Colorado Rockies 2022 player projections: Austin Gomber

Austin Gomber was one of a few MLB additions to the Colorado Rockies in 2021 as he was acquired by the Colorado Rockies in the Nolan Arenado trade with St. Louis.

The Rockies hoped that he would be able to assume a role in their starting rotation and he did so very well.

He pitched to a 9-9 record with a 4.53 ERA (105 ERA+) in 23 starts. He pitched particularly well at Coors Field as he had a 2.09 ERA in his nine starts at Coors Field. However, it was more than four runs higher (6.22 ERA) on the road.

In fact, two of his worst starts came at sea level in San Francisco. He had one start where he went 6 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs but the other two starts in San Francisco were awful, as he allowed a combined 14 earned runs and seven walks in 5 2/3 innings.

He had an rWAR of 0.7 but an fWAR of 1.3.

2022 Projections for Colorado Rockies starter Austin Gomber are similar

ZiPS projects that Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Austin Gomber will go 9-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 24 games (21 starts) with a 4.61 FIP, a 103 ERA+, and a 1.4 fWAR.

In 2022, the keys for Gomber will be to remain healthy and find more consistency on the road. Having an ERA of 6.22 for more than half of a season is not going to cut it.

But he had two big stints on the injured list as well. He was on the IL for a month from June 19 to July 21 with forearm tightness and from September 1 through the end of the season due to a back injury.

If Gomber can continue to pitch well in Coors Field, then that is one issue that the Rockies don’t have to worry about that they often have with other pitchers in the past.

Overall, I think that the projections are just about right but I think Gomber will see his splits come closer together in 2022, with his road numbers getting better and his home numbers being a little bit worse. If he can be successful both at home and on the road, he will outperform the projections.