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As has become customary for the Colorado Rockies in recent years, the odds are heavily stacked against the team being able to compete in the NL West. As usual, the Rockies have plenty of weapons offensively and should be able to put up plenty of runs, both at Coors Field and on the road. However, if the Rockies are going to surprise the baseball world and compete for a postseason spot in 2016, they’re going to need their young pitchers to step up, particularly Jon Gray, who may be the key to Colorado’s season.
In 2016, the Rockies are banking on Jorge De La Rosa to be the ace of their staff, as he’s been largely unaffected by the hitter-friendly conditions at Coors Field throughout his career in Colorado. However, the Rockies need more than just De La Rosa pitching like a frontline starter if they’re going to match up with the other teams in their division. The best chance Colorado has of at least finding a legitimate No. 2 starter is Gray, the team’s top pitching prospect and one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.
Gray reached the big leagues for the first time last August, but he did not fare well in nine starts, posting a 5.53 ERA. Obviously, many young pitchers need time to adjust to pitching at the major league level, and having to deal with pitching at Coors Field can make the transition even more difficult. But Gray has outstanding stuff with a fastball that can approach triple digits, a slider that can also be an out pitch, and a changeup that has become a third quality offering. Once he adjusts to the big leagues and Coors Field, there’s every chance Gray can become a top-of-the-rotation starter in the majors, and the Rockies need him to be that as soon as possible.
It would also be helpful if pitchers like Chad Bettis and Jordan Lyles can provide reliable depth in Colorado’s rotation, but the Rockies are going to need more than a solid five-man rotation in 2016; they’re going to need a bona fide ace. While De La Rosa is the team’s de facto ace, he’s not on the same level as pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner and Zack Greinke, the aces of the other teams in the NL West. Colorado’s best chance to find that ace is Gray, and while it may be asking a lot of the 24-year-old, the Rockies need him to fill that role in 2016.
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