Colorado Rockies: 3 questions left unanswered with spring stoppage

Will Bryan Shaw make the roster?

Yes, this is a legitimate question to ask with Colorado’s current bullpen make-up and lack of options in some cases.

Yency Almonte does not have an option. Neither does Hoffman, who we are projecting as a long reliever (if he makes the team and the Rockies do not designate him for assignment).

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Take into account that Wade Davis, Jairo Diaz, Carlos Estevez, Tyler Kinley, Jake McGee, and Scott Oberg are virtual locks for the bullpen that has eight openings. With Almonte and Hoffman, that’s eight players. That list does not include Shaw or James Pazos, another left-hander who has the potential to be another southpaw options (along with McGee)

This spring, Shaw has allowed six hits and five runs in 4.1 innings, walking four and striking out three. The good news? He finished the first part of spring training by allowing just one hit and no runs and no walks in his final two appearances, covering 1.2 innings. Historically known for his slow spring starts, Shaw could be one of the pitchers most impacted by the start-stop-start that this historic spring training will be.

If he makes the roster, it likely knocks Hoffman or Almonte out of the mix, meaning the Rockies could lose either of them. They could also option Kinley to the minors, but he has been strong this spring (six shutout innings pitched and only two hits allowed) since being picked up in the offseason from Miami.

There are other questions the Rockies will face as well when spring training kicks back into high gear. We’ll cover those tomorrow.