Colorado Rockies spring training: 3 interesting quotes we heard

Ryan McMahon didn’t hold back on the praise for starting pitcher Jon Gray when he was asked this week about his thoughts on each of Colorado’s top four starting pitchers (Gray, Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, and Antonio Senzatela).

"“Jonny has the best stuff I think out of all of them through and through, man,” McMahon said. “He’s nasty.”"

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Let’s trust someone who has seen plenty of all four pitchers on this one. Gray enters this season, much like Story, with his future up in the air. He’s coming off a season where injuries and less velocity on his fastball and slider dominated the headlines. He’s coming off an offseason where there were rumors that the Rockies might non-tender him. He’s entering a season which will be his final one under team control, making him an unrestricted free agent entering 2022 and a potential trade chip as the deadline approaches.

All of that aside, Gray is one of the most successful pitchers in Rockies history, ranking seventh in wins (45, as he and Jorge de la Rosa are the only two Rox pitchers to ever have four seasons of double-digit victories) and fifth in strikeouts (692, and could easily vault into second in that category this season). His success this season will be important for the Rockies, who will lean on their rotation as their strength.

While Marquez and Freeland may grab more headlines, McMahon says it’s Gray who has the best stuff of the bunch. An interesting observation, don’t you think?