Colorado Rockies news and links for Friday, August 30, 2024
With 27 games left, the Rockies are 15 losses away from consecutive 100-loss seasons. Whether it’s 99 losses or 104, it’s not a step in the right direction. So, the question is what could the Rockies do in the final month of the 2024 season to move the team forward in 2025?
With active rosters expanding from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1, and one vacancy on the 40-man roster as of Thursday, the Rockies have the opportunity to take steps to improve the most problematic part of the roster: the bullpen.
On Thursday, the Rockies made a move to open a spot on the roster.
The Colorado Rockies announced the following move today:
– Outrighted left-handed pitcher Antoine Kelly to Triple-A Albuquerque.
The Rockies have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) August 29, 2024
As of late Thursday night, the roster remained at 39, but rumors have it that No. 21 PuRP Jaden Hill could get the call and make his MLB debut. The 2021 second-round draft pick out of Louisiana State University hasn’t had the easiest path due to Tommy John surgery in 2021 that cut his senior season short. Since then, the 6-foot-4 RHP has pivoted from a starter to a reliever and started climbing through the farm system.
He’s pitched 43 1/3 innings this season between Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque, just 1/3 of an inning short of his total in 2023. Between the Yard Goats and the Isotopes, Hill has posted a 4.78 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 16 walks. Hill has a fastball that can hit 100 mph, a top-notch changeup and he’s developing a slider with a lot of potential.
The Rockies need to see how Hill’s stuff plays in the Majors and how he holds up on the mound delivering it. Hopefully, Hill can live up to the hype.
Hill would be fun to watch in the final stretch of the season, but I am hoping the Rockies also make another move and I want this one to be a little more radical. I’m hoping the Rockies pick up Taylor Rogers.
Rogers, the 9-year MLB veteran, 2021 All-Star and Littleton, Colorado native, was placed on waivers by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. Rogers has a career ERA of 3.36. This year, the 33-year-old has a 2.45 ERA in 51 1/3 innings — that’s way ahead of the Rockies best relievers. Peter Lambert is at 3.81 (but he’s in Triple-A) and Victor Vodnik’s 4.04 (but he’s on the 15-day IL), which leaves Angel Chivilli’s 4.42 as the top bullpen ERA.
There is, of course, a catch. Rogers won’t come cheap. A team that picks him up would not only have to pay the bill on the $2.15 million left on Rogers’ contract this season, but take on the $12 million he’s guaranteed in 2025.
Thanks to the disaster of the Big Three — Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee — costing the Rockies $106 million and underperforming epically, the Rockies haven’t made many choices to infuse cash into the bullpen. Instead, they decided to give most of their money to Kris Bryant to sit on the bench instead. They also extended Daniel Bard’s contract and paid him $9.5 million this season, only to see him injured in spring training and miss the season.
Davis, Shaw and McGee all had three-year deals with $52 million for Davis and $27 million apiece for Shaw and McGee. Bard signed a two-year deal for $19 million. If the Rockies signed Rogers, it would be for one month and one year for $14.5 million. Considering the Rockies will be paying Nolan Arenado $5 million to play for the Cardinals and $27 million for Kris Bryant to be Kris Bryant, the $12 million for Rogers to be a steady arm in the bullpen is actually a good investment. Plus, Bard’s $9.5 million is coming off the books as he’s a free agent. The same goes for Charlie Blackmon’s $13 million.
The Rockies have the money and this could be a good place for it to go. After Bard, Tyler Kinley’s $3 million is the biggest bullpen contact the Rockies have. It’s way past time to spend more on it.
Rogers, the Chatfield High School grad, still lives in Denver. The Rockies have had a good deal of success with pitchers born in the Centennial State. The Rockies have the third-highest priority on the waiver wire behind only the White Sox and Marlins. Whether it means shutting down Lucas Gilbreath for the season, sending Noah Davis back to Triple-A or another roster move, making space for Rogers could pay off for the Rockies.
★ ★ ★
Grizzlies OF Robert Calaz Named 2024 Arizona Complex League MVP | MiLB.com
At the ripe old age of 18, Rockies OF prospect Robert Calaz, No. 8 PuRP, just won a pretty big honor. As the Fresno Grizzlies website explains, Calaz led the ACL in “seven different offensive categories; batting average (.349), homers (10), RBI (45), on-base percentage (.462), slugging percentage (.651), OPS (1.113) and total bases (112). The Rockies #10 prospect also had 46 runs, 32 walks and 12 stolen bases in his 2024 MVP campaign.”
Jack Etkin has another great feature, this time on Double-A Hartford reliever Zach Agnos. From Agnos’ rise to professional baseball to his habit of talking to himself on the mound, Etkin chronicles the 24-year-old’s journey.
★ ★ ★
On the Farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 9, Reno Aces 2
Tanner Gordon (3-3) held the Aces to two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks and was followed by a scoreless inning apiece from Evan Justice, Geoff Hartlieb, Riley Pint and John Curtiss as the Isotopes overcame a 2-0 deficit for the win on Thursday night. Willie McIver hit a two-run triple, while Hunter Goodman and Zac Veen each hit two-run doubles.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 7, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 1
Blake Adams struck out five Rumble Ponies, holding them to one run on four hits with only two walks for his second win of the year and three relievers combined to keep Binghamton hitless in the final three innings. Juan Guerrero hit a three-run homer on a three-hit night for Hartford and Adael Amador added a two-run single and Warming Bernabel chipped in an RBI single.
High-A: Tri-City Dust Devils 3, Spokane Indians 0 (10 innings)
Tri-City scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning to capture the win. Connor Staine struck out 10 Dust Devils while holding them to three hits in six innings and Braxton Hyde added three more scoreless innings with four strikeouts before Welinton Herrera gave up three runs on three hits in the 10th. The Indians were only able to manage five hits, two of which came from Jose Cordova.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 11, Visalia Rawhide 2
The Grizzlies recorded 14 hits, scored in five different innings and put up a big win on Thursday. Blake Wright hit a two-run homer on a three-hit, three-RBI, and four-run night and Felix Tena and Caleb Hobson each added two-run home runs. Bryan Mena pitched a solid 6 1⁄3 innings with four strikeouts, four hits, and one run with six walks to earn his first win of the season.
★ ★ ★
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!