Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Right-Handed Pitchers

4.  Steve Reed (1993-1997, 2003-2004, 11.8 bWAR)

Steve Reed is the only reliever to make our list. At 461 games, Reed holds the Colorado Rockies record for most games played in club history (Brian Fuentes is next with 428 games played). In a strike-shortened 1994 season, Reed led the Majors in games played with 61. In seven collective seasons with Colorado, Reed made a name for himself as an iron man. Reed appeared in 60 or more games each season with Colorado.

Steve Reed was a middle reliever by trade and, like an offensive lineman in football, a middle reliever is a vital yet drab position. Reed was never showered with multiple All-Star Games, a shelf of awards, or much notoriety at all but was a stable force for Colorado. One way that we can look at Reed’s contributions is by turning to advanced statistics. An advanced pitching statistic called adjusted pitching runs (APR) allows us to measure how many runs a pitcher prevents from scoring compared to the league average. Reed is second in Rockies history with 66 runs prevented.

For those that remember watching Reed, the first thought that enters your mind is probably his delivery which resembled something between a side arm and submarine arm slot. Reed enjoyed a 14-year career in the Majors which included two separate stops in Colorado. The length of Reed’s career is astonishing considering he didn’t enter the league until the age of 27.

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