ERA of 5.53. Don’t let the ERA fool you, he pitched better than you think. Pitch limits are tough to work around, especially with a prized arm. Colorado wanted to be conservative with the young flamethrower, which is fine moving forward.

Colorado waited for the right time to get Gray involved. I was one of the many clamoring for the high-profiled prospect to make his debut when the team was still somewhat in the picture, but management made the right call (for once).

Gray started out slow for Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate, Albuquerque Isotopes, but finished strong as he pulled to an even record. Gray made 20 starts for the Topes’, collecting a 6-6 record while posting an ERA of 4.33. The right-hander logged 114.1 innings, giving up 55 runs on 129 hits, walking 41 while striking out 110.

I’m eager to see more Jon Gray in 2016 as this past season was just a little sample size.

Gray will still be considered a rookie in 2016, being that he didn’t reach the 50 innings mark. Gray finished the season with 40.2 innings.

Next: Most Valuable Player