There is no question that pitching was a focal point of last season’s 71-91 efforts by the Rockies. Colorado was expected to have a strong young core of pitching when the season began, as Paumi illustrated here.
However, as we know, Kyle Freeland struggled, even spending some time at Triple-A. Jon Gray and German Marquez had their moments on the mound before being shut down by injury. Those moments, however, opened the door for a promising prospect named Peter Lambert.
On August 21, Colorado needed help on the mound and the Rockies turned to little-known pitcher Tim Melville in a surprise move. He rewarded the club for its efforts, allowing one run and seven hits over his first starts spanning 14 innings.
After the season was over, it was clear the Rockies were going to head in a different direction with their rotation. That point was crystallized when Chad Bettis and Tyler Anderson, complete with his notebook full of pitching wisdom, were no longer on the roster.