Colorado Rockies: What German Marquez needs for continued success

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 18: German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning of a game at Coors Field on August 18, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 18: German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning of a game at Coors Field on August 18, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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All of German Márquez‘s hard work has paid off, as Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black formally announced that Márquez will start the third game of the Rockies season on tonight in Arizona prior to the start of the season.

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Just to refresh your memory, Márquez was acquired by Colorado late January 2016. He was included in the same trade that also brought reliever Jake McGee to the Rockies and sent outfielder Corey Dickerson and minor league third baseman Kevin Padlo to the Tampa Bay Rays.

After an abbreviated stint in the major leagues with the Rockies in 2016 that left much to be desired (5.23 ERA in six games and three were starts), Márquez had a rebound season last year. After making his 2017 debut in a 15-12 home loss to the Washington Nationals on April 25, Márquez would go on to throw 162.0 total innings for the Rockies, and had a 4.39 ERA in 29 starts. He struck out 147 hitters and allowed only 49 walks. Between his first two seasons in Colorado, he dropped his batting average against from .326 in 2016 down to .274 in 2017.

His curveball was huge for him last season, a pitch he threw almost 25 percent of the time, which ranked him 10th in all of baseball, according to Baseball Savant. Of the 666 he threw, 329 resulted in either a foul ball, a whiff or a called strike, good for almost 50 percent.

Fast forward to 0:06 in the above video to see one of his better curveballs.

The Rockies will be looking for better production out of Márquez this season, as he grows and learns while holding down a secure spot in Colorado’s starting rotation.

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After Rockies ace Jon Gray loss against Patrick Corbin and the D’Backs on Opening Night and Tyler Anderson‘s outing against Robbie Ray on Friday night, we will see Márquez on the mound for his first start of the season on Saturday night against Zack Greinke in the third game of the season.