Nick Mears pitched well enough to be traded to a contender midseason, while Josh Rogers had three quick stints with the Rockies
You’re reading the 2024 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at the season had by every player to play 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 least amount of rWAR and end up with the player with the most.
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No. 29, Josh Rogers (-0.1 rWAR)
Josh Rogers pitched in six games in relief for the Rockies in 2024 with most of these appearances coming in June before a shoulder injury. Rogers broke camp with the Albuquerque Isotopes and spent the first couple months of the season in Triple-A before getting the call up on May 27th. He had over an 5.44 ERA over 10 starts and 46 innings with the Isotopes, where pitching stats are usually inflated in the friendly hitting conditions of the Pacific Coast League. With solid numbers starting in Triple-A, the Rockies called him up on May 27th as the extra roster spot for a double header against the Guardians.
For his first relief appearance with the Rockies, Rogers held a red-hot, nine game winning-streak Cleveland Guardians lineup to two runs on four hits over five innings. His efforts were enough to get the win for the Rockies in an 8-6 victory in the first half of a doubleheader.
Rogers stayed with the club even after the doubleheader to make four more relief appearances, but only pitched a total of 4 2⁄3 innings after the five inning performance in his first outing. On June 17th, the Rockies put him on the 15 day IL list with a throwing arm rotator cuff strain, sidelining the lefty for a month.
The injury would keep him in the minors, first with the ACL Rockies and back to Triple-A Albuquerque until August 11, almost two months from his last stint with the Rockies. This time around was much shorter that the first time. Rogers pitched in just one game, giving up a run in 1 2⁄3 innings against the Braves. The next day, the Rockies sent him back to the Isotopes outright, and he declared free agency once the season ended.
Josh Rogers was a non-roster invitee by the Rockies in both 2023 and 2024, so he may be invited to camp again in 2025, but with the playing time he has gotten the last couple season, Rogers is not expected to be a contributor to the 2025 club.
No. 28, Nick Mears (-0.1 rWAR)
Nick Mears pitched out the Rockies’ bullpen for 45 1⁄3 innings this season between March and July. In the time in relief with the Rockies, He pitched a 5.56 ERA in 41 games, striking out over a batter an inning with 57 SO and only surrendering two home runs. The month prior to being traded from June 19 to July 22 was his best, with 10 out of his 12 appearances being scoreless.
Mears was the lone trade the Rockies made at the deadline this season, sending him to the Brewers for minor league pitcher Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera. The Rockies were able to capitalize on the 28-year old’s solid season in relief to start the season to get two younger pitchers in return. The aforementioned hot streak above during in June and July was what intrigued the Brewers into trading for a bullpen arm down the stretch and the playoffs. Mears was able to strikeout batters and limited the free passes, both traits that are valuable for teams playing in important games in September and October.
After the trade, the Brewers used him in 13 games, pitching 12 1⁄3 innings with a 7.30 ERA. He made two appearances in the Brewers’ Wild Card Series against the Mets, pitching two scoreless outings.
As for the prospects the Rockies got in the trade, Bradley Blalock was able to get a few appearances with the Major League club this year and could look to break the club in either the rotation or the bullpen next season. You can read his season review here.
The other pitcher the Rockies got was Yujanyer Herrera, a 21-year old who put up solid numbers for the High-A Spokane Indians in six games after the trade. Herrera’s full 2024 season between Low- and High-A ball between the Brewers and Rockies systems was impressive. The Venezuelan native went 10-1 with 3.04 ERA over 100 2⁄3 innings in 22 games, 15 of those being starts.
Here are a couple videos of the Herrera this season.
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