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Colorado Rockies: What will their bullpen look like now?

By Noah Yingling

DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 30: Alex Colome #48 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning at Comerica Park on August 30, 2021, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 30: Alex Colome #48 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning at Comerica Park on August 30, 2021, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Robert Stephenson
Apr 21, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (29) pitches in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Two setup men: Carlos Estévez and Robert Stephenson

As setup men, the two most logical choices for setup men in the Colorado Rockies bullpen are Carlos Estévez and Robert Stephenson.

Estévez was their closer for most of the last month of the season. He recorded 11 saves in total. As we talked about in this article a few weeks ago, Estévez had some good luck and bad luck in 2021.

For example, in the final two months of the season, Estévez had a great ERA (3.20) and a great FIP (3.33) … but batters teed off on him, hitting .324/.373/.431 in that span. Batters also had a BABIP of .403, in that span, suggesting that Estévez had some massively bad luck.

Robert Stephenson will likely be the other setup man. The veteran was a welcome addition to the Rockies bullpen in 2021 and he did well, particularly in the second half of the season. He suffered an upper back injury that sidelined him for about six weeks. When he returned on August 6, it started a great stretch for him.

In 22 appearances in the rest of the season, Stephenson had an ERA of 1.61, a FIP of 2.32, and batters hit .225/.273/.363. That’s what they need in a setup man.

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