Colorado Rockies: 3 players who will improve dramatically in 2018

Jon Gray

Starting pitcher

Last season: 10-4, 3.67 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

Career stats: 20-16, 4.40 ERA, 1.32 WHIP

It wasn’t that Gray was not effective last season. You can take a look at his numbers and see that he was when he was on the mound. However, that was the problem in 2017. Gray was not on the mound enough for the Rockies.

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Thanks to a foot fracture suffered in April at the San Francisco Giants, the 25-year-old former third overall pick in the MLB draft missed time between April 13 and June 30 recovering from the injury. He struggled in July to a 6.66 ERA in five starts before rebounding to a 2.30 ERA in August and 2.57 ERA in September. He also went 7-2 during those months in 11 starts.

Had Gray been healthy, it certainly would have changed the Colorado rotation and some of the opportunities that were given to young pitchers like Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez and others. Gray called the injury a “mixed blessing” when I talked to him just before the end of August, meaning it allowed him to be fresher as the season wound down and the Rockies chased the postseason. It could also be that because of the opportunities given to other players who gained valuable experience on the mound.

Do not let his abbreviated performance in the Wild Card game fool you. Gray is vitally important to Colorado’s success and will show that next season. A healthy Gray should translate into bigger things, both personally and for the Rockies, in 2018.