The Colorado Rockies are 2-1 through three games but they will go the rest of the season without left-handed reliever Tim Collins. The 30-year-old decided to remove himself from action after a number of Miami Marlins players tested positive for COVID-19. Rockies beat writer Thomas Harding announced the move late Monday evening.
#Rockies add prospects, including Toglia; Collins out https://t.co/QGRKId80Ds
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) July 27, 2020
Rockies Tim Collins Opt-Out
Collins briefly pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 2019. He threw 8 1/3 innings with a 3.12 ERA, four strikeouts and three walks. He played more extensively for the Washington Nationals in 2018 with a 4.37 ERA, 15 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 22 2/3 innings. Collins’ longest tenure came with the Kansas City Royals when he threw 242 1/3 innings over four years with a 3.54 ERA and 220 strikeouts. He still walked more batters than people wanted to see but he had a longer leash in his early 20’s.
Collins has primarily survived by inducing soft contact. He has a respectable 88.2 MPH average exit velocity which is neither especially good nor bad. The 5’7″ southpaw has traditionally thrown a four-seam fastball, slider, and curveball. The fastball is his most frequent offering but the slider usage increased from 18.3 percent in 2018 to 31.9 percent last year. The curveball usage also increased with a corresponding decrease with the fastball. The trend in favor of breaking pitches might have continued but fans will wait until 2021 to see what happens with Collins.
What This Means for the Future
The Rockies already had two left-handed relievers in its projected bullpen with James Pazos and Phillip Diehl. Relievers have to face a minimum of three batters in 2020 so the lefty-only specialist is dying a quick death. Collins will wait until 2021, perhaps with a different team, to appear in the major leagues again.
The Rockies also added a handful of top prospects to its player pool. Michael Toglia, Ryan Vilade, and Colton Welker are among those added to the 60-man pool for 2020. There hasn’t been a need to dip into the pool yet but that could change if the team has an outbreak similar to the one the Miami Marlins are currently experiencing.
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