Chris Rusin in the running for potential fifth starter

The Colorado Rockies are currently one pitcher short of completing their five-man rotation entering the 2017 campaign. Spring Training will prove to be a competition for Colorado’s young arms coming up through the system, looking to make an impression on new skipper Bud Black to name his fifth starter.

Colorado currently has a spot open in the rotation due to the loss of long-time Rockie Jorge De La Rosa this past offseason. De La Rosa, 35, spent nine seasons with the Rockies, posting a 86-61 record in 209 games. The Rockies felt like it was time to move on, especially due to the depth and talent they currently possess throughout their system.

There are currently a few pitchers worth mentioning vying for that fifth and final spot.

Jeff Hoffman, a key a piece in the Troy Tulowitzki deal, got his first taste of big league action last season. Though it wasn’t pretty right away, posting an 0-4 record with an ERA of 4.88 in eight games (six starts), Hoffman proved to be learning from his mistakes each and every game.

German Marquez also received the opportunity to pitch toward the end of the year. Marquez appeared in six games for the Rockies, making three starts. The Eastern League Pitcher of the Year collected a 1-1 record, striking out 15 batters in 20.1 innings.

Antonio Senzatela, 22, was sidelined with a shoulder injury last season, but made his presence known in his limited time. Senzatela made seven starts for Colorado’s Double-A affiliate Hartford Yard Goats, posting a record of 4-1 with an ERA of 1.82. The hard throwing right-hander struck out 27 batters in 34.2 innings.

Kyle Freeland seems to be the sleeper pick for the final rotation spot despite his injury-riddled career thus far. Freeland, 23, managed to stay relatively healthy in 2016, making 26 starts with split-time between Triple-A and Double-A. Combined, Freeland went 11-10 with an ERA of 3.89.

There is one player that can sneak into the picture for the final rotation spot.

Chris Rusin.

Rusin, 30, was a pleasant surprise in 2016 for the Rockies. Rusin pitched in 29 games, only seven of those being starts. The southpaw went 3-5 on the season, posting an ERA of 3.74 to go along with a WHIP of 1.24 — the best in his five-year career.

Rusin had the opportunity to start right away, though his performance quickly forced him in the bullpen.

Rusin made seven starts, posting a 1-4 record with an ERA of 5.08. However, Rusin had just two bad starts during the seven game stretch — both against the San Francisco Giants. On May 5, in a 17-7 victory, Rusin gave up seven runs on 13 hits through 4.1 innings. On May 29, the Giants scored six runs on 11 hits through five innings.

After being demoted from the starting rotation, Rusin was pitching at an All-Star level as Colorado’s innings-eater.

In 22 appearances out of the bullpen, Rusin went 2-1 with an ERA of 2.58. Opposing teams hit just .213/.259/.338 when he was a reliever opposed to .306/.370/.446 when he was a starter. Not to mention, Rusin posted career-high’s in ERA (3.74), ERA+ (131), FIP (3.21), WHIP (1.24), H/9 (8.8), HR/9 (0.8), BB/9 (2.5), SO/9 (7.4), and SO/W (3.00) all in 2016.

Skipper Bud Black weighed-in on the possibility of Rusin grabbing the fifth starting spot after the Rockies 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday afternoon. (via Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post)

“Chris pitched well, and he pitched well last year,” Black said. “We are thinking about this fella as a starting pitcher. We know that he’s versatile enough to go back in the bullpen, if needed, and if that’s what’s best for our staff. But (Sunday’s performance) was a snippet of what he can do.”

Rusin pitched two scoreless innings in his start against Arizona, yielding just one hit along with a strikeout (23 pitches, 15 strikes).

There are still plenty of games left to be played this Spring to determine who will round out the Rockies’ rotation, but Chris Rusin is off to a good start and grabbing the attention of his new manager.