Ranking The Rockies: 43 Gonzalez Germen

We at BSN Denver are running a series where we rank how valuable each of the Rockies’ 51 players was to the team in 2015. Value was calculated by statistics, viewing, and how memorable each player’s contributions were. The rankings will be from last to first, you may view the full rankings (here).

Player: Gonzalez Germen

Stats: (With Colorado) 29 G, 32.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.653 WHIP, 5.12 FIP, 1-3 SVO, 122 ERA+, 6.89 K/9, 5.79 BB/9, WAR -0.2

Big Moment: September 15th, the Rockies are in Los Angeles playing the Dodgers in the season’s most ridiculous game. Germen picks up the save in the bottom of the 16th after a Nolan Arenado go-ahead home run in the top half. The game was absolutely bonkers:

Rockies just won the stupidest baseball game in Rockies' history.

— Jake Shapiro, but festive 🎁 (@Shapalicious) September 16, 2015

It rained in LA
There was almost a brawl
Descalso pinch hit, hit
5 man infield
Rockies pen wasn't awful
Blackmon XBH rob

— Jake Shapiro, but festive 🎁 (@Shapalicious) September 16, 2015

Germen finished the game with his first save in a Rockies uniform, becoming the eighth player in 2015 to get a save for the Rockies. He worked himself into a tough situation, leaving two on with one out, but was able to get a strikeout to secure the Rockies win.

Season Recap: German started the year in a Cubs uniform throwing six innings in six games, he was selected off of waivers by the Rockies on July 7th. He actuality spent most of the year pitching for the AAA Iowa Cubs, pitching 33.1 innings. In total at the AAA level between Albuquerque and Iowa he threw 36.2 innings, with a 5-1 record, recording four saves, and an ERA in the 3.70s. In the bigs with the Rockies from afar his numbers may look good, a 3.86 ERA is pretty sound, however if one dives in just a bit further, one can recognize that German was not good. His walk rate was way too high to be effective, which led to his bad WHIP. German was always get himself into jams, but lucked out and got out of them somehow, I wouldn’t say that he was a bright spot of the bullpen, as much as he just wasn’t as bad as some of the others. The reason his value is so low, is because he made minimal positive contributions to the club. German most valuable contribution may have been his spot start on July 10th. He was one of 12 pitchers to start a game for the Rockies 2015.

What’s Ahead: The Rockies outrighted him yesterday, he now is a non-40-man roster player, and will be in the minors. He does not have enough service time to elect free agency, but he might be Rule-5 drafted since he is unprotected. The latter is unlikely to happen considering he just passed waivers.