Colorado Rockies: The 5 Best Storylines So Far This Season

The Bullpen

We had hopes that the bullpen could be “the strength of the team” this year with the additions of Jason Motte, Chad Qualls, and Jake McGee. This, unfortunately, has not panned out. All three of the aforementioned additions have ERAs above 4.50, with McGee all the way over 6.00 after some terrible outings recently. The bullpen as a whole reflects this as well with a team ERA of 4.98, which is the second-worst in MLB.

One bright spot in the bullpen is rookie Carlos Estevez who took over following McGee’s injury as closer for the team. His ERA of 4.45 is higher than it should be for how well he has pitched. He has had some ups and downs as you have to expect from a rookie, but his fastball consistently reaches triple digits and he mixes a slider in quite nicely to keep hitters off balance. He has four saves so far this year, a number I expect to grow in the second half.

Also exciting for the Rockies is the re-emergence of Boone Logan, who has mostly been a disappointment after signing him in 2014. His ERA is 3.18, he is racking up an average of 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and left-handed hitters are only hitting .167 against him this year. He could turn into a major trade piece for the Rockies over the next couple of weeks as his contract expires this year and he could be a lift to a bullpen needing a left-handed specialist.

Another feel-good story in the Rockies bullpen is the return of Adam Ottavino after Tommy John surgery. He returned in San Francisco this past week and has so far provided the Rockies with three scoreless outings. He is a guy that will hopefully provide the Rockies with some very solid appearances out of the bullpen in the second half.

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