Greetings! Welcome to the BSN Denver Power Rankings.
Throughout the course of the 2017 season, we will be providing you with Power Rankings for the Colorado Rockies roster at three positions; Starting Pitcher, Bullpen, and Position Player. The rankings will be released at noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday respectively.
Each week, we will update the rankings based heavily on the performance from that time period. This is not meant to be a definitive list of who is the best, but rather a more volatile ranking of where everyone stands at any given moment in time.
Position Player Power Rankings: Looking to contend in 2017
Starting Pitcher Power Rankings: Senzatela joins the Top 5
So, without further ado:
Bullpen Power Rankings
14. Jordan Lyles (-1) – Nobody on the roster is more in need of some time in some low-pressure situations to try to find the confidence again than Jordan Lyles.
13. Chad Qualls (-1) – It’s hard to tell if Qualls is healthy enough to pitch right now, or if he ever will be again.
11. Matt Carisiti (-1) — Carisiti looked highly hittable a year ago and has only thrown 4.2 innings this spring so he is tough to judge. At this point, he seems more likely to discover himself at 25-years-old than the guys on the roster on the wrong side of 35.
10. Miguel Castro (-1) – His numbers are ugly, but you can only drop a guy with his stuff so far. A rough spring aside, Castro is set to begin the year as the closer in Albuquerque.
9. Harrison Musgrave (-1) – If the Rockies don’t get overly creative in the bullpen (temporarily converting a young guy) Musgrave should be in line for a call. Not only does be profile as a prototypical swing man, his laid back attitude and ability to make quick turnarounds make him a prime candidate to be logging a lot of miles up and down I-25 this season.
8. Scott Oberg (-1) – Oberg keeps pitching well with a 3.38 ERA over 5.1 innings. It is seeming more and more likely that he is in the ‘pen come Opening Day unless the Rockies decide to get creative and put a starting prospects (like German Marquez) in the bullpen early in the year.
7. Jeff Hoffman (N/A) — Manager Bud Black has given us several indications that the team would be open to starting Hoffman (or one of the other young prospects) in the bullpen this year. And Hoffman gave BSN Denver every indication he would be willing to do that, especially if it meant the Rockies can “win the NL West.”
6. Chris Rusin (-1) — He may not be ready right at the season’s start, but the Rockies will still be counting on a lot from Rusin in 2017.
5. Carlos Estevez (+1) – Estevez has struck out eight batters while walking just one this spring. The latter number will be key to his success, as 100 mph fastball is tough to hit as long as you aren’t sitting on one right down the middle in a 3-1 count.
4. Mike Dunn (–) – Dunn has been the Rockies best reliever in camp, tossing seven innings without allowing a run or a hit. He has walked just two batters while striking out nine.
3. Jake McGee (–) – If Jake McGee’s 97 and 98 mph fastballs from the World Baseball Classic are a sign of things to come in Colorado, this bullpen could quite easily become a dominant one.
2. Adam Ottavino (-1) – Ottavino shook off his one tough spring outing the way pretty much everyone expected him to. He appears primed to have a very good season.
1. Greg Holland (+1) — Holland is touching 95 mph with the fastball and throwing his slider with no discomfort. He is shaking off the rust from having not pitched in a while and every indication we’ve gotten from the team is that he is the closer moving forward until he is unseated.
