Some notes out of Denver to kick off Thursday morning…
- The Rockies are likely to promote right-hander Jeff Hoffman to start Friday’s game, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. It’s been a rough start to the season for the once-premium pitching prospect, as Hoffman will lug a 7.57 ERA with him from Triple-A to the Majors if he does indeed get the call. It’s been a boom or bust year for Hoffman so far, as he’s had two absolutely disastrous starts but also mixed in a series of impressive outings; Hoffman yielded 10 earned runs in four innings on April 16 and another eight earned runs in his most recent start, but he was quite good in the interim (1.96 ERA, 27-to-5 K/BB ratio in 18 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball, plus a respectable outing at the MLB level). This is a make or break year for Hoffman in many regards, as it’s his final option season. Tyler Anderson’s knee injury could create a long-term opening in the rotation for him, but Hoffman will obviously need to earn that spot moving forward rather than have it handed to him.
- Colorado plans to use Scott Oberg as the primary closer while Wade Davis is sidelined by an oblique injury, manager Bud Black told reporters last night (Twitter link via Nick Groke of The Athletic). Oberg’s 1.77 ERA makes him a logical first candidate for ninth-inning gig, but the numbers beyond that point are far more questionable. He’s punched out just 13 hitters against 11 walks in 20 1/3 innings so far this season while benefiting immensely from a .196 average on balls in play and a sky-high 89.6 percent strand rate. Those red flags lead metrics like FIP (4.70), xFIP (4.91) and SIERA (5.31) to forecast some substantial regression for Oberg over the long haul if he can’t rebound to his 2018 form. Last season, Oberg averaged 8.7 K/9 against just 1.8 BB/9 with a 56 percent grounder rate, so there’s certainly hope for improved peripherals moving forward, but it should be noted that his average fastball has dipped from 95.3 mph last year to 94.0 mph in 2019.
- Groke also tweeted yesterday that veteran lefty Jorge De La Rosa could pitch in a minor league game in the near future after being sidelined by an oblique issue early this season. Colorado inked the 38-year-old to a minor league contract last month on the heels of a solid 2018 campaign split between the D-backs and the Cubs. Left-handed relief has been a tough area for the Rockies all season, as Harrison Musgrave has struggled, Jake McGee has been injured and Mike Dunn has pitched to a 5.02 ERA (despite more encouraging K/BB numbers). De La Rosa would likely need at least a few weeks to build up before he’s a viable option, but a return could be a possibility at some point next month if he shows well in the minors.
Hoffman was a big part of the Towitzki trade to Toronto. Looking back now that trade doesn’t look great on either side, but Colorado can still salvage some value.
all Colorado needed to do to win that trade was keep Castro
Castro was horrible in Colorado. Just because he became good in Baltimore is meaningless. It’s very doubtful he would have ever done anything in Denver.
The back end of Tulo’s contract probably looked bad for Toronto but they got exactly what they needed at the time of the trade- stability at short with consistent defence and decent offence. His production and health failed off at the end of his Jays tenure but that was to be expected. Colorado was able to get rid of a terrible contract so in the end it was a win win for both clubs
The Jays don’t reach the postseason without Tulo. Jose Reyes is/was a cancer. Addition by subtraction. Definite win for the Jays, and by shedding salary it’s a win for Colorado.
But they really didn’t shed THAT much salary. Reyes actually made $2 million more per season than Tulo. It was only less in total because the contract was 1 year shorter. Plus, Colorado used the savings to sign Ian Desmond. The only thing about this deal that is a win for Colorado was opening up a spot for Trevor Story. And that only happened because of Reyes’s incident. When the best thing about a deal only happened because of domestic violence, I just can’t call it a win.
That being said, Hoffman still has time to turn it around. Plus, Jesus Tinoco, the third prospect in the deal, is also on the 40 man still. Who knows how he will handle things.
I’d favor Toronto on the deal so far, but Colorado still has a chance to pull ahead.
The Rockies’ placing Wade Davis on the IL happened yesterday. I am surprised that it’s being reported a day later. Usually, this site is 1 of the 1st to report such news.
it was reported yesterday at 2:30pm on this site in a separate post
What the Rockies need to do is swap Hoffman for another prospect that has fallen on hard times. He is one of those guys that doesn’t have the mental fortitude to succeed at altitude. Maybe send him to the Mets for Dominic Smith. Both players would likely benefit from their new stadiums and both teams could use the boost.
Hoffman just needs a change of scenery. The Colorado effect and the PCL have become a bigger problem mentally. Still nothing more than a back-end rotation piece with his road numbers anyway.
Hoffman, got blasted again tonight, he needs to be moved out of Colorado organization. He sucks bigly.