While pitching depth remains the Rockies’ biggest question mark, another concern is who will pick up the middle relief slack, especially early on in a 60-game sprint as Colorado’s starters are getting their stamina back.
That’s where right-hander Tyler Kinley could prove valuable. Kinley, acquired via waivers from Miami in the offseason, posted a 3.65 ERA in 52 games for the Marlins last year and was virtually unhittable down the stretch when he held opponents scoreless in 14 of his final 15 appearances.
Via brief impressions at spring training in Scottsdale as well as at “summer camp” at Coors Field this week, manager Bud Black believes the 29-year-old fourth-year pro has a chance to be a bullpen pillar.
“Seeing him up close, he’s got a firm fastball (at about 95 mph) and a really hard slider in the high 80s, that will touch 90 with some good depth to it,” Black said. “He’s another guy we have with a really good head on his shoulders, and I think he can handle pitching late in the game… We’re excited to have that arm as part of our group. He’s ready to put it together.”
Black acknowledged that the shortness of “summer camp” leading into Colorado’s season opener July 24 in Texas will inevitably require his starters more time to settle in. As German Marquez, Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland build up their innings, middle relievers will be the team’s bridge to back-end arms such as Scott Oberg and Wade Davis.
For Kinley, that will probably mean opportunities to prove his worth through the first month of the season. Rosters are set at 30 players for the first two weeks, and then 28 players for the following two weeks, with no limitations this season on the amount of pitchers a team can carry.
“Depending on how many pitchers we keep from the start, he’s in that mix (to make the 30-man roster), and he’s in that mix to continue to be there based on performance,” Black said.
Kinley said his ultimate goal is to work his way into a role in the back of the Colorado bullpen. But for now, he’s willing to take on whatever job is asked of him as he looks to build off his strong second half of last season.
“I pitched in many different roles last year — coming in with guys on, coming in early in the game, late in the game,” Kinley said. “I was able to show that I’m reliable and that I wanted to take the ball every day. That’s the mentality I’m bringing over here.”
While Kinley could be the most intriguing wild card in the bullpen this year, the Rockies also have ample other options for middle relief. Black listed Daniel Bard, Tim Collins, James Pazos and Phillip Diehl as “in the mix as those sixth-inning-and-on relievers,” with the latter three of those being left-handers. Bard and Collins are non-40-man-roster guys in the team’s 52-man player pool.
Additionally, Colorado will look to whoever doesn’t win the fifth spot in the rotation to help the bullpen. With Marquez, Gray, Freeland and Antonio Senzatela penciled in as starters, journeyman Chi Chi Gonzalez and the unproven Jeff Hoffman are battling for the fifth spot. If Gonzalez isn’t in the rotation, he’s a likely candidate for the long relief role, as is Hoffman, who’s out of minor league options.
But the man best suited for the job may be Kinley, the reliever general manager Jeff Bridich said the Rockies tried to trade for a few years ago. While Kinley has had issues throwing strikes (36 walks in 49 1/3 innings in 2019) and letting inherited runners score (44.4% last season), Bridich was adamant last winter that the Rockies have “a guy that could factor into our major league bullpen, hopefully this year and for years to come.”
“We believe in his pitch mix. There’s a power element. We believe that he’s got some good secondary pitches — and a slider that can work well in our ballpark. ”
Footnotes. All-star outfielder Charlie Blackmon is back in Denver but is still waiting to re-join the Rockies. Blackmon, one of three Colorado players who tested positive for coronavirus during pre-summer camp workouts at Coors Field, has to have two negative tests before he can return. Said Black: “The thing I’m most concerned about at this time is Charlie and his time frame to be ready; that’s the only thing that gives me a little bit of pause of his potential (readiness) on July 24.”… Black said rookie right-hander Peter Lambert, who suffered a forearm injury during the first round of spring training, will not be on the team’s opening day roster. The plan is to put him on the satellite team in Albuquerque to begin 2020, and Lambert is supposed to start throwing bullpens in the next few days. “With where he is in his throwing progression, it’s not going to be realistic for him to be on that July 24 roster,” Black said… Colorado scheduled an intrasquad game for Friday night and another one for Saturday, which Black said will be “more of a game-type atmosphere.”
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New Rockies right-hander Tyler Kinley could be a solid option to bolster Colorado’s middle relief - The Denver Post
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