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Some individuals like to keep to themselves which is completely fine. He, Jorge De La Rosa, was a fan favorite to many for various reasons, yet he wasn’t an engaging guy to the fan base. In order for a player to get his number retired by an organization, his performance should speak louder than words — which rarely did.
Don’t get me wrong, De La Rosa is and was a huge part of the Colorado Rockies organization but let’s not get too carried away with the idea of retiring his jersey.
The Rockies acquired the native of Monterrey, Mexico on April 30, 2008 from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for reliever Ramon Ramirez. Colorado knew what kind of untapped potential De La Rosa possessed, which is why they took a chance on the starting pitcher who went 8-12 with a balmy 5.82 ERA the prior season in 23 starts.
One of the few downfalls of De La Rosa’s career was the fact that he was injury-prone. In 2009 prior to the playoff run, Jorge suffered a strained left groin against the Los Angeles Dodgers, resulting in the southpaw missing the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 2010, De La Rosa started the season off strong, posting 3-1 record accompanied by an ERA of 3.91. However, his season was postponed due to a torn flexor band in his left finger, sidelining him for a few months.
As if his luck couldn’t get any worse, 2011-12 might’ve been them most frustrating of them all. In his 10th start of the year against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 24, 2011, De La Rosa lasted just two and one-third of an inning — 50 pitches to be exact. De La Rosa was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, putting him on the shelf for the rest of the season, and most of 2012 after going through with Tommy John surgery.
Despite all of the adversity Jorge faced throughout his Major League career, the way he battled back and overcame that adversity is worth acknowledging.
Even with all of the time missed, De La Rosa has proved to be the most consistent pitcher in Rockies’ history, given how long he remained with the team. De La Rosa passed Aaron Cook during the 2015 season for most wins all-time in Rockies’ uniform, capturing win No. 73 on June 14 against the Miami Marlins.
Not only is De La Rosa the franchise leader in wins, he has collected the most strikeouts in team history with 985 — 212 more than Ubaldo Jimenez who is second on the list. De La Rosa is also third all-time in team history in terms of WAR for a pitcher, sitting at 15.1 for his career. The only two people ahead of him on that list — Ubaldo Jimenez (18.6) and Aaron Cook (16.8).
When you think of retiring someone’s jersey, what name(s) come to mind when you think of the Rockies? Or perhaps, more deserving? Todd Helton, who’s No. 17 jersey is the only retired Rockies’ number (besides Jackie Robinson), is one that comes to mind. How about Larry Walker, who’s No. 33 is the most deserving out of anyone. Dare I say, Troy Tulowitzki once it’s all said and done, or even Carlos Gonzalez down the road.
If De La Rosa’s number deserves to be retired, don’t you think Aaron Cook’s does as well? And at that point, you’re talking about a whole lot of retired jerseys on a team that has experienced very little success in its short history.
