Colorado Rockies: There are seven starters but not seven spots

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PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 13: Relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman #34 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during fifth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on September 13, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DENVER – Sports are funny because, no matter how good or bad you are, you always have a problem. There are problems like being bad and not having a single decent player. There are problems that even the reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros, who are in Denver to face the Colorado Rockies this week, have … not having a closer.

Obviously these problems are not good … for the Colorado Rockies or any other team.

There’s an old saying in football: When you have two quarterbacks, you have none.

But there are good problems too … yet somehow they are still problems. The Rockies have a problem. It’s a good problem, but still a problem. They have too many capable pitchers and not enough spots for them. To be exact, the Rockies have seven solid pitchers and only five spots to utilize them.

It’s key to note that the Colorado Rockies have only used eight starting pitchers, dating all the way back to mid-September of 2016 when Jorge De La Rosa was moved to the bullpen. That’s how familiar these faces are to Rockies fans. In fact, there’s only one of those starters the Rockies can’t use … and that’s current Chicago Cub Tyler Chatwood.

The eight used in that period is by far the least amount used in baseball, which is a very nice thing the Rockies have had going for them.

So when Chad Bettis returns to health and German Marquez returns from paternity leave (scheduled to start on Sunday), the Rockies are going to have to make some decisions.

Where do they go and what do they do with this problem? Let’s break down the candidates.

Outside Looking In

Jeff Hoffman

There’s only one of the seven possible guys who clearly will not make the rotation when the Rockies move back to five. Hoffman has started 23 games in the majors and is currently in Triple-A. The time is approaching for the 26-year-old where the Rockies may look to him more as a reliever long-term. Five of the six MLB appearances in 2018 for the once-Rockies top pitching prospect have been as a reliever. Every single one of his minor league games this season has seen the righty work as a starter.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 26: Chad Bettis #35 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the first inning at AT&T Park on June 26, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Up In The Air

Jon Gray

The once and most likely future ace of the Colorado Rockies staff will make his first start of the second half on Wednesday … and his second since his short minor league demotion. He is 8-7 with a 5.44 ERA in just under 100 innings with slick strikeout and walk ratios.

His return to the majors saw a solid performance where he worked into the seventh inning and the Rockies offense clicked to give the Colorado club a win against Seattle on July 14.

Gray is poised to have a huge second half and makes sense to be in the rotation. Meanwhile, there is less faith in him currently than there is any of the other six guys, which juxtaposes his position quite awkwardly.

Antonio Senzatela

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“Senza” has made three starts this season and none of them have been particularly impressive. Overall, he’s worked better as a reliever and he figures as the best option as a long-man for the Rockies. With the injuries and inconsistencies of Chris Rusin in 2018, the Rockies badly need somebody at the front end of their bullpen.

German Marquez

He’s 8-8 with a 5.00 ERA and he’s pitched exactly like that. Sometimes he’s been really good. Other times he’s been very okay. He’s never been bad but he hasn’t been as consistently impressive as many would have hoped. He will stay in the rotation and should … but his performance the past month or so has decreased.

Chad Bettis

Bettis has been a stopper and has been very steady for the Rockies all year. Some of his numbers aren’t impressive and he has had starts where it has gone poorly for the Rockies. However, more times than not, he’s been good and helpful.

Bettis has the least talent out of any of these seven guys and you might think he would profile better out of the bullpen. That is not true. In 29 appearances out of the bullpen, he has a 9.09 ERA. Not being over-dramatic, but he could be the worst reliever in franchise history. Over the course of two seasons, he soured so poorly and he came back so strong as a starter that I doubt the Rockies would even try this idea again.

Firmly In The Rotation

Tyler Anderson

When healthy, he’s been good. That’s been the rule with Tyler Anderson for his entire professional career. You probably haven’t even realized that he has a sub 4.00 ERA … but he does. Over his near-115 innings this season (and if you count the parts of 2016 and 2017 he spent in the Majors), he has been one of the best young starters in the history of the franchise, particularly when it comes to his dealings at Coors Field.

Kyle Freeland

His last handful of starts haven’t been as promising and they still haven’t hurt his club which in a way says it all about Freeland.

Next: Which prospects could the Rockies move at the trade deadline?

We’re Kyle Freeland Guys over here and it’s for good reason. The Denver kid has been nothing short of phenomenal in his sophomore campaign. His 3.28 ERA, 8-6 record and 120 innings pitched all pace the club. His energy has carried the club through their most torrid and current stretches. Put it simply, Freeland has turned into the heartbeat of the club … but not quite its ace. At least not yet.

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Up In The Air

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