Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Right-Handed Pitchers

3.  Jhoulys Chacin (2009-2014, 14.1 bWAR)

Jhoulys Chacin is one of the best starting pitchers Colorado has ever developed. Named the organizations top prospect in both 2009 and 2010, Chacin is only one of two Rockies to ever post a sub-3.50 ERA in a season more than once. That previous stat probably speaks more to the lack of quality pitching in Colorado rather than how good Chacin was, but regardless it earned him a top spot on this list.

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Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2004, Chacin made his Major League debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2009. In his first full season in the Majors, Jhoulys established himself as one the best rookie pitchers by finishing in the top three in strikeouts. Not many pitchers in Colorado history have had better individual seasons than the one Jhoulys had in 2013. After starting 31 games, Chacin won 14 games and posted a 3.47 ERA for a Colorado team that lost 88 games.

Jhoulys would spend a majority of his adult life in the Colorado system. In his time with the big league squad, Chacin posted a less-than-spectacular 40-49 record, but an impressive 3.78 ERA. Chacin would battle shoulder issues all of 2014, ultimately leading to him being released by the Rockies in Spring of 2015. Since his departure, Chacin has fought his way back into the big leagues and is currently holding down the end of the Atlanta Braves rotation. If not for shoulder issues, one has to wonder if Chacin’s impact on Colorado could have been far greater.

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