10 Best Rockies moments include Marquez gem

In 2017, the Colorado Rockies reached the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade. Almost every day of the journey brought a memorable moment. The first weeks alone saw MLB debuts for a pair of promising pitchers, late-game heroics from Nolan Arenado and Mark Reynolds, and the Denver Nine get out to a dramatic lead in the National League West beginning a campaign in which they were the only club in baseball to go wire-to-wire holding a postseason position.

Over the last 10 days of 2017, we will be highlighting the Top 10 moments from an incredible season. There was no shortage to choose from. As such, we tried to stick as closely to the idea of singular “moments” meaning consistently quality performance is likely to be a little overlooked. Don’t worry, we will have more Top 10 lists for those kinds of evaluations in 2018. But for now, we thought we would take a look at the moments that Rockies fans are most likely to be looking back on fondly, years from now when they talk about the very beginning of this version of the Colorado Rockies.

It feels almost like a betrayal to reduce such a year to only 10 moments, so let us begin with the first of our honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention: It Was April, But They Were No Fools

Reynolds and Greg Holland were a pair of veterans with a lot to prove when they were signed by the Rockies to some team-friendly deals in the offseason. By the All-Star break, the former was watching a campaign grow to get him in the Midsummer Classic while the latter had firmly secured his third trip. Antonio Senzatela, on the other hand, found himself at the other end of the experience spectrum, making his MLB debut before he had even thrown 60 innings at the Double-A level.

Without them, and their remarkable starts, the Rockies likely do not make the 2017 postseason.

With Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu getting out to slow starts and manager Bud Black insistent on not overusing his young rotation early, someone needed to help Nolan Arenado score runs and someone needed to bear the responsibility of getting the final three outs in an excruciating number of close games.

Reynolds posted an OPS of .968 and smashed eight home runs, both high marks (get it?) in a single month for him in the season. Arenado had the partner in run production he needed. Holland put up a minuscule 1.50 ERA and recorded a whopping 11 saves, allowing just two runs, to earn National League Reliever of the Month honors. Senzatela tossed 32 innings to the tune of a 2.81 ERA and a 3-1 record. Other than Holland’s ERA which he somehow managed to lower the following month, each of these statistics were season-highs for these three players.

There’s no one standout moment here, which is why they couldn’t make the list, though Reynold’s broken-swing home run in Milwaukee comes to mind. But it’s impossible to think back to April of 2017 without feeling that sense of comfort and safety provided by any appearance from these three ballplayers; Two stalwarts of the game, reminding everyone how good they can truly be, toying with some of the best numbers of their careers, and a 22-year-old who skipped Triple-A to become the team’s first 10-game winner, all while making franchise history.

Now let’s begin with our list proper by doing what any good Top 10 would do and immediately bend the rules thereby allowing ourselves to include two moments that we just could not separate in terms of sheer spectacle.

No. 10: Holy German! This Kid Can Pitch – May 10, July 29

If you had only seen Marquez struggle a bit in 2016, his 2017 debut didn’t win you over. Getting his worst start of the year out of the way early, the young power righty faced off against the Washington Nationals only to get annihilated for eight runs over four innings. He could not have dreamed up a more nightmarish situation had Freddy Krueger himself been on the loose at Blake Street. Few could guess what would happen next.

Just three starts later, after a decent and a poor-but-not-terrible outing, both against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Marquez evolved into a potential star before our eyes in an instant. Facing off against the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, the rookie threw 99 pitches of pure brilliance over eight shutout innings. He tossed six hitless frames and showed no signs of being phased when he did eventually lose the no-hit bid.

And he didn’t just get it done on the mound. With his club clinging to a 1-0 lead, Marquez ripped the first hit of his MLB career to score Reynolds and Pat Valaiaka, creating a pair of important insurance runs. With his heart still pounding from his showcase of offensive prowess, he allowed his second and third singles of the evening but manager Bud Black’s confidence never wavered and his rookie repaid in kind by inducing a pair of weak outs to conclude his finest outing to date. He struck out eight, walked just one and drove in a pair of insurance runs for good measure to secure the 3-0 win at Coors Field.

A place that had daunted so many far more experienced pitchers over the years had just become German Marquez‘ playground.

Two months after that, he would get another shot at the team who so brutally welcomed him to the 2017 season. This time, it would be different. For how good he was against the Cubs, Marquez was even better through the first five innings of his second matchup with the Nationals. In fact, he hadn’t allowed a soul to reach base. In a controversial inning, that would come to an end and his final line wouldn’t look quite as shiny, but the seven innings and two runs bely the palpable astonishment of watching this young man make the likes of Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman look foolish.

He blew a high fastball by Harper to record his 10th strikeout of the game in the sixth inning, becoming only the second Rockies rookie pitcher in history to reach double-digit strikeouts without walking a batter. German had arrived.

Marquez had a brilliant rookie campaign. He put up a 4.39 ERA which isn’t easy to do at Coors Field, let alone in your first go against the best hitters in the world. His 11-7 record is again impressive given context but his 147 strikeouts to just 49 walks need no such explanation.

Those peripherals were good for a 3.3 rWAR which tied him with teammate Kyle Freeland for second place among National League rookies behind Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers. When put into the full context of his age, his home park, and the first postseason chase the Rockies had seen in a long time, it’s hard to argue that any pitcher in franchise history put up a more impressive first year.

But these two moments stand out as some of the biggest reasons why Rockies fans are already clamoring to see him pitch again. Around the clubhouse and in the press box, teammates, coaches, and media members buzz about his advanced feel for pitching, his humble yet fiery attitude, and his strong mental focus. He was a bit overlooked when it came to Rookie of the Year voting, but ask the Cubs and Nationals hitters who they would have voted for.

Bonus Moment: Certainly not celebrated by Rockies fans but clearly memorable, there’s the pitch he threw to Anthony Rizzo in Chicago on June 9. Right down the middle and called a ball, ultimately leading to the shortest outing of his season. Like I said… memorable.