Let yourself believe: The Rockies' pitching is improving rapidly

In 2024, the Colorado Rockies’ pitching staff finished dead last in almost every statistical category in Major League Baseball.

Of course, the most important stat of all of them was 61, as in the amount of games the Rockies managed to win last season. Wins and losses always matter

And a big reason for Colorado’s woes over not just last season, but the last several, has been the pitching staff.

From starters to middle relievers, and the closer role, the Rockies just haven’t been able to put together a good season on the mound, and of course, playing at 5,280 feet in Coors Field only lends to the struggles.

Coming off of the difficulties of last season, not much is expected of the Colorado pitching staff in 2025, either. To many pundits, it doesn’t matter that several key pitchers, including fireballer German Marquez, are returning from injuries that derailed the last couple seasons.

No, many see little reason to believe the Rockies will be any better on the bump this year.

Yet, after seven spring training games, including a 2-0 shutout of the Dodgers on Thursday, there’s plenty to be optomistic about as the spring rolls on.

First and foremost, there’s the excitment surrounding star prospect Chase Dollander, who had a sparkling spring debut against the Giants, and who will certainly push for the a spot in the starting rotation.

Then, there’s the fan excitment surrounding reliever Jefry Yan’s strikeout celebrations on the mound. Yan alone is helping to really create a buzz about the Rockies’ pitching staff, and excitement is something the Rockies sorely need.

There’s also the stats, and numbers never lie.

The Rockies currently have a team ERA of just 3.77, nearly two points lower then the 2024 regular season. They have a team WHIP of 1.19, while they’ve allowed 44 hits and a mere three homeruns, while registering eight strikeouts per nine innings.

“We have pitching coming back,” Black told MLB Network Film Room’s Greg Amsinger and Yonder Alonso. “We’ve got some stronger arms in the bullpen.”

It’s true, the Rockies’ pitching staff has matched the offense thus far in Cactus League play. Kyle Freeland and Marquez have made key starts, Bradley Blalock and Austin Gomber have looked good in their work as well. And Tyler Kinley seems to be taking control of the bullpen situation.

So, while it’s easy for Rockies’ fans to feel negatively about the pitching situation as the season approaches, that negativity is based on the past.

The fact of the matter is, if this spring is any indication, the Rockies are ready to make a major leap forward on the mound. Staying healthy and run support will factor into that, but as spring training really heats up, expect to see the Colorado pitching staff to make even more strides in the coming weeks, and that should have Rockies’ fans really looking forward to the regular season.