Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood signs to play in Japan

Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood has signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks according to the Japanese newspaper, Sports Hochi (link is in Japanese).

Chatwood has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors and he spent five seasons with the Colorado Rockies, the most he had with any team in the majors.

Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood is leaving MLB to play in Japan

Tyler Chatwood, 32, played with the Colorado Rockies from 2012 through 2017 but he suffered from injuries and control issues that derailed his career with the team.

Despite almost exclusively being a starter for the Rockies (103 games, 88 starts) since 2019, Chatwood has almost exclusively been a reliever as he has made 75 appearances and only 10 starts, with five each coming in 2019 and 2020.

In 2021, he spent the season exclusively in relief and he split the season between the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants. In 32 games, he had a 5.63 ERA but his 3.95 FIP suggests that he suffered from some bad luck. He had a WHIP of 1.469 and averaged 5.9 walks and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

He started the season with the Blue Jays but they released him on July 31. Within a week, the Giants picked him up for their bullpen. However, with his struggles, he was not on their postseason roster.

In his MLB career, Chatwood has a 52-60 record with a 4.45 ERA with 229 appearances (143 starts) with a 1.513 WHIP and an average of 4.7 walks and 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

His control issues and injuries in both his time with the Rockies and with other teams are why he never lived up to his prospect hype. Baseball America ranked him as their #76 overall prospect entering the 2011 season.

Chatwood, like other majors in recent years, could look to re-establish himself in Japan before a return to MLB. However, in the case of Chatwood, it will be interesting to see if the Hawks use Chatwood as a starter or a reliever.