Colorado Rockies: What are the keys to winning at altitude?

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SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 22: Jon Gray #55 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 22, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

The third element to any great Colorado Rockies baseball team has began with a strong mix of homegrown starters and reliable veterans. In truth, the Colorado Rockies postseason appearances have been produced with the same model in every winning season.

In 1995, the organization signed San Francisco Giants All-Star Bill Swift (9-3-4.94 ERA, 109 ERA+), to join a rotation with Kevin Ritz (11-11-4.20 ERA,128 ERA+, acquired in the 1992 expansion draft), Armando Reynoso (7-7-5.32 ERA, 101 ERA+, acquired in the 1992 Expansion Draft) and Marvin Freeman (3-7-5.89 ERA, 91 ERA+, FA signing following the 1993 season). When you add in the contributions from homegrown rookies Bryan Rekar (4-6-4.98 ERA, 108 ERA+), Roger Bailey 97-6-4.98 ERA, 108 ERA+), and the trade deadline acquisition of Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen (2-1-6.28 ERA, 84 ERA+), you see the Colorado Rockies used a combined total of 11 starters to compete in 144 games as the season progressed.

In total, the 1995 starting rotation combined to produce 47 of the team’s 77 wins, the same team tossed a combined 518 innings, the lowest for any Colorado Rockies rotation in the franchise’s history. Despite, the lower numbers of innings, the group combined for a 103 ERA+, making the first unit to tackle Coors Field slightly better than average.

As the years of Coors Field grew, and the organization began to avoid the failed experiments of former general manager Dan O’Dowd’s signings of dominant aces (Darryl Kile, Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle) to exuberant contracts, the organization began to see a new trend occur.

Since 2001, the organization has began to focus on building its starting rotations through a draft and development model. The first wave of talented arms arrived in 2001, when Colorado promoted top pitching prospect Jason Jennings to the major league roster. In 2002, he would join another great farm developed arm (albeit, he was acquired by trade, and promoted after starting at Triple-A) Denny Stark to produce a talented 1-2 punch in the top of the rotation.

Jennings established himself as a reliable starter in 2002 (currently, the Rockies only Rookie of the Year award winner), while Stark struggled in 2003 to regain the dominance he had the year before. When Jennings declined a 24.5 million contract extension in 2006, the Rockies dealt him away to the Houston Astros. At the time, he wasn’t sure if Rockies ownership would make the moves needed to ensure the organization would be competitive and strong enough to make the postseason.

Little did he know, his trade, would give the organization the final pieces (CF Willy Taveras, RHP prospect Jason Hirsh, and RHP long reliever Taylor Buchholz) to spring the organization into the World Series the following year. In 2007, he would be injury-prone for the Houston Astros, and by 2009, out of the game for good, following two years in relief.

In addition to the acquisition of Hirsh (5-7, 4.81 ERA, 100 ERA+), and his contributions to the 2007 rotation, homegrown starters Jeff Francis (17-11, 4.22 ERA,114 ERA+) , Aaron Cook (8-7, 4.12 ERA, 117 ERA+), Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4, 4.28 ERA, 112 ERA+), and Franklin Morales (3-2, 3.43 ERA, 141 ERA+) would be the catalysts who carried the organization down the stretch. When added to the mix of veteran savvy provided by the “Dragon Slayer” Josh Fogg (10-9, 4.94 ERA, 97 ERA+) and FA acquisition Rodrigo Lopez (5-4, 4.42 ERA, 109 ERA+).