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Boone Logan: An Ode to a Pitcher Changed and Needed

ByKevin Henry|

You know the old saying of, “You don’t know what you got until it’s gone?” While it may not be grammatically correct, it certainly applies this season to Boone Logan and the Colorado Rockies.

In his first two seasons in a Colorado uniform, Logan was one of those pitchers who came into a game from the bullpen and Rockies fans expected the situation to get worse instead of better. After four seasons with the New York Yankees and an ERA never above 3.75, Logan came to Colorado … and promptly found trouble.

A 2-3 record and 6.84 ERA in 2014 didn’t exactly endear Logan to fans, and last year’s 0-3 mark with 4.33 ERA wasn’t much better received. The “boo” in Boone was pronounced loud and clear on several occasions by Rockies fans when Logan walked off the mound.

But then something amazing happened … Boone Logan became an invaluable part of the 2016 Rockies bullpen. A 2.89 ERA in 11 April outings caught the attention of Colorado fans. All three runs he allowed in the month came in a two-day span when the San Diego Padres seemingly could do no wrong during Colorado’s opening homestand.

Since then? Logan hasn’t allowed an earned run in 10.2 innings of work, including 4.2 innings over seven spotless appearances in May.

Rather than calling for his head, Rockies fans were suddenly calling for him in tough situations. When a tough left-handed out was needed, Logan was tabbed and responded impressively.

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Logan has been on the shelf for the Rockies since May 25 when he was placed on the DL with left shoulder inflammation. Logan went on the DL just as Jason Motte came off it during the Rockies’ series at Fenway Park. While excited about the debut of Motte, some Colorado fans wondered aloud what would happen without Logan being available?

“It (the shoulder) had been bugging him a little bit and then he got up in Boston and didn’t feel right. It was very tight,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. “He had a hard time getting loose so we stayed off him that night. We put him on the DL the next day after that. It snuck up on him.”

Just like, channeling our best “A Few Good Men” impersonation here, it snuck up on us that … we need Boone Logan out there in that bullpen! How big of a role has he played this season? Weiss recently said that they haven’t found anyone to replace him during his absence.

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“There’s still been a void there because (Jorge) De La (Rosa) isn’t filling that same role. He’s giving us length out of the bullpen,” Weiss explained. “We don’t have that matchup lefty. We have (Jake) McGee but he’s our closer. He’s pitching the ninth inning. There’s been a void. I’ve used (Gonzalez) Germen a little bit because of his ability to get left-handed hitters out. I used him against the Giants against some of their lefties. I think lefties were hitting less than .100 off Germen coming into that series. He’s the guy that I’ve kind of targeted to get left-handed hitters out. It’s not ideal but he’s done a pretty good job.”

Yep, it’s not ideal right now without Boone Logan out there. How many times over the last two seasons did you think you’d hear that? Yep, 2016 is proving to be a very interesting year for the Rockies.

So when is Logan coming back from the 15-day DL? It sounds like sooner than later.

“It’s just a matter of how much he needs and we’ll play that by ear. It’s possible he may only need one (rehab outing) but also possible he’ll need a couple,” Weiss said.

Next: The Latest Mock Draft and Where the Rockies Fit In

Yes, Boone Logan is coming back … and the Colorado Rockies bullpen will be stronger when he does. Just let that soak in for a moment. You never thought you’d believe that, but it’s absolutely true.

The Rockies need Boone Logan in that bullpen. Here’s hoping it happens sooner than later.

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