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1) Kyle Freeland’s 2018 (Age 25 season)
Considering that Kyle Freeland had this season in a year that the Rockies made it to the playoffs (and also made it to the Division Series for just the fourth time in franchise history), there was really no competition for the number one spot.
Freeland went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA in 33 starts. In 202 1/3 innings, he had a 166 ERA+, a 3.67 FIP, and he allowed an average of 8.1 hits, 0.8 home runs, 3.1 walks, and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. In the regular season, the opposing batters hit .240/.308/.358 and he had a WAR of 8.2. He fared even better in the second half of the season as in his final 13 starts, he went 9-1 with an ERA of 2.20.
For Rockies single-season records for any pitcher, Freeland’s 2.85 ERA is second, 17 wins is second, winning percentage is 10th, WHIP is 7th, 8th in hits allowed per nine innings, and ERA+ was second
By WAR as well, it really wasn’t a competition for number one. The second-highest WAR by a Rockie aged 25 or under was Troy Tulowitzki at 6.8.
In fact, outside of Todd Helton’s 2000 and 2004 season and Larry Walker’s 1997 season that won him the MVP, this is the best single-season that a Rockies player has ever had. It is the best pitching season a Rockie has ever had so that’s part of why Freeland tops this list.
What do you think of our list? Did we forget a season or think you’d change the order up? Let us know either in the comment section or on social media pages.