Five Bold Predictions for the Rockies in the Second Half

The Rockies starter’s ERA in May was a stellar 3.96 ERA, which was 12 percent better than league average. Their opponent’s slash line was .240/.320/.408. In comparison, in June, the starters had an ERA of 4.97, nine percent worse than league average. Their opponent’s slash line was .282/.351/.467. Thus far in July, the numbers are in the middle of May and June as the starter’s ERA is 4.17, which is four percent better than league average, and an opponent’s slash line of .264/.331/.454.

However, the Rockies will acquire two starting pitchers at the deadline. With the Rockies having four of their main six starters (at least, thus far in the season) being rookies, I believe that they will all be optioned at one point or another to hold back the MLB service time so the Rockies get an extra year of control (to understand how the whole “MLB service time” works, this article from MLB.com from 2015 talking about the Chicago Cubs Kris Bryant is a good read.) Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela has already been sent down (as discussed in this article) so it wouldn’t be surprising if it happened to the other three rookies.

Of the starting pitchers on the market, I believe that one of the pitchers acquired will be part of a blockbuster for a young veteran who is a top-flight pitcher who still has a few years left on his contract. I believe that the other will be a middle to back of the rotation starter who is possibly a rental. We’ll discuss names in an article that will be published tomorrow.