The Colorado Rockies offensive unit has some bright spots for the 2024 season. On the other hand, Colorado’s starting pitching rotation looks highly unpredictable. Last season, this team lost Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela to Tommy John surgery, and they will be back late in the 2024 season or 2025. Now, the Rockies will rely on some of the guys from the bullpen to start, along with their average-quality starters. These five projected starting pitchers will hope to push the Rockies away from another 100-plus loss season. Colorado has some extremely young players within the lineup, while their most youthful player in this projected pitching rotation is 27 years old. This Rockies rotation has experience, but will their play be enough to pitch a quality outing during each start?
Rockies’ Projected Unpredictable Starting Rotation
- Kyle Freeland
- Cal Quantrill
- Austin Gomber
- Ryan Feltner
- Dakota Hudson
Kyle Freeland
The Rockies starting pitcher has played all seven of his MLB seasons in Colorado. Freeland had a great 2018 season, posting a solid 17-7 record with a 2.85 ERA. Since then, it’s been rough for Kyle Freeland, as he’s posted a record of 26-45. His best game last season was on May 14th against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kyle pitched six innings, allowing four hits and eight strikeouts during a 4-0 win. There were six occasions last season where Freeland allowed more than five runs. He gave up eight runs to the Rangers and nine to the Pirates. Now, that’s an extremely unpredictable Opening Day pitcher.
Cal Quantrill
This starting pitcher has played on three teams in the past five seasons. In contrast, Cal Quantrill’s numbers aren’t as dramatic as Freeland’s; Cal’s play is still highly unpredictable. In 2022, Quantrill posted a 15-5 record with a 3.38 ERA. Last season, he went 4-7 and had a 5.24 ERA. Quantrill may have started less during 2023, but his time on the mound could have been better. Five times, Cal gave up five or more runs. In four back-to-back starts, the Rockies starting pitcher gave up at least five plus runs. However, he gave up just three hits through seven innings in a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on May 7th. During that game, he pitched a no-hitter through six and two third innings before giving up a hit to Alex Kirilloff.
Austin Gomber
Originally debuting with the St. Louis Cardinals, starting pitcher Austin Gomber was traded to the Colorado Rockies in February 2021. Since arriving in Colorado, Gomber has gone 23-25, with his best statistical season with the Rockies being in 2021. Last season, Austin went 9-9 in 27 starts. Through 139 innings pitched, he put up a 5.50 ERA with 87 strikeouts. Compare that to his 2021 season, where he also went 9-9 in 23 starts. In 115 innings pitched, Gomber recorded a 4.53 ERA and 113 strikeouts. In 2023, the Rockies starter allowed five-plus runs during nine different starts. Austin did have one five-inning and two six-inning starts where he allowed no runs. Two of those times, he received the win. If the Rockies want to be successful in 2024, his play can’t be unpredictable, as he must provide quality starts.
Ryan Feltner
The youngest of the Colorado Rockies starters has to turn things around in 2024. Since coming into the league in 2021, Ryan Feltner has posted a career record of 6-14, and through just 43 innings pitched, he’s put up a career ERA of 6.06. Ryan suffered an unpredictable blow last season, placing him on the 60-day DL. On May 13th, in a matchup against the Phillies, Feltner was struck with an almost 93 miles per hour line drive off the bat of Nick Castellanos. He sustained a skull fracture and a concussion. Before being taken out of that game, the youngest Rockies’ starting pitcher had already given up four runs on four hits through just an inning and two-thirds.
Dakota Hudson
Almost a month ago, starting pitcher Dakota Hudson signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies. He’s played the past six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He hopes to make a significant impact and show how much he’s worth as the team’s fifth and final starter. Hudson has a 38-20 record during his time in the majors. Dakota’s best season was in 2019, when he recorded a 16-7 record through 32 starts. In 2023, Hudson posted the worst ERA of his career at 4.98. Unpredictably, St. Louis had an all-around disappointing season in 2023, but Hudson could have certainly pitched better than he did. Dakota is coming to a team with its second-worst ERA in franchise history. Dakota has to show up each start, especially if he’s looking to be noticed, especially if he wants to get paid more.
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