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Colorado Rockies: 3 players the team lost faith in too quickly

By Noah Yingling |
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 12: Sam Howard #61 of the Colorado Rockies throws in the eighth inning against the St Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on September 12, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 12: Sam Howard #61 of the Colorado Rockies throws in the eighth inning against the St Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on September 12, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 27: Sam Howard #54 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 27, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 27: Sam Howard #54 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 27, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Over the years, the  Colorado Rockies have had some trades or signings that have gone very well for the team.

But there have been a few times where the Rockies lost faith in some players and they ended up regretting it. There have been three players in recent memory where the Rockies probably regret not having them on their roster right now and that’s because they lost their faith too quickly in them.

Here are three players the Colorado Rockies lost faith in too quickly

1) Sam Howard

Sam Howard could be in the Rockies bullpen as a left-handed reliever in a bullpen that has periods where they haven’t had any left-handed relievers. If they have any, it has been Ben Bowden and/or Lucas Gilbreath in the bullpen, and both have struggled.

Howard appeared in 24 games in relief between 2018 and 2019 and he pitched to a 5.87 ERA and a FIP that was even worst (6.16).

But after the Pirates claimed him off waivers before the 2020 season, he has an ERA of 3.09 in 51 games (43 2/3 IP). His walk rate was a problem with the Rockies and it has still been a problem with the Pirates but when you increase your strikeout rate and drop your hit rate by nearly half, you’re going to see better results and he has.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 31: Tom Murphy #2 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly out to defeat the Oakland Athletics 6-5 at T-Mobile Park on May 31, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 31: Tom Murphy #2 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly out to defeat the Oakland Athletics 6-5 at T-Mobile Park on May 31, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

2) Tom Murphy

The Rockies catching situation has long been a weakness for the team, especially at the plate.

Entering Thursday, Dom Nuñez is hitting .172/.271/.388 with an OPS+ of 71 and Elias Diaz is hitting .147/.219/.211 and OPS+ of 14. For Nuñez, that is the highest OPS+ that a Rockies catcher has put up since Chris Iannetta in 2018 and 2019, but his OPS+ was still well below league average.

Tom Murphy, who was let go by the Rockies via waivers at the end of spring training in 2019, was phenomenal at the plate in 2019 as, in 281 plate appearances, he hit .273/.324/.535 with an OPS+ of 128 with Seattle.

He missed 2020 due to injury but in 2021, he hasn’t been quite as good at the plate but still better than the Rockies currently have.

In 128 plate appearances, he has hit .181/.238/.379 with an OPS+ of 75.

Depending on the source, Murphy has been either slightly above or slightly below Nuñez defensively this season (which is about league average) but Murphy was well above league average in 2019.

PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 03: Tyler Anderson #31 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 3, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 03: Tyler Anderson #31 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 3, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

3) Tyler Anderson

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Like his current teammate Sam Howard, Anderson is another player the Rockies gave up to early on.

The Rockies let the left-handed starter go after the 2019 season since he had a knee injury that kept him out for most of the year. But in the previous three seasons with the Rockies, he pitched well overall and, more importantly, he pitched better at Coors Field than on the road.

  • 2016 overall stats: 5-6 record, 3.54 ERA, 19 starts
  • 2016 at Coors: 5-2 record, 3.00 ERA, 12 starts
  • 2017 stats: 6-6 record, 4.81 ERA, 17 games (15 starts)
  • 2017 at Coors: 3-3 record, 4.14 ERA, 8 games (7 starts)
  • 2018 stats: 7-9 record, 4.55 ERA, 32 starts
  • 2018 at Coors: 3-6 record, 4.15 ERA, 17 starts

Combined in those three seasons, he had an overall ERA of 4.30, which amounted to an ERA+ of 112 but in his five starts in 2019 (in which he was still dealing with the lingering knee injury that he sustained in spring training), he had an ERA of 11.76. The Rockies then put him on waivers at the end of the season and the Giants claimed him.

In 2020, in his first year outside of a Rockies uniform, he pitched to a 4.37 ERA, and in 2021, with the Pirates, he has an ERA of 4.52. Since both of his home stadiums are much more pitcher-friendly than Coors, his ERA+ is below league average in both seasons but considering the numbers he put up at Coors Field, he could be in the Rockies rotation as another guy that pitches better at Coors than on the road.

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Also, with the number of injuries that the Rockies have had to their pitching staff in 2020 and 2021 (including injuries to Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland in the rotation), the Rockies could use Anderson in the rotation or as a left-handed long-reliever in the bullpen.

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