Jorge De La Rosa has been a solid part of the Colorado Rockies’ rotation for the past eight seasons.
The left-hander has compiled a 78-52 record with a 4.20 earned run average since being traded to Colorado in April 2007. He is the all-time leader in wins for the franchise and also loves pitching at Coors Field where he has a .763 winning percentage. That could be one of the main reasons the Rockies keep him around.
But this is the hard and honest truth, he would never be an ace on any other team. He is the ace on the Rockies by default. Which may be alright for the time being, but the future could become murky with De La Rosa at the top of the rotation.
De La Rosa will turn 35-years-old right around the beginning of the 2016 season. He has struggled with injuries in the past including having Tommy John surgery in early 2011 which caused him to miss most of 2012 as well. He also had a finger problem in 2010.
The lefty was also not ready at the start of 2015 season with a back issue and didn’t make his debut until April 20.
Injuries happen in Major League Baseball, especially to pitchers. Those guys are destined to miss time every season it seems. But teams, and the Rockies in particular, need stability at the top spot of the rotation. It feels Colorado doesn’t have that with De La Rosa.
But his injury history is not the main problem. The mind is the biggest obstacle for De La Rosa. Most fans will remember Opening Day 2014 against the Marlins in Miami. The lefty was having problems with catcher Wilin Rosario. The two got into a shouting match on the mound and the Rockies got pounded 10-1. The lefty didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.
And things like this seem to happen to De La Rosa often. He could be rolling through the first three innings but the start would fall apart because of an error in the field or a bad call by an umpire. The lefty would implode during trying situations.
An example of this was against the San Francisco Giants in 2014. He was matching Giants ace Madison Bumgarner pitch for pitch on April night in San Francisco. But then is fell apart in the fourth inning.
De La Rosa gave up a single, hit by pitch, wild pitch, two walks and then a grand slam to Bumgarner. The Rockies lost 6-5.
There are more examples of these types of things happening throughout his Rockies’ career.
This may read like piling on and nitpicking a guy that the Rockies have counted on in years past and most likely in 2016 as well. It is not the say that De La Rosa is not a good pitcher but his inability to deal with tough situations and to stay healthy doesn’t make him the perfect fit for an ace of a pitching staff.
The lefty can be a frustrating starter. He has strong stuff that can baffle hitters. He also has a tendency to have high pitch counts and a lot of base runners. Yet, somehow he has thrived at altitude. That could be the most baffling thing about De La Rosa.
The veteran will probably hold the Rockies’ win record for quite some time and may end up being one of the best pitchers in Coors Field history. But the Rockies would be better served to have a different ace in the future even if that pitcher has to be homegrown and is years away.
De La Rosa has and will continue to do good things in Colorado but he is not as top of the line as the Rockies view him.
