Colorado Rockies: The top 10 best hitting pitchers in franchise history

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Colorado Rockies’ Denny Neagle pitches in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals 09 April 2001 in St. Louis. Neagle pitched six innings giving up four hits, including a two run home run to rookie Albert Pujols. AFP PHOTO/Scott ROVAK (Photo by SCOTT ROVAK / AFP) (Photo credit should read SCOTT ROVAK/AFP via Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies have had some great hitting pitchers in their franchise history.

The Colorado Rockies have had a few good hitting pitchers in their franchise history. Some may attribute it to the altitude that they play their home games at but some are just really good hitters.

They have had a few Silver Slugger Award winners including one currently on the team. However, one of the team’s Silver Slugger Award winners is a bit lower on this list than I would have expected.

To qualify for this list, the player must have played with the Rockies for a minimum of two seasons and they must have had at least 75 plate appearances. Those 75 plate appearances must have come as a member of the Rockies and in addition, only their career as a Rockie will be considered.

Therefore, some pitchers like Jason Marquis, who only played one year with the Rockies but he won a Silver Slugger Award in 2005 with the Cardinals. His career OPS+ would put him on this list but not his OPS+ with the Rockies and his one season disqualify him from this list.

This list is also by OPS+ so it’s an even playing field for everyone considered.

Without further ado, let’s delve into the top ten hitting pitchers in Colorado Rockies franchise history.

17 Jun 1998: Darryl Kile #57 of the Colorado Rockies in action during a game against the San Francisco Giants at 3Com Park in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Rockies 6-3. Credit: Otto Greule Jr./Allsport (Getty Images) /

Number 10: Darryl Kile (19 OPS+, 148 plate appearances)

The late Darryl Kile struggled as a pitcher with the Colorado Rockies.

In his two seasons as a Rockie, he hit .203/.252/.244 with an OPS+ of 19. His best season at the plate was 1998 as he hit .254/.293/.324 with an OPS+ of 50.

He never had another season with an OPS+ above 14 so that may have partially come from the “Coors” effect.

Number 9: Tyler Chatwood (22 OPS+, 183 plate appearances)

This one of the few surprises that I had during the research of this. In five seasons as a Rockie, Tyler Chatwood hit .209/.238/.241 in 183 appearances with an OPS+ of 22.

His best season at the plate was the season that he had the most plate appearances as in 2013, he had 45 plate appearances and he hit .300/.333/.325 with an OPS+ of 72.

In 2012, he had an OPS+ of 55 but no other season was above 12.

16 Apr 1997: Pitcher Roger Bailey of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Rockies won the game 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /

Number 8: Roger Bailey (26 OPS+, 114 plate appearances)

Roger Bailey only played in the majors for three seasons but all three were with the Rockies. On those three teams (1995-97), Bailey hit .206/.252/.268. He had 20 hits including a double, a triple, and a home run. He also had eight RBI.

He had the most plate appearances in 1997 since he started 29 games for the Rockies but his best offensive season came in 1996 when in 25 plate appearances, he actually had an OPS+ of 113.

Number 7: Chris Rusin (29 OPS+, 95 plate appearances)

This one was another one that I was surprised by when I researched this.

Chris Rusin got more plate appearances as a Rockie earlier in his career due to being a starting pitcher for parts of the first two seasons in his five in a Rockies uniform.

While he was with a Rockie, though, he hit .227/.227/.284 with an OPS+ of 29. He went for 10-for-46 in his first season as a Rockie with an OPS+ of 27 but in his final two seasons as a Rockie (as a reliever), he had an OPS+ of 92 in 15 plate appearances.

Not bad if you don’t want to go through all of your pinch hitters or if you’re already out of them in extra innings.

DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 10: German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies hits a three RBI double in the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on May 10, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Number 6: German Marquez (31 OPS+, 184 plate appearances)

German Marquez is one pitcher that I thought would, at least, be in the top five on this list.

Overall, he has a career slash line of .233/.233/.302 with an OPS+ of 31. He has 1 home run and 21 RBI along with six doubles and a triple.

He did win a Silver Slugger Award in 2018 (65 OPS+) and he still hit well in 2019 (39 OPS+) but he did not do well at the plate in 2017 (-2 OPS+ in 53 plate appearances). That’s mainly what kept him lower on this list.

If you were to just consider the last two seasons, his OPS+ would actually put him at number two on this list with an OPS+ of 53.

Number 5: Denny Neagle (33 OPS+, 131 plate appearances)

Denny Neagle was a huge disappointment as a pitcher for the Rockies and one of the biggest free-agent missteps in Rockies’ history.

He was not a particularly good hitter elsewhere so maybe this one is more of the “Coors” effect.

He hit .205/.224/.330 in three seasons as a Rockie with two home runs and 10 RBI along with eight doubles. However, his career OPS+ was never higher than 7 with any other team.

Colorado Rockies’ pitcher Jason Jennings delivers a pitch to Florida Marlins’ outfielder Preston Wilson During sixth inning action 12 August, 2002, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Florida. AFP PHOTO/RHONA WISE (Photo by RHONA WISE / AFP) (Photo credit should read RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images) /

Number 4: Jason Jennings (35 OPS+, 347 plate appearances)

Of all of the players on this list, Jason Jennings had the most plate appearances. That was partially due to his six seasons as a Rockie but also, he started in all of his 156 appearances as a Rockie.

When he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2002, he hit .306/.348/.371 with 11 RBI, four doubles, and even three walks.

Overall, as a Rockie, he hit .219/.259/.285 with two home runs and 25 RBI along with 14 doubles.

Number 3: Brian Bohanon (39 OPS+, 181 plate appearances)

Brian Bohanon spent three seasons as a Rockie and by OPS+, he got better by each season at the plate.

Overall, with the Rockies, he hit .226/.262/.342 with three home runs and 21 RBI along with nine doubles.

His best season was his last in the majors (2001) and he hit .323/.344/.452 in 33 plate appearances. He had four doubles and three RBI.

2 Apr 2001: Mike Hampton #10 of the Colorado Rockies winds back to pitch the ball during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Cardinals 8-0.Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport /

Number 2: Bill Swift (42 OPS+, 77 plate appearances)

Bill Swift was a Colorado Rockie for parts of three seasons but in the middle season (1996), he was injured for much of the season.

However, when he did play, he hit well, at least compared to most pitchers. As a Rockie, he hit .213/.294/.295 with an OPS+ of 42 in 77 plate appearances. He also had a home run and six RBI.

In three seasons with the Giants, he also had an OPS+ of 42 so it looks like his hitting skills were more genuine and not the “Coors” effect.

Number 1: Mike Hampton (109 OPS+, 152 plate appearances)

As you can tell by the OPS+, the race for number one is not even close. There’s a reason why Mike Hampton won five Silver Slugger Awards in his career, which is the most by a pitcher ever.

He struggled mightily as a pitcher with the Rockies but obviously, his offense didn’t suffer.

He played two seasons with the Rockies and in both seasons, he won the Silver Slugger Award. Combined between the two seasons, he had 10 home runs, 21 RBI, and he hit a mind-boggling .315/.329/.552. That’s pretty good for a position player, let alone a pitcher.

His best season was his second and final (2002) as he hit .344/.354/.516 with an OPS+ of 113.

Next. Top 5 Shortstops in Rockies History. dark

His offense was never as good before or after he left the Rockies but his OPS+ was in the fifties with the other teams. Hence, why he still won three Silver Slugger Awards outside of a Rockies uniform.

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