Missing in Action: Colorado Rockies left off the September roster

Peter Lambert 

Lambert was fantastic with Class-A Hartford, boasting a 2.23 ERA and striking out 75 while walking just 12 men in 92.2 innings. On June 30, he was promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque and his numbers took a hit. In 11 starts, his ERA was 5.04 and his WHIP was elevated to 1.57. His strikeout-to-walk ratio suffered as well, 31 strikeouts to 15 walks in 55.1 innings.

But those final numbers don’t tell the story. Young pitchers struggle with the adjustment from the pitcher-friendly Eastern League to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Lambert has tremendous poise for his age, and found his stride after weathering the rough start. He allowed zero earned runs over 11 innings in his final two starts, battering the strike zone and inducing an encouraging number of ground balls.

Lambert’s stuff is excellent. He locates his fastball well, and has an above-average changeup and curveball. His absence on the 40-man roster isn’t a mystery — he’s not a relief pitcher. The Rockies needed to bolster their bullpen, and Sam Howard, Yency Almonte and DJ Johnson proved their worth as reliable bullpen arms.

Lambert has tremendous potential, and with a little more time could be yet another exciting young starter for the Rockies.