Colorado Rockies: Jon Gray and the ever-evolving warrior mindset

On August 22, Jon Gray threw 6.1 innings against the San Diego Padres, allowing just two runs and scattering five hits while striking out five. It was his sixth quality start in his last seven outings and helped the Colorado Rockies grab a 6-2 win.

During the game, it was obvious that the Colorado Rockies right-hander didn’t have his best stuff. His slider didn’t bite as much and his fastball command wasn’t as precise as he or manager Bud Black would have liked. Still, Gray got the job done and helped the Rockies win a divisional game.

It was the type of game that might have had Gray on the ropes earlier in his career … or even this season. But something clicked with Gray when he was sent to Triple-A on June 30 in what was at the time considered by many a shocking move. Colorado’s Opening Day starter was suddenly in Triple-A and people wondered what the effect on Gray might be.

The answer? The effect was a revelation and a reset.

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“I was in a weird place,” Gray told me in an exclusive talk inside the Colorado clubhouse. “I wasn’t myself and competing out there. I was kind of going through the motions and trying to make things happen rather just letting my natural ability take over. I wanted to clear things out and start over and feel natural and athletic.”

Gray was recalled on July 14 and went on to post a 2-0 mark with a 1.66 ERA in three July starts.

Now flash forward to August 22. Gray competed and got through a somewhat tough night. It earned him a shout-out from his catcher in postgame interviews.

"“I’m proud of Jon. He’s such a warrior out there. He doesn’t give up. He wants to keep getting better,” Tony Wolters said that night to me and other media members."

A warrior. I asked Gray about that moniker and he smiled. He said it was a word that resonated with him, especially this season.

“It’s something that’s evolved over time,” Gray said. “I feel like I’m making more gains now. I feel like I’m doing a better job of taking information and moving on to the next one. When things aren’t going right, the bottom line is just competing.”

Competing means working on getting better and Gray said there are two areas where his focus lies heading into arguably the most important month in Colorado franchise history.

“There are a couple of things,” Gray explained when asked about his focus for September. “Even when things have seemed to go good, there are those one or two mistakes that I make that could have made things go the other way or could’ve been bad. Those are the things I’m trying to clean up.

“Last week, it was not having good putaways. My 0-2s, my two-strike pitches weren’t very good. There were too many balls put into play. In a field like this, that’s probably going to create more runs. I’ve tried to work on putaways and missing more bats this week. I feel like I’m doing a better job of that.

“Another thing is the first inning and getting that competitiveness in the first inning. It’s hard sometimes because you’re trying to feel your stuff out sometimes right away. You don’t always know where things are going right away so it’s hard to be as aggressive and nasty as possible.”

On Friday night at Coors Field, Gray will take the mound opposite Clayton Kershaw as the Los Angeles Dodgers visit Denver to open a critical three-game series that will certainly have postseason ramifications. Gray shrugs off any additional pressure that comes with Friday’s start or any start during the rest of the regular season.

“It’s just another start for me,” Gray smiled. “It’s not something I have to bring myself up or do more for. It’s naturally going to happen. The best is going to come out in all of us at this time. We just keep doing the same thing. Strive to get better. Take small steps to get better every day and we’re going to be right where we’re supposed to be.”

Next. What could the 2019 Rockies roster look like?. dark

Small steps to get better. The warrior mindset wouldn’t have it any other way.

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