Previewing the 2015 Isotopes: Starting Pitchers

We're in the home stretch of our preview of possible members of the 2015 Isotopes. If you missed the position player recaps, we looked at catcher, first base, middle infield, third base, and outfielders.

The recent signing of free-agent pitcher Kyle Kendrick was a clear sign the Rockies don't want to rush young pitching prospects Jon Gray and Eddie Butler. It's a good indication both will start the season in the Isotopes starting rotation. Before we dive into who joins them, let's examine the overall depth of starting pitchers in the Rockies organization, beginning with the majors.

Entering spring training, the Rockies rotation looks like this on paper:
LHP Jorge De La Rosa
RHP Jhoulys Chacin (returning from a shoulder injury after electing to not have surgery)
RHP Kyle Kendrick
LHP Tyler Matzek
RHP Jordan Lyles

It's never that simple though. Injuries, performance and maneuvering the 25-man roster based on off-day always influences the composition. Especially injuries. The next wave of starting pitcher candidates could end up in the Rockies bullpen as a long reliever, or in the Isotopes rotation.

David Hale and Gus Schlosser were acquired from the Braves for minor league catchers Jose Briceno and Chris O'Dowd on Jan. 30th. General manager Jeff Bridich said both will be stretched out as starting pitchers initially, then a decision will be made if they get moved to the bullpen. Hale was considered the bigger prize of the trade. He made six starts and 39 relief appearances for the Braves in 2014, compiling a 3.30 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. Hale has two options remaining, but he has nothing to prove in the minors. He's more likely to be the Rockies bullpen than the Isotopes starting rotation. Schlosser also has two options remaining. His ERA was 4.18 as mostly a starter at triple-A Gwinnett and 7.64 as exclusively a reliever for the Braves.

Eddie Butler

Eddie Butler was a supplemental first-round pick (46th overall) in 2012 out of Radford University. A consensus top-50 overall prospect entering 2014, Butler spent most of the year at double-A Tulsa, posting a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts. Butler also made one start at high-A Modesto and triple-A Colorado Springs, plus three starts in the majors due to the massive injuries. In three starts for the Rockies, Butler allowed 23 hits and seven walks in 16 innings, struck out three, and had a 6.75 ERA to show for it. Butler remains an elite prospect, ranked fourth in the Rockies system by Baseball America. If we see him at Isotopes Park, and it sure looks like way, it will be fun to watch his development.

Christian Bergman had a staggering 2.04 ERA at triple-A, including three starts with eight scoreless innings at Colorado Springs (not on the road), when the Rockies called him up to the majors in early June to make his major-league debut. Bergman ended up making 10 starts in the majors, compiled a 5.93 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 902 opposition OPS. Bergman's best strength is throwing strikes. He's averaged 1.6 walks per nine innings in 580 minor league innings. The knock is he might throw too many strikes.

Jon Gray

Jon Gray was the third overall pick in 2013 out of the University of Oklahoma and ESPN.com's Keith Law ranked him the 22nd best prospect in all of baseball entering this year. Gray was good, not spectacular, last year at double-A Tulsa: 24 starts, 3.91 ERA, 124 innings, 113 strikeouts, 41 walks. It's rare for the Rockies to promote players directly from double-A, especially because they want players to get used to the altitude. Gray should anchor the Isotopes rotation to begin the season. He's the player I'm most excited to watch in 2015.

Yohan Flande was recently designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and outrighted to the minors. He'll be in major-league camp. Flande was another in a long line of pitchers called up from triple-A Colorado Springs for the injury-ravished Rockies rotation. Flance was slightly better in the majors (5.19 ERA, 1.2 WHIP in 16 games) than the minors (5.62 ERA, 1.6 WHIP in 18 games). Primarily a starting pitcher, the lefty can pitch in the bullpen. too. On August 23, Flande allowed eight runs on 14 base runners against the Isotopes, including three different RBI hits accounting for five runs by Alex Guerrero.

Chris Rusin was signed by the Rockies to a minor-league contact in the offseason. He spent most of the last four seasons at triple-A Iowa in the Cubs system, was their Opening Night starter at Isotopes Park in 2013, and threw a no-hitter last year against New Orleans. For whatever reason, Rusin was never able to stick in the majors. His best opportunity in the majors was 2013. In 13 starts, his ERA was a respectable 3.93 and his WHIP was 1.36, although his strikeouts were 4.9 per nine innings. Last year, he pitched four times in relief, in a "take one for the team" situation. Now he gets a fresh start in the Rockies organization. Rusin is durable, knows the PCL better than he'd prefer, and will be 28 in 2015.

John Lannan has started 148 games in the majors, and holds the awesome distinction of getting ejected from his first game in the majors. In 2014, Lannan won a job with the Mets bullpen out of spring training, made five appearances, was designated for assignment when Daisuke Matsuzaka was called up from the minors, spent about a month as a starter at high-A Port Lucie, then the final five weeks at triple-A Las Vegas, including three scoreless innings to get the win on the final game of the season against the Topes. Veterans like Lannan usually get some type of opt-out clause in their contracts or have gentlemen's agreements about him accepting minor league assignments.

Jair Jurrjens is back for his first full season with the Rockies, trying to resurrect a career that saw him finish third in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2008 and make the 2011 All-Star Game with the Braves. Jurrjens was acquired last year from the Reds, where he was pitching at triple-A Louisville, for the injury-ravished Rockies rotation. He made two starts, allowed 11 runs in 9.1 innings, and complained of shortness of breath in one of them that was probably due to stress and the altitude. Jurrjens finished the season at triple-A Colorado Springs, where his ERA was 4.60 in eight starts. He faced the Isotopes on August 21, giving up an RBI double to Alex Guerrero and grand slam to Jamie Romak in six innings.

Aaron Laffey was signed to a minor-league contract by the Rockies in the offseason. This will be his seventh organization since 2010, eighth overall. Laffey pitched well for triple-A Syracuse a year ago: 3.67 ERA in 25 games (21 starts), 147 innings, 37 walks and 91 strikeouts. It was much different for Laffey in the PCL in 2013. Laffey posted a 5.61 ERA in 11 games for the Isotopes and really  struggled at The Lab, giving up 29 earned runs in 30 innings. He used a July 1st opt-out clause in his contract and signed with the Brewers, where his home ballpark in Nashville was more forgiving. Laffey will need to conquer the demons of Isotopes Park if he returns.

Chat Bettis

Chad Bettis was the California League pitcher of the year in 2011, missed all of 2012 with a shoulder injury, was promoted to the majors in 2013 from double-A Tulsa and used as a swingman, then entered the 2014 season ranked the fifth-best prospect in the organization by Baseball America. Bettis made the Rockies bullpen out of spring training last year, allowed three runs on Opening Day, never got completely on track, and had a 9.12 ERA in 21 outings when he was sent back to Triple-A to transition back to the starting rotation. In his his third start back with the Sky Sox, he fired eight scoreless innings at Fresno. Bettis then faced the Isotopes on August 22 and was tagged for seven runs on 13 baserunners in 3.1 innings, plus Joc Pederson's 29th stolen base. He then allowed four runs in 5.1 innings against El Paso, was scratched from his Sept. 1 start with a tender shoulder, and didn't get called back up to the majors. It'll be interesting to see if the Rockies keep in the rotation or try the bullpen again.

Tyler Anderson was sensational at double-A Tulsa last year, posting a 1.98 ERA in 23 starts, along with 106 strikeouts against 40 walks in 118 innings. The Rockies revealed on Jan. 29 that Anderson, one of the organization's prized pitching prospects, is still battling an elbow injury and will be limited in spring training. Once he's healthy, it's likely that Anderson would be sent to the Isotopes. We just don't know when that will be.

Tyler Chatwood underwent Tommy John surgery on July 21 last year and could be out for the entire season. The usual recovery is 12 months if there's no setbacks. Chatwood's rehab outings would likely begin in Rookie Ball, but we could see him progress to Isotopes Park by the end of the season.

That's already 11 immediate candidates, plus two others later in the season. We could see all of them in the first month, or barely half of them all year 2015. The turnover at triple-A these days and amount of depth needed for starting pitchers never ceases to amaze. You think the 12 different starting pitchers by the Dodgers and 14 by the Isotopes last year was a lot? Well, the Rockies used 15 and Colorado Springs used 21 different starting pitchers last year.

Want more names? Here we go.

Brett Marshall was signed to a minor league contract with a spring training invite. Marshall missed the first two months in 2014 with a finger injury. In 15 starts and a relief appearance at triple-A Louisville, he was 1-10 with a 6.56 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. Marshall pitched in three games for the Angels in 2013, giving up six runs in 12 innings.

Richard Castillo made 25 starts for double-A Tulsa, leading the staff. He was 3-12 with a 5.41 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He was signed as a minor league free agent the previous winter, after seven years in the Cardinals organization. He faced the Topes on May 31, 2013 at Memphis, giving up a solo homer to Alex Castellanos and RBI single to Justin Sellers in six solid innings. This is his age-26 season.

Carlos Hernandez made the second-most starts (20) for Tulsa and eight relief appearances. His ERA was a tidy 2.68 with a 1.21 WHIP. This would be his second year in the Rockies organization after the previous seven in the Athletics chain. He will be 28 this year.

There's always the possibility that one of the thousands of relief pitchers (only a slight exaggeration) could be moved back into the rotation as well. It's even more likely that I've totally forgotten a few candidates. But this list is already long enough.

If forced to predict the starting five to begin the season, I'll go with Gray, Butler, Rusin and Bergman. For the final spot, somebody from the veteran trio of Laffey, Lannan or Jurrjens.