Colorado Rockies: Searching for another rotation arm

Peter Lambert

Peter Lambert is having a stellar season with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. He boasts a 2.40 ERA, and in 78.2 innings he has 61 strikeouts to just 11 walks.

The Rockies system is excited about Lambert. But he lacks a good swing-and-miss pitch, which might give him trouble in Triple-A and the majors. His control partly makes up for it, and he does a an effective job creating soft contact and ground balls.

Speaking with The Athletic, Yard Goats pitching coach Mark Brewer said Lambert was developing quicker than guys like Senzatela and Hoffman. He said Lambert has “everything you need to have to pitch in the big leagues and be successful.”

No, it’s not realistic to expect the 21-year-old to take the mound for the Rockies this season. But it feels like this pitching staff is cursed, so who knows — the Rockies might have to get creative in search of answers.

Riley Pint

Riley Pint is the Rockies’ most highly regarded pitching prospect, and he’s back in action after suffering a forearm injury that knocked him out of his April 8 start with the Class-A Ashville Tourists.

It’s highly unlikely we’ll see the 20-year-old in Denver any time soon, but he is the top pitching prospect. With his uneven 2017 season and injury hopefully behind him, he can work on better controlling his high-speed fastball (he can pitch into the triple digits and routinely pitches in the mid- to upper-90s). He’s also carefully managed his innings throughout his career.

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Pint’s ceiling is extraordinarily high. If he finds consistent command of his fastball and develops a major-league slider and curveball, we could see a Pint-sized (aka 6 feet 4 inches) starter in the Rockies’ rotation sooner than expected.