We'll start the in-depth position previews for possible Isotopes once we get to March, when we see the full list of invites to the Rockies spring training, and the dominos start to fall. But in the meantime, we're looking at some interesting storylines to watch.
Today we'll breakdown all the different pitchers named Tyler that could be coming through Albuquerque. Yes, this is a real post. There's four of them, three are lefties, and two are coming off major injuries.
Tyler Chatwood missed the entire 2015 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Before the injury, he was a member of the Rockies starting rotation and a pretty good one, too. In 2013, Chatwood made 20 starts in the majors, compiled a 3.15 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Chatwood began the 2014 season in the rotation and made four April starts, before requiring the elbow surgery. Teams continue to get more and more cautious with pitchers returning from elbow surgery, and this is Chatwood's second (he also had one in high school). As a result, it's possible that Chatwood makes a few rehab starts with the Isotopes before he returns to the majors. This Tyler is right-handed.
Tyler Matzek endured a difficult 2015 season with extreme wildness, but it ended on a positive note, and the Rockies still believe he will help them in the majors. Matzek was sent to the Isotopes after his walks started to get out of control in the majors. He had one nightmare outing with the Topes (12 batters, seven walks, one HBP), then was shutdown. Matzek later went home and worked with a sports psychologist. He returned to the Topes in August as a reliever. He was quite candid to me in pregame interviews about the anxiety he felt on the mound and how he's learned to avoid these triggers. Pitching coach Darryl Scott, who knows Matzek better than just anybody, set a goal to get Matzek a save before the season ended. That's what happened the final week of the season in Fresno. Matzek told me he still wants to be a starter, but understands the decision is the Rockies and he'll do whatever they think is best. How he performs in spring training will obviously be critical to where Matzek begins this season. He does have minor league options remaining, so he could spent time with the Isotopes. This Tyler is left-handed.
Tyler Anderson missed the entire 2015 season with a
stress fracture in his pitching elbow. Anderson was the Rockies first-round pick (20th overall) out of the University of Oregon in 2011. Anderson has dominated the minor leagues. In 59 career starts, his ERA is 2.39, with a 1.095 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. The last time he pitched competitively was 23 starts at double-A in 2014. Anderson actually visited Isotopes Park briefly last year. The Rockies wanted to break the monotony of him rehabbing at their Arizona spring training complex, so he spent a homestand with us. He's still considered one of the top prospects in the Rockies organization. Hopefully, he's healthy in spring training and can compete without any limitations. Considering his domination at double-A, it seems like Anderson will be at triple-A Albuquerque. This Tyler is left-handed.
Tyler Ybarra spent the 2014 season as a reliever at double-A New Britain. In 38 appearances, he recorded three saves, a 4.87 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 8.9 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9. Numbers don't tell the real story of his season. The blog Purple Row posted a
poignant story about Ybarra's infant daughter undergoing open heart surgery just days after the Rockies acquired Ybarra. Ybarra was originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the 43rd round of the 2008 round out of Wellington High in Kansas. The Rockies acquired him in a trade last January for pitcher Jayson Aquino. This will be his age-26 season. Ybarra has yet to pitch at triple-A in his career. Bullpens are one of the hardest areas to project because so many things can change based on injury. After all, last winter, the Rockies signed Justin Miller to a minor league contract. Miller had major-league experience and a big league camp invitation, but began the year at double-A. That didn't last long. Miller ended up back-and-forth between Denver and Albuquerque. But I have a feeling we'll see Ybarra at some point with the Topes this season. This Tyler is left-handed.
Tyler Chatwood missed the entire 2015 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Before the injury, he was a member of the Rockies starting rotation and a pretty good one, too. In 2013, Chatwood made 20 starts in the majors, compiled a 3.15 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Chatwood began the 2014 season in the rotation and made four April starts, before requiring the elbow surgery. Teams continue to get more and more cautious with pitchers returning from elbow surgery, and this is Chatwood's second (he also had one in high school). As a result, it's possible that Chatwood makes a few rehab starts with the Isotopes before he returns to the majors. This Tyler is right-handed.
Tyler Anderson missed the entire 2015 season with a stress fracture in his pitching elbow. Anderson was the Rockies first-round pick (20th overall) out of the University of Oregon in 2011. Anderson has dominated the minor leagues. In 59 career starts, his ERA is 2.39, with a 1.095 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. The last time he pitched competitively was 23 starts at double-A in 2014. Anderson actually visited Isotopes Park briefly last year. The Rockies wanted to break the monotony of him rehabbing at their Arizona spring training complex, so he spent a homestand with us. He's still considered one of the top prospects in the Rockies organization. Hopefully, he's healthy in spring training and can compete without any limitations. Considering his domination at double-A, it seems like Anderson will be at triple-A Albuquerque. This Tyler is left-handed.
No comments:
Post a Comment