The 26-year-old LHP only pitched 1⁄3 of an inning this season
Welcome to the 2024 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2024. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
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No. 25, Evan Justice, 0.0 rWAR
It seemed like Evan Justice’s trajectory would land him in the Rockies bullpen in 2024. Instead, after making his MLB debut in 2023 and throwing in nine games, the 26-year-old lefty only made one appearance for 1/3 of an inning in 2024.
Despite rebounding from a six-week stint on the IL in April and May, Justice struggled with a high ERA — even for the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League Albuquerque calls home. Across three levels and, due to some rough outings, including a five-run stint in late May, Justice had a 27.00 ERA. He bounced back to post a 2.70 ERA in eight appearances in June to bring his overall ERA down to 6.75. The roller coaster went back down in July when he gave up nine runs in six appearances, including three games where he gave up three runs in three 1/3 of an inning performances. August went better, but he still was giving up lots of runs.
Even with the uneven results, Justice got the call to join the Rockies on Sept. 1. With Colorado down 6-1, Justice entered the game in the ninth inning with runners on the corners and two outs. Justice walked Gunnar Henderson and the bases were loaded. Throwing a sinker, four-seam fastball and slider, Justice rung up Eloy Jiménez to end the inning.
It also ended Justice’s time with the Rockies as he was sent back to the Isotopes and the Rockies called up Jaden Hill instead.
He pitched in six more Albuquerque games in September, only giving up two runs in six innings (3.60 ERA) to end the season strong. His season ERA with the Rockies was 0.00 in 2024 and now stands at 8.22 in 10 appearances over 7 2/3 innings. His future could still be bright, especially considering Justice only has two years of experience in the Rockies farm system.
Justice was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 39th round of the of the 2019 MLB draft, but the Richmond, Virginia native opted to stay at North Carolina State University. He put together two solid years in college, mostly building up his relief experience, and the Rockies drafted him in the 5th round of the 2021 draft.
Justice then missed the entire 2022 season with a shoulder strain, delaying his rise in the farm system. He made up for it in 2023. Justice started the season in Single-A Spokane where he had 10 appearances with a 0.00 ERA, moved up to Double-A Hartford where he made 15 appearances with a 3.38 ERA and ended the season in Triple-A Albuquerque where he pitched in 13 games with a 6.23 ERA. By August 25, he got the call to join the Rockies. He threw 7 1/3 innings over nine games, posting an 8.59 ERA with seven strikeouts and eight walks. He seemed well on his way to join the Rockies bullpen in 2024.
In spring training in 2024, he took the mound nine times, posting a 5.63 ERA with four holds, seven strikeouts and six walks. It wasn’t good enough to stay on the roster, so Justice returned to the Isotopes. He played in seven games, posted a 12.60 ERA and landed on IL until the end of May.
He pitched for the next three months, including three rehab games for the ACL Rockies and Single-A Fresno Grizzlies, and ended the season with a 9.88 ERA in MiLB. Even though the 2024 season didn’t go as hoped, Justice is still early in his professional career and could be a solid arm in the Rockies bullpen if he can establish consistent results.
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