Cy Young was the most wins of any pitcher in the history of baseball and is credited with the first perfect game of the modern era. Only one pitcher has started the All-Star Game as a member of the Colorado Rockies and only one has thrown a no-hitter. That man, Ubaldo Jiménez, also finished higher than any other Rockies’ hurler in Cy Young Award voting with a third-place finish in 2010.
Ubaldo Jiménez Award for Best Pitcher
Germán Márquez
At various points in 2021, any one of Colorado’s starting rotation was worthy of the title as pitcher of the year.
Austin Gomber was an ace over eight starts from May 4 to June 19 with a 2.19 earned run average and an ungodly 13-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (52 K, 4 BB).
The longest bout with success of anyone in the rotation this season was by Kyle Freeland. Over 12 consecutive starts, he pitched to a 2.57 ERA, ranking 4th-best among National League starters in fWAR (2.3).
Jon Gray had two periods of solid performances lasting eight starts each: a 2.93 ERA to open the season and a 2.85 ERA over the summer from June 25 to August 4.
A string of great starts from August 11 to September 26 for Antonio Senzatela contributed to a 3.00 ERA with eight of his nine games of the quality variety.
That leaves Germán Márquez.
The 26-year-old suffered numerous lapses in success this season, giving up eight earned runs in two different outings, more than any other Rockies’ starter. Since 2019, it’s happened to him five times, more than any pitcher in the sport and two more than the next closest teammate.
Still, his earned run average and ERA+ were nearly tops on the team. Márquez was bested in both categories, 4.33 to 4.40 and 110 to 108, respectively, by Freeland who didn’t debut until late May because of a shoulder injury. As such, Márquez threw nearly 60 more innings and finished in the top 25 for innings pitched in the NL for the fifth-consecutive year.
Examining the FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement shows a distinct advantage for Márquee over Free (3.4 to 1.5), but the excitement factor for the Venezuela-born righty was off the charts all year long.
First, he accomplished something we hadn’t seen a starting pitcher do in over a decade: earn a spot in the All-Star Game. He also had the first ever hitless performance for the franchise in the Midsummer Classic, getting ground outs from Rafael Devers and Marcus Semien before striking out Salvador Perez, the eventual record holder for most home runs in a single-season for a catcher.
There’s also his spectacular outing on June 29 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit one batter and walked another through eight innings, taking a no-hitter into the final frame at Coors Field. Though Ka’ai Tom singled to open the ninth inning, Márquez erased the base runner with a double play and still managed to record the second complete game shutout of his career, all in just 92 pitches.
Both before and after the near no-no, he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball from June 17 to August 6. He had the most innings pitched (60.1), the lowest WHIP (0.78), and the third-lowest ERA (1.94) despite making five of nine starts at altitude. Márquez was tied for the third-most strikeouts (61) in the NL and recorded the league’s only shutout during that span.
Even if the rest of the rotation continues to make growth, this may become a perennial honor for Márquez who has three more years under club control and his prime years having just begun.
