5 players the Colorado Rockies wish they still had on their roster

Greg Holland

Again, the Rockies’ bullpen issues in 2019 and 2020 make the loss of Greg Holland even worse. In his single season in the purple pinstripes, Holland had an ERA of 3.61 (140 ERA+) with an NL-leading 41 saves. That ERA would have been a minuscule 1.69 if not for August.

He struggled a bit in 2018 and 2019 after he left the Rockies but he pitched well once again for the Royals (in his second stint with the team) as he had an ERA of 1.91 in 28 games with nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings and slightly more than two walks per nine innings. His WHIP was an excellent 0.953 and his FIP was 2.52.

He’s a free agent this offseason, as we mentioned in our look at free-agent relievers earlier this week, so perhaps the Rockies may be interested in a reunion.

Tyler Matzek

Yet another reliever on the list. Sense a pattern? Consistent pitching, particularly out of the bullpen, can be hard to come by and up until August, left-hander Tyler Matzek would not be a guy that would be on this list whatsoever because he had been out of the majors since last pitching for the Rockies five years ago.

Matzek didn’t pitch poorly while with the Rockies but injuries derailed his career and he wasn’t able to catch a break until the Braves took a chance on him and in 2020, he was one of the best relievers in one of the best bullpens in baseball.

He spent the 2014 and 2015 campaigns with the Rockies in the majors, pitching to a 4.06 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) with an ERA+ of 107. The Braves made him a reliever and as a middle-reliever, Matzek pitched to a 2.79 ERA (172 ERA+) in 21 games (29 innings). His FIP was even better at a sparkling 1.92 with a WHIP of 1.138 and 13.3 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings.