Colorado Rockies: 18 things we are looking forward to in 2018

Number 5: Evolution of young pitchers

We talked about Colorado’s young rotation on the last slide and Kyle Freeland, German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela will be in the spotlight when the 2018 season rolls around. The trio surprised many around the league in their first full Major League seasons last year. They won’t have that luxury this season. They will be expected to perform and perform well.

The trio combined for 32 wins last season and carried the Rockies when Jon Gray and Chad Bettis were both out of the rotation with injuries.

Speaking of missing time, what will Tyler Anderson bring to the mound in 2018 after an injury-plagued 2017? Don’t forget that the 28-year-old southpaw went 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA in September when he finally regained his health. That was huge for a Rockies team fighting for its Wild Card life down the stretch.

Number 6: Another year into the Jon Gray curveball project

Jon Gray has a devastating slider and wicked fastball. Last season, he worked on his curveball and using it as his third pitch. There were moments when it worked wonderfully … and there were moments like in the Wild Card game where it didn’t.

Gray has another offseason to work on the pitch and harness its potential power. If he can add it to his repertoire, it will go a long ways toward him establishing himself as not only the ace of the Rockies staff but also as one of the game’s up-and-coming pitching stars.