Ranking The Rockies: 7 Chad Bettis

We at BSN Denver are running a series where we rank how valuable each of the Colorado 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: Chad Bettis

Stats: 20 G, 115 IP, 8-6, 4.23 ERA, 1.409 WHIP, 3.85 FIP, 110 ERA+, 7.8 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.8 WAR

Big Moment: May 29, the Colorado Rockies are in Philadelphia playing the Phillies. Bettis gets the ball for his fourth start of the season taking on Cole Hamels. In the game, Troy Tulowitzki had four hits including two home runs and Brandon Barnes had a spectacular catch in dead center field, but neither were the player of the game, that honor went to Bettis. That night the Rockies starter flirted with a perfect game into the sixth inning and a no-hitter into the eighth inning. The 26-year old’s line that night was eight innings pitched allowing two hits while striking out seven, good for an 85 Game Score. John Axford would close out the ninth and the Rockies won 4-1.

Season Recap: The right-hander was the Rockies 2010 second round pick and after two failed stints with the big club in the prior two years he made a home in the Rockies rotation in 2015. He began the season in Triple-A as a starter after a late-season adjustment in 2014 converted him back to a starter when failed in the Rockies bullpen. He made a few starts in Colorado Springs in 2014 and made six more starts in Albuquerque in 2015. In those starts for the Isotopes he had a 2-2 record with a 3.97 ERA, recording 26 strikeouts in 34 innings.

In mid-May he joined the big club’s rotation taking over Tyler Matzek‘s spot and he nor the Rockies looked back. His fourth start which we profiled above really set the table for his season as he became a fine starter. Arguably he was the Rockies best starter in 2015 and this former top 100 prospect flashed material at times that could profile into top flight starter stuff.

One of his big improvements was in his slow-breaking curveball which he threw more confidently as a starter than he did as a reliever. Not only did he throw the pitch 10% more of the time but it was by far his most improved pitch. Couple his curveball with his multiple fastballs that were each improved and Bettis went from a below average reliever to one of the most reliable starters in the NL West.

What’s Ahead: Our Marco Mamolen recently wrote a way too early projection of the Rockies 2016 rotation where he tagged Bettis as one of the three “locks” for the 2016 rotation. I couldn’t agree more, Bettis solidified himself as a dependable starter last season. He, Jon Gray and Jorge De La Rosa will be the core of the Rockies 2016 rotation. Bettis will make the league minimum once again and if he were to struggle he has one more option year remaining but it is more likely that this once highly touted pitching prospect counties to come into his own at the big league level.