Top 50 Colorado Rockies
Denver had been established long before as a major city worthy of being the center of Rocky Mountain area for some time in every major category, sports of course included. As such it was a long-desired place for MLB expansion and in 1993 it finally happened bringing Denver to the “4” club, in that they house a franchise from all major North American sports leagues.With its thin air, Colorado became the home of inflated offense, but exciting baseball. This has since been corrected through the use of humidors however the ’90s saw players routinely have higher averages at Coors Field than they would anywhere else.
Despite the talented hitters that have graced the Colorado Rockies over the years, they have not been able to say the same in terms of Pitchers and they have only been in the playoffs three times. One of those playoffs, was a World Series loss in 2007.
This list is up to the end of the 2024 Season.
Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
John Thomson was never going to be confused with an ace, but he did start 101 Games for the Colorado Rockies, a testament to his usefulness to the organization. As of this writing only eight pitchers in franchise history have started more.
Used as a starting pitcher for the first six years of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bruce Ruffin came out of the bullpen for the last five years of his career, which was spent with the Rockies. Ruffin would have varying roles for Colorado and would be used as a closer, securing 60 Saves for Colorado.
With the exception of two of his MLB seasons (2007 & 2008 with Cincinnati), Matt Belisle had a decent career as a Middle Reliever, the best of which were in Colorado. Belisle would leas the National League in Games Played in 2012 and had a 10-4 record the year before. The year before that he had a 2.93 ERA and a 1.087 WHIP, which were the best of his career. Belisle overall apperaed in 392 Games for Colorado with an impressive 3.97 SO/BB.
From Venezuela, Antonio Senzatela signed with the Colorado Rockies as an amateur Free Agent in 2011, and he would make the Rockies roster in 2017, pitching in 36 Games and posting a 10-5 record with 102 Strikeouts. Senzatela bounced from the starting rotation to the bullpen in 2018, and while he was a permanent starter in 2019, with an 11-11 record, his 6.71 ERA and 1.748 WHIP were abysmal. In the COVID-ravaged 2020 season, Senzatela led the Rockies in bWAR (2.8) and went 5-3, though he regressed in 2021, and his 2022 was not special, though that was better tha 2023,…
Ranked a little lower than you would initially think mainly because of his lack of defensive contributions and overall bWAR, Garrett Atkins was with the Colorado Rockies for all but his final season in the Majors. Atkins would have three straight seasons with 20 or more Home Runs, two of which also saw him tally 100 RBIs. He also hit for a decent average, twice going batting over .300. He would actually receive a few MVP votes in 2006. Again, if only he could play defense more consistently!
In the last few seasons, the Colorado Rockies have not had much to celebrate, but Ezequiel Tovar, the young Shortstop from Venezuela has given the fanbase nothing to worry about in the infield’s most demanding position. Signed as a teenage free agent in 2017, Tovar made his MLB debut in late 2022, and was the Rockies starting Shortstop the following season. Tovar had 143 Hits with 15 Home Runs, but elevated last season to 176 Hits, 26 Home Runs and a .763 OPS. He also led the National League in At Bats (655) and Doubles (45), and won a Gold…
“Starvin” Marvin Freeman bounced between starting and relief pitching in the majors, but in the strike-shortened season of 1994, he would have his best season by a substantial margin. The then member of the Colorado Rockies finished 4th in Cy Young voting, going 10 and 2 with a 2.80 ERA and a 4.5 bWAR. That 1994 season, which may have been a fluke, nevertheless catapulted him on this list.
Brendan Rodgers has thus far played for the Rockies his entire career, which sees him enter his seventh MLB campaign in 2025, though as of this writing, he is a free agent. The third overall pick in 2015, Rodgers debuted in 2017 and was Colorado’s starting Second Baseman by 2019. Rodgers’ best season was in 2022, where he won the Gold Glove (with a 2.9 Defensive bWAR), and led all National League Second Basemen in most defensive categories. Offensively, it was also his best year, with 140 Hits and 63 RBIs. Rodgers may not return to Colorado, and if…
A Relief Pitcher for all eight of his seasons in MLB, Jerry Dipoto would hurl for the Colorado Rockies for the last half of it. Dipoto would save 36 Games for Colorado in his partial role as the team’s closer.
The last really good season of Michael Cuddyer’s career was with the Colorado Rockies in 2013, the second of three seasons he would play for the team. That year, he was an All Star, a Silver Slugger and won his lone Batting Title. Cuddyer’s numbers wit Colorado saw him post a respectable Slash Line of .307/.362/.525.
Manny Corpas was with the Rockies for six of his seven seasons in MLB, all of which were used out of the bullpen. As a member of the Rockies, Corpas would have 34 Saves and finished 121 Games. His 2007 season would see him post a 1.064 WHIP with 19 Saves and in their playoff run that year he allowed only one run over 10.1 Innings with 1 Win, 5 Saves and a 0.581 WHIP.
C.J. Cron was an average player (at best) for years, first making the Majors with the Angels in 2014, but faltering by 2020 with Detroit, where they had no problem letting him go. Cron was signed to a Minor League deal by the Rockies to little fanfare, and most people in the Mile High City likely didn’t notice. That would eventually change. Cron won the starting job at First for the Rockies in 2021, showing his usual power (28 Home Runs) but batting .281, his highest to date. He got off to a great start in 2022, earning his first trip to the…