5 Colorado Rockies who could benefit from 28-man rosters

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DENVER, COLORADO – APRIL 21: Yonathan Daza #2 of the Colorado Rockies circles the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Houston Astros in the second inning at Coors Field on April 21, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

In the month of April in 2022, rosters will be expanded from 26 players to 28 players. As a result, there will be 60 players in the entire sport that will definitely benefit from it. But for the Colorado Rockies, as we enter the final two weeks before Opening Day, there are a number of players that could benefit from the expanded rosters.

For this list, though, we will look at the five players that are most likely to benefit from the expanded rosters. Before we start, we will preface that most of the players that will benefit are pitchers? Why? Teams can carry as many pitchers as they want before the roster size is reduced to 26 on May 2. When that happens, teams can only carry a maximum of 13 pitchers.

We say that most of the players will be pitchers but not all.

So with that, let’s dive in.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Yonathan Daza could benefit from the 28-man roster

Yonathan Daza was one of the last players to show up in camp for the Colorado Rockies because he had to wait to get his visa.

Being a little bit behind the other position players in that aspect as well as struggling after the All-Star break at the plate and with injuries could put Daza on the chopping block.

With the 28-man roster, the Rockies could carry a five-man bench to have 14 pitchers and 14 position players on the roster. Even with a four-man bench, Daza still could make the roster but a five-man bench makes it more likely for him to make the team.

He does not have any minor league options remaining either so if he didn’t make the team, the Rockies would have to designate him for assignment and subject him to waivers.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 4: Relief pitcher Ty Blach #50 of the San Francisco Giants delivers to home plate during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 4, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Left-handed pitcher Ty Blach has a better chance to make the Colorado Rockies

Overall, the Colorado Rockies and the other MLB teams are going to have 28-man rosters because they don’t want to push pitchers too hard and too fast. This is also why there is no limit on the number of pitchers on the roster.

Denver native Ty Blach will have a better chance to make the team with the expanded rosters and he would be a long reliever.

As of this publication, Blach is the only Rockies pitcher to make two starts so it’s obvious that they want to see more from him and to stretch him out some.

Blach has experience both as a starter and a reliever as he had 92 career appearances and 44 starts with the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles from 2016 through 2019. His best two seasons (2017-2018), he averaged 40 appearances and 18 starts per year with 141 innings so he could be that kind of swingman again for the Rockies.

Furthermore, in the current Colorado bullpen, the only lefty that is cemented in there right now is Lucas Gilbreath. Blach could provide them with a second (or third) left-handed reliever in the bullpen.

Rockies pitcher Ashton Goudeau could also benefit from the 28-man roster

Ashton Goudeau is another pitcher that could provide some length for the Colorado Rockies in the bullpen.

Goudeau, 29, pitched well in limited action with the Rockies in 2021 as a long reliever. With the Rockies in 2021, he appeared in 11 games and pitched in 25 1/3 innings with an ERA of 4.26, a 4.55 FIP, a 113 ERA+, and a 0.947 WHIP.

He isn’t going to blow anyone away with his stuff but if he pitches like that, he would be a good long relief option for the team.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 2: Ben Bowden #51 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on April 2, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. Bowden is making his Major League debut. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Ben Bowden would provide them with another lefty reliever

Ben Bowden struggled throughout the 2021 season for the Colorado Rockies. He struggled at home, on the road, against lefties, and against righties. But he did have some bad luck

In 39 games, he had a 6.56 ERA with an ERA+ of 73 but his FIP was 4.85. His problems were that he allowed a lot of hits (11.1 H/9) and his control (5.3 BB/9) but he struck out 10.6 batters per nine innings, showing that he could be a good option for the team if he can get his mechanics together.

He would also provide the team with a second (or third) left-handed reliever but without the expanded rosters, he might be in the minors since he has minor league options remaining.

Justin Lawrence is a reliever in the same boat as Ben Bowden

Like Ben Bowden, Justin Lawrence made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Colorado Rockies and he had some struggles.

In 19 games, he had an 8.64 ERA but, like Bowden, he had a much better FIP of 4.55, suggesting some bad luck. He also had some serious control problems (10.3 BB/9) and allowed a lot of hits (11.3 H/9) but with his three-quarters/sidearm delivery and velocity, he generated a lot of groundballs in the majors and in the minors.

Next. The 28-man roster could make dilemma with the lineup, bench. dark

That’s something that could lead to some great success with the Rockies … if he can control the ball. In Triple-A in 2021, he walked 3.3 per nine innings and had a groundball rate that was higher than 60 percent. If he could generate that at the MLB level, then the Rockies would have a great reliever but right now, he is borderline for making the team with the 28-man roster.

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5 Colorado Rockies who could benefit from Opening Day expanded rosters

Colorado Rockies outfielder Yonathan Daza could benefit from the 28-man roster

Left-handed pitcher Ty Blach has a better chance to make the Colorado Rockies

Rockies pitcher Ashton Goudeau could also benefit from the 28-man roster

Ben Bowden would provide them with another lefty reliever

Justin Lawrence is a reliever in the same boat as Ben Bowden

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