Colorado Rockies: Looking at aces who never panned out

Gray has elite stuff … but so far has failed to take the next step to becoming the player the Rockies had hoped when they drafted him third in 2013 out of the University of Oklahoma.

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The Rockies were careful as they brought him up through the minors as he made his MLB debut in late 2015. In his first full season in 2016, he went 10-10 with an ERA of 4.61 in 168 innings pitched.

Last season was supposed to be his breakout season, but injuries hindered him early in the year.  He would go on to a 10-4 record with 3.67 ERA but he was shelled for four runs in 1.1 innings in the NL Wild Card game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He was dominant in Wednesday’s game against the Padres at Coors Field with six shutout innings and 11 strikeouts, which lowered his ERA almost a run and a half. Unfortunately he is still sitting at a 2-4 record with a 5.79 ERA. That is not what the Rockies need from their so-called ace.

Hopefully Wednesday’s performance will turn around Gray’s season for the better and he can take that next step into becoming the ace that Jeff Bridich and Bud Black believe he can be.

Next: What Rockies hitters and pitchers think of inside pitching