Colorado Rockies: Searching for another rotation arm

Antonio Senzatela

The other clear solution is Antonio Senzatela. He should be with the Rockies right now, but is nursing an ill-timed groin injury he suffered on June 6 after starting for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.

Senzatela is pitching well for the ‘Topes. In 26.2 innings, he’s racked up 33 strikeouts while walking just eight. He has a 2.70 ERA and a solid WHIP of 1.13. His return to the ailing Rockies bullpen can’t come soon enough.

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But can Senzatela be a starter at the Major League level? It’s fair to question if he has the stuff after an uneven rotation stint in 2017. Jeff Zimmerman from FanGraphs looked at two-pitch starters who could use a good third pitch, and in his 111 innings as a starter in 2017, Senzatela used just two pitches (fastball and slider) 95 percent of time. That was the second-highest rate in baseball for pitchers with at least 80 innings.

Senzatela still doesn’t have a go-to third pitch. But his fastball is better than in 2017, and is the main reason why his ground ball rate is 57.6 percent rate in his 17.1 innings with the Rockies in 2018.

Senzatela could be the middle reliever the Rockies need right now. But don’t be shocked if he takes back the starter’s role he earned in 2017. He could even thrive there.