The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 68 Chuck McElroy

We continue our look at the top 100 Colorado Rockies of all time in this article. Here, we look at No. 68 on our list, Chuck McElroy.

Chuck McElroy deserves his due as one of the best relievers to ever wear a Rockies uniform. McElroy enjoyed a 12-year career playing for nine teams. He didn’t come to the Rockies until later in his career in 1998 after time with the Phillies, Cubs, Reds, Angels and White Sox.

He might have been considered a journeyman but he did achieve success having an overall record of 38-30 with a career 3.90 ERA. Moving to all those teams would be more accurately attributed to the demand for left-handed relief pitching. McElroy filled the demand.

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McElroy’s first season with the Rockies came after a transition year after he spent 1997 in Anaheim and the south side of Chicago. He pitched well with a 3.84 ERA but it wasn’t like his 1996 where he went 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA.

McElroy thrived pre-humidor. The best season of his career based off his WAR came in 1998 in those early days of Coors Field.  He earned a 3.0 WAR pitching 68.1 innings going 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA with 61 strikeouts.

In 1998 McElroy talked about approaching Bonds like he wasn’t the best hitter ever. He had the mentality every great reliever needs, in that I can come in at any time against any batter and throw their best stuff. That mentality led him to have one of the best seasons for any Rockies reliever.

The next season wasn’t the same for McElroy though. He went 3-1 but had a 6.20 ERA. He still had a .5 WAR with the Rockies that year but he was later traded to the Mets.

Next: Colorado Rockies: Grading and Analyzing the 2016 Rotation

As of 2014, McElroy was still in the game as an assistant coach with C2 Baseball in the Houston area. His son C.J. is playing in the Cardinals organization as an outfielder.

Check out the previous story in this list about number 69 Shawn Chacon here.