Colorado Rockies morning after: Tim Melville’s release and legacy

Of all of the things that went wrong for the Colorado Rockies in 2019, Tim Melville was one of the things that absolutely went right. Perfect? No. Right? Yes.

Sure, go ahead and glance at the stats and shrug your shoulders if you weren’t there for the fall from grace that was the injury-plagued 2019 Colorado Rockies. After all, Melville’s 2-3 mark in seven starts with a 4.86 ERA over 33.1 innings isn’t much that is going to draw attention from those who don’t pay attention on a daily basis to the Rockies. But for those of us who do, Tim Melville was a big feel-good part of a season that didn’t have a lot of feel-good parts to it. That’s one of the reasons why the Rockies releasing him on Monday was such a surprise and drew such emotion from Rockies fans on social media.

But before Monday’s events, let’s look back at Melville’s short but glorious stint with the Rockies. On August 21, exactly two years after making his last Major League start, Melville strode the mound at Chase Field and proceeded to throw seven innings and hold the Arizona Diamondbacks to one run in a 7-2 Rockies win. Stepping in for injured hurler Jon Gray (and with Kyle Freeland heading to the injured list soon after), the Rockies needed something positive as their season continued to spin down the drain. Melville provided that with his pitching and the salute to Melville for his performance was an article I thoroughly enjoyed writing.

He also excelled in his next start, throwing five shutout innings at Coors Field against the Atlanta Braves. The Melville legend continued, but it wasn’t just the pitching that drew Rockies fans to cheer on their new starter. The guy was a seasonal employee at a barbecue joint in Phoenix before the Rockies took a chance on him resurrecting his career. It happened and we all celebrated by hoisting a turkey leg in Melville’s honor.

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Melville’s final start of the 2019 season was a positive as well, throwing five innings of one-run ball against the Giants in San Francisco on September 25. It seemed to be an ideal way for Melville to end the season and make sure his name was in the conversation when the potential 2020 Rockies rotation was discussed.

Of course, much changed since Melville walked off the mound in San Francisco. He was sent outright to Triple-A on October 30 and elected free agency on November 1. The next day, he was signed by the Rockies to a minor league contract and invited to spring training. On February 5, he was assigned to Triple-A. A fractured rib from his last Rockies start kept him from appearing in a spring game before COVID-19 shut down baseball.

On the surface, it might make some sense that the Rockies released him on Monday. However, knowing the lack of depth for the team in starting pitching, it was a surprising move that raised eyebrows among the Rockies faithful.

We don’t know a lot about the why of Melville’s release, and we don’t know a lot about what could be the 2020 baseball season if and when it happens. However, we do know that the Rockies can always use an arm and can always use an arm that can get outs. Melville showed that last season, and it’s an honest surprise he won’t be able to show that in a Rockies uniform in 2020, especially with the discussion of expanded rosters when the game returns.

Colorado has seen through the years that a lack of arms can be a problem at altitude or anywhere else. Apparently, Melville’s 2019 appearances weren’t enough to convince the franchise that the magic could be recaptured in 2020. Hopefully we’ll soon know more to the story of “why.”

If Melville never pitches another game for the Rockies, rest assured he will be an answer to a fabulous bet you can place at your local drinking establishment in a few years (yes, they will be back open by then). However, it’s a shame that we only got to see a small glimpse of Melville in LoDo. From his love of barbecue (our podcast with him was a blast) to his demeanor and physique, Melville was a player many fans could see a bit of themselves in. Maybe that’s why so many were shaking their heads when they heard Monday’s news.

What is Melville’s legacy in Colorado? It’s more than just a Band-Aid on an injury-depleted rotation. It’s stepping up when needed and proving that the unexpected can always happen in the game we all love.