The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Matt Koch. They already had an open roster spot on both their 40-man and active rosters, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary.
Koch, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies over the offseason and has been in Triple-A this year. He’s tossed 34 2/3 innings over 29 appearances with a 7.27 ERA but stronger peripherals in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 21.5% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate are each close to typical major league averages, but his .362 batting average on balls in play and 59.3% strand rate are on the unfriendly side of par. That’s led to a 5.90 FIP that’s more than a full run better than his ERA.
Prior to this season, he appeared in 40 big league games with the Diamondbacks and Mariners dating back to 2016. He has an ERA of 5.00 in those, striking out just 13.2% of opponents but limiting walks to a 5.3% clip.
The Rockies’ pitching staff has been stretched in recent days after they were trounced 25-1 by the Angels on Saturday. They then optioned Karl Kauffmann and recalled Nick Mears before bouncing back with a 4-3 victory on Sunday. After that game, they optioned Noah Davis and have now brought up Koch to keep a fresh arm on hand. Koch is out of options but has just over a year of service time.
Will things go better with Koch?
He may not be being brought up because they think he is better, but rather as a message to the current staff.
They’re trying to keep it under 13 runs an inning.
This guy gave up so many runs after his one day fly season in Arizona…I hope the Dodgers will be kind for him at Coors.
Bringing him up illustrates how poor the farm system is. 100 losses a very good possibility. Monfort must sell.
He’s a stiff
Being a Rockies fan is the most difficult chore psychologically in all of sports. Monforts selling seems nice but idk what could help bring a chip to this team. Truly mind boggling.