SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Left-hander Tyler Matzek, who left baseball for a time last summer as he dealt with performance anxiety issues, has looked good so far in the early stages of camp. He pitched a live bullpen session Tuesday, showing decent fastball command, and also threw some nice swing-and-miss sliders.
It was a good first step, but a bigger test will come when Cactus League games start next Wednesday.
“I have been pleased,” manager Walt Weiss said. “Tyler is throwing strikes, and his ‘bullpens’ have gone well. It’s been encouraging.”
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Weiss said it’s too early to tell at which level Matzek will begin the season. Weiss said Matzek is competing for a spot in the rotation, but he also could be used in the bullpen.
Matzek went 6-11 with a 4.05 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) as a rookie in 2014, creating excitement by finishing 4-2 with a 1.55 ERA in his final six starts. Last year, he went 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA in five starts, but with 19 walks and three hit batters in 22 innings, the Rockies were forced to send him to the minors.
Parra’s power. The Rockies signed outfielder Gerardo Parra to a three-year, $27.5 million contract because of his defensive skills, baserunning ability and offensive versatility.
Weiss also likes that Parra plays with “an edge.”
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Home runs? Those would be a bonus. In his seven-year career, Parra has hit only 56, but he could be primed for more. He hit a career-high 14 last season while splitting time with Milwaukee and Baltimore.
“You know what? I don’t think about hitting homers,” said Parra, who put on a Rockies practice jersey for the first time Wednesday. “I hit for the team to win. I want to make a double or a base hit. If I get a homer, then thank you. But really, I don’t think about homers.”
Parra, 28, has played 148 games at Coors Field, most of them with Arizona, and has made 194 plate appearances at the LoDo launching pad, but he has never hit a home run there.
“I really want to,” he said with a laugh. “But I think if you (hit) a homer, it’s not because you are playing at Coors Field. Homers are really hard to hit.”
For the record, Parra has a career average of .283 with 17 doubles and a .725 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) at Coors.
Reyes’ absence. While the rest of the Rockies’ position players officially reported to camp and took their physicals Wednesday, shortstop Jose Reyes was absent. The four-time all-star was placed on paid leave Tuesday under Major League Baseball’s new domestic violence policy, pending the outcome of criminal proceedings.
Weiss said the team was taking it in stride.
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“It helps to have some direction, but I don’t think we’re going to be surprised by anything throughout the process,” Weiss said.
Reyes is the first player to be impacted by the new policy that was agreed upon by the MLB and the players association in August.
“We’re sitting back waiting on our marching orders, basically, is what it comes down to,” Weiss said. “As the process continues, there will be more and more clarity.”
