The reasons why the Colorado Rockies can still win in 2020

Pitching

One of many downfalls for the 2019 Rockies was their pitching. Colorado had a bullpen that would have been better off turning to the staff of the nearest barbecue joint for help and a starting rotation that actually did that. But through the carnage, fans got a glimpse of why 2020 could be different. Despite being shortened by injury, Jon Gray had one of the best seasons of his career and has now posted two out of three great seasons for Colorado. If Gray is healthy, he could spearhead a young rotation with a chip on its shoulder.

German Marquez also battled injuries in 2019 while taking a bit of a step back, but it’s a good bet that he will return to form in 2020, potentially posting career-bests in several categories.

Speaking of returning to form, Kyle Freeland has to bounce back from his 2019 performance. The hometown hero posted the greatest pitching season in club history in 2018, going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA on his way to a fourth-place finish in the NL Cy Young voting. That doesn’t happen without a wealth of talent and you can be certain Freeland dedicated the offseason to getting back on track in 2020.

If these three starters have the kinds of seasons they are capable of, they will help the Rockies win a lot more games than the 71 they did last season. Of course, they’re going to need support from two more arms at the back of the rotation. There aren’t going to be any moves made to bring in a pitcher so the Rockies will have to look internally for help.

Can top pitching prospect Peter Lambert take a step forward after an up-and-down season in which he was probably forced into action a little too early? Can Antonio Senzatela finally discover his full potential? Or will the team turn to a pair of veteran minor leaugers who gave Rockies’ fans an unexpected bright spot at the end of 2019? Chi Chi Gonzalez posted a 1.65 ERA over five games in September, certainly making the case for a closer look in 2020. Tim Melville actually ranked in the Rockies top ten players in WAR for 2019 and allowed two or fewer runs in four of his seven starts, including one or fewer in three of those starts.

The starting rotation is certainly not a lock, but it should be better than last season’s debacle. And if the three big names do what we know they’re capable of and get support from a couple of breakout seasons, the rotation should look more like 2018 and less like 2019. Unfortunately, to a certain degree, it doesn’t matter how well the starting pitching is if the bullpen is an absolute dumpster fire.

But after 2019, the Rockies seem to finally be shying away from using the trio of Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, and Jake McGee in high-leverage situations. If management is wise, they will replace those three with the up-and-coming trio of Scott Oberg, Carlos Estevez, and Jairo Diaz.

Overshadowed by the team’s struggles, Estevez easily had the best year of his career, posting a 3.28 ERA from May 25 through the end of the season and a K/9 over 10 across 72 innings pitched. Diaz was almost as good, posting a 3.07 ERA after July 25 and he eventually took over closing duties while Oberg was hurt.

With one of these three as the club’s new closer and the other two as set-up men, the Rockies might have the best shutdown trio since their 2017 playoff run.