The Colorado Rockies need pitching

The Rockies need pitching. The Rockies always need pitching, but they really need it now. Pitching has never been more important in Major League Baseball, and right now the Rockies are the worst at it in the entire league, squandering the tremendous offensive abilities on the roster.

The contrast between the hitting and pitching of the 2014 Rockies was stark, so much so that Gambling.com used it as a prime example of how necessary it is to research both sides of the game before placing a bet (or faith) in a team. Looking at the full season statistics illustrates just how much failure in a single aspect of the game can derail an otherwise excellent team.

The Rockies were in the top three in all of baseball in a number of major offensive categories, trailing only the powerhouse Detroit Tigers or Los Angeles Angels in almost every case where they didn’t lead baseball. Colorado led in OPS, slugging percentage, and total bases, second in batting average, hits, and home runs (behind Baltimore), and third in RBI and runs scored. Basically, they hit like an American League team last season, and an elite one at that.

And still, they had the second-worst record in baseball, finishing just two games ahead of the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks. That can almost entirely be laid at the feet of a pitching staff that was the inverse of the offense, finishing last or second to last in a huge number of pitching categories.

Rookie Tyler Matzek had the lowest ERA among the Colorado starters at 4.05, while the overall staff ERA was the highest in baseball at 4.86, over a quarter of a run higher than the next worse team. They were also last in saves, runs and earned runs allowed, WHIP, and home runs allowed, while finishing second to last in hits allowed, strikeouts, and walks. All of which contributed to a measly 66 wins.

For his part, new GM Jeff Bridich recognizes how much of a problem the pitching was, acknowledging that while the Rockies won’t be able to compete in a bidding war for the top names they will be taking runs at a number of other quality pitchers on the market. The fact that the team finally appears willing to listen to offers for Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez also puts the potential for a blockbuster trade or two in play.

So once more, Rockies management is looking for arms to bring to Colorado. In an age where pitching has become more and more important, continuing to fall so far behind the rest of the majors will spell nothing but continued failure.