Early in the offseason, Denver native Kyle Freeland assembled a shadow box highlighting all twelve players native to the state who appeared in MLB last season.

Set in front of the iconic Colorado flag, the autographed baseballs featured notable names such as All-Stars Kevin Gausman, Mark Melancon and Taylor Rogers.

Included in the project that raised money for Special Olympics Colorado was Westminster-born Lucas Gilbreath.

“I wish I could have bought it,” he said with a smile stretching from ear to ear. “It was for an amazing cause and it’s awesome that he did that. But then seeing some of the names on there are guys that I’ve looked up to my whole life. Even a guy like Freeland who I looked up to growing up in the Colorado area. I was honored to be in that group.”

After being converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever last Spring Training and making the jump from High-A in 2019 to the Rockies, surviving a season in the majors would have been considered a resounding success.

Gilbreath, however, excelled. 

Only one pitcher in all of the National League had a better ERA than Gilbreath’s 0.69 in as many innings pitched from July 17 to the final game of the season.

“I try not to get too wrapped up in the numbers. But to a certain extent, it’s nice to see that,” the 26-year-old humbly responded. “Then it’s nice to be able to say, ‘Okay, after this date, I turned it around. What did I do differently? What was I working on? What made me successful?’ I can kind of carry that into the next season and, hopefully, skip the jitters and skip the warm up phase, if you will.”

That warm up phase of learning how to pitch to some of the best hitters in the sport Gilbreath grew up watching at Legacy High School and the University of Minnesota was still quite impressive. Vital to his success was support from not only his coaches and manager Bud Black were, but also the team’s veteran relievers.

“I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but my locker was right next to the (Daniel) Bard,” said the 7th round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. “He just tried to instill a little bit of confidence… He was really helping me with the idea of if you execute your pitches, you throw how you can throw and everything’s gonna take care of itself. And he was absolutely right.”

Jul 23, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Lucas Gilbreath (58) celebrates after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Bard’s experience as a player mentor and mental skills coach was apparent last year as Colorado had success from their ‘pen in the second half, despite substantial contributions from other rookies such as Ben Bowden, Jordan Sheffield and Justin Lawrence.

For Gilbreath, his turnaround was two-pronged: part mental, part physical.

“On the physical side,” he explained, “It was just refining my mechanics. Getting more comfortable out on the mound, staying aggressive with my pitches, not throwing timidly. From the mental side, they kind of coincide. Instead of just going out there, I had to think, ‘How am I going to attack hitters? How do I feel? How am I going to execute pitches with confidence?’”

Regardless of how much of a wrench the delayed start of Spring Training has thrown into the works of players’ typical regimen, Gilbreath hasn’t been taken off his game.

“I think especially as a reliever, it was easy for me to just kind of keep doing the day to day and keep doing bullpens, throwing live. Being a reliever, everything’s kind of chaotic anyway. So it was pretty easy for me. It was just kind of a small wrench.”

With rosters expanded to 28 players for the month of April, that ability to get ready for Opening Day may prove critical for eating up innings, especially as the Rockies will have just two off-days in the first three weeks.

A few new faces on the staff – Chad Kuhl, Ty Blach and Alex Colomé – will need to learn quickly about the often unfriendly confines of Coors Field, at least as far as pitchers are concerned. 

For Gilbreath, it’s old hat. 

“Growing up there, I was kind of used to it,” the 26-year-old said of performing at altitude. “I don’t get shell shocked when I see the ball fly way further than I thought it was going to. I’ve been used to it my whole life.”

Nothing says Colorado native like the ability to shrug off a baseball in orbit or a bloop single in the largest outfield space in the National League. 

That and a love for Casa Bonita.

“I’ve been a few times,” he confessed. “Every time it’s with a family member. ‘What’s Casa Bonita like, I need to see it.’ I’ll have to go check it out again soon because the sopapillas are good.”

Should the somewhat infamous restaurant reopen as scheduled next offseason, make sure you bring a baseball and a pen if you. One of the Colorado Rockies could be hanging out there. 

Saturday: 8-7 vs. Rangers, Win

Less than two weeks from Opening Day, a trio of Colorado pitchers made their Spring Training debut. 

Facing a lineup that started with a pair of middle infielders – Corey Seager and Marcus Semien – who received $500 million from the Rangers, starter Austin Gomber allowed one run in his three innings of work. He struck out three, walked one and gave up two hits. Semien and Seager struck out looking to open the game and were hitless against all Rockies’ pitching. 

Chad Kuhl also made his first Cactus League appearance of his career, lasting 2.2 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits, but avoided the long ball. 

Carlos Estévez struck out two during a perfect seventh inning.

Another trio of Rockies each notched two hits against Texas: Ryan McMahon, José Iglesias and Yonathan Daza.

Mar 25, 2022; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies center fielder Yonathan Daza (2) hits against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

One day after joining the club, trade acquisition Randal Grichuk blasted a two-run home run estimated to have traveled 450 feet.

Sunday: 4-4 @ Reds, Tie

In the first of two split squad contests on Sunday, Kyle Freeland twirled 3.2 innings for the longest outing by a Rockies’ pitcher this month. He gave up a pair of doubles and four singles while allowing four runs. He walked none, but hit two batters and struck out two. 

Once Freeland left the game, Colorado’s relief corps held Cincinnati scoreless, spreading four hits and walking one over the 5.1 innings. 

Tyler Kinley, Justin Lawrence, Lucas Gilbreath, Jordan Sheffield and Jake Bird all pitched a scoreless frame.

Connor Joe added another pair of hits to move into fifth in batting average amongst qualified players. He’s now slashing .526/.591/.789 through 19 at bats and has recorded a base hit in all eight of his games so far. 

Ezequiel Tovar continued his torrid spring with a 2-for-3 performance that included a double, one RBI and one stolen base. The 20-year-old phenom has hits in nine of his last 14 at-bats with three home runs and two RBI.

Sunday: 5-2 @ Diamondbacks, Loss

C.J. Cron got on the board with his first homer of the spring, a 425ft drive off Madison Bumgarner that provided the only runs on the day for the second squad. In his third plate appearance, he took an errant 88.1mph cutter to the back of the helmet from Mark Melancon. According to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, Bud Black said Cron passed all concussion protocols.

Kris Bryant added two hits, including a double to raise his Cactus League batting average to .400 (4-for-10).

On the pitching side, Ashton Goudeau tossed three innings and allowed one earned run following starter Ryan Rolison, who gave up three runs over 2.1 innings.

Alex Colomé had a scoreless debut in the eighth, while Chad Smith and Ty Blach also put up a goose egg in their respective outings against Arizona.