Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week on Tuesdays during the season.
for the Rockies Mailbag.
It seem like it is time for the Rockies to call up Jeff Hoffman. There are only so many 96-mph bullets in a guy’s arm and he is wasting them down at Triple-A. What are the Rockies waiting for?
— Jeff, Aurora
Jeff: I get this question almost every day. I’m also eager to see Hoffman pitch in the majors.
For those who don’t know, Hoffman was the centerpiece of last summer’s Troy Tulowitzki trade with Toronto. Also, I’m on the record as saying .
However, I’m going to backtrack a bit. Hoffman is a mediocre 4-7 with a 4.03 ERA at Triple-A Albuquerque in a season that has been marked by brilliance and inconsistency. It’s been a roller-coaster ride, and that’s an indication Hoffman is not ready.
For example, in his last start, he lasted only 4⅔ innings, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and hitting three batters.
Plus, general manager Jeff Bridich won’t be rushed on this matter, especially considering that Hoffman, just 23, had Tommy John surgery in 2014. Bridich considers Hoffman a key piece to the franchise’s long-term future. He’s told me in the past that there are “certain things” that Hoffman needs to refine. He declined to go into specifics, but my guess is that he’s talking about such things as holding runners on base, properly preparing between starts and implementing a game plan.
Bottom line: A lot of fans and media want Hoffman up — Now! — but I think Bridich knows a lot more about the situation than we do. Plus, the specter of Eddie Butler getting called up too early in 2014 taught the Rockies a lesson.
I have three questions.
1. With the rotation unraveling, isn’t time to call up Hoffman? I’m sure they will have him on a strict pitch count like they had Jon Gray last year and that will stress an already overworked, young/inexperienced bullpen, but watching Butler and Co. struggle to get to the fifth is getting old.
2. I am a huge Jorge De La Rosa fan, but what are the long-term options for him? He’s on the back end of his career, his contract is up at the end of the year, and he has eight-plus years of Coors Field wear and tear on his body. Is there any trade interest for him? Or is there any talk of him re-signing to a much cheaper deal in the offseason?
3. What is the latest status on Adam Ottavino and Jake McGee with their rehab. The bullpen needs a major shot in the arm and the younger guys could really use some much needed leadership.
— Aaron Hurt, Omaha, Nebraska
Aaron: I already covered your first question, but let me add this. Right now, the , though Chad Bettis has been shaky.
If De La Rosa gets traded, or if one of the five in the rotation stumbled badly, that might expedite Hoffman’s promotion.
As for your second question regarding De La Rosa. I was happy to see him bounce back from a horrendous start. I’m sure there will be trade offers coming Colorado’s way and I would not be surprised to see him traded. Having said that, I should also note that since De La Rosa is a 10-5 player (a 10-year veteran with five years with the same team), he can reject a trade if he doesn’t like it.
De La Rosa’s two-year, $25 million contract ends this season and I would be very surprised to see the Rockies sign him, even to a team-friendly deal. They have too many up-and-coming young pitchers to re-sign the left-hander.
Your final question has already been answered. Ottavino and McGee are both back in the big-league bullpen, albeit with different results. Ottavino, though a bit rusty after coming back from Tommy John surgery, looks like he will be ready to fill either an eighth- or ninth-inning role from here on out.
McGee, however, has . He needs to regain his pitch command as well as his confidence.
Why does Walt Weiss continue to take out the starting pitcher when they are pitching well? It seems to me that all he is doing is wearing out the bullpen. No wonder they can’t hold a lead in the eighth and ninth innings.
— Harold Janssen, Broomfield
Harold: You ask a blanket question that doesn’t have a blanket answer. There are a variety of reasons why Weiss makes the decisions he does. Pitch counts, match-ups and trends Weiss sees throughout the game are factors.
However, I agree that sometimes Weiss is too quick to pull the starter off the mound. The prime example, in my opinion, came last Friday when Weiss lifted Jon Gray, who was pitching very well. In came McGee, who gave up a three-run homer and the Rockies lost 5-3 to the Phillies.
Gray said the next day that his foot was bothering him after he jammed it on the third-base bag, but I still think Gray had enough stuff to get through the seventh inning.
After watching the Rockies get embarrassed by Bud Norris, I have to wonder why they haven’t been looking for pitching help. Or, if they are, how they ignored Norris and his veteran minimum salary. Seems like the same old, same old with the Rockies idly hoping somebody in their system will miraculously save them while the teams above them find ways, often inexpensive ways, to help themselves improve. The Tulowitzki deal last year was for the future. Do the Rockies ever look to the right now?
— Bob Osbourn, Westminster
Bob: You are talking about the , walked one and struck out eight over six scoreless innings. The Dodgers acquired Norris in a trade from the Braves after Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw went on the DL with a back injury.
Truthfully, the Rockies were not looking for veteran pitching help, at least not at that time. They are, as you mentioned, building for the future. Also, Norris is a good fit for pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium but I don’t think his breaking stuff would survive at Coors Field.
You ask, “Do the Rockies ever look to the right now?” That’s a fair question, but one that’s difficult to answer. Because they have been bad for so long that there has been no urgency to make a mid-season trade.
So that’s a question that won’t be answered until the Rockies are true contenders in late July. That’s when it would be put-up or shut-up time for owner Dick Monfort and Bridich.
I thought when entering the season, that the bullpen would be a strength but many of the relief guys are struggling and most have very high WHIPs, including the new closer before the injury. Do you think McGee will get moved and what other options do they have for the pen? As (Chad) Qualls, (Miguel) Castro, (Gonzalez) Germen, (Justin) Miller, (Scott) Oberg and McGee have all made us nervous every time they enter a game.
— Sue, Castle Rock
Sue: Those guys make me nervous, too, especially when I’m on deadline and they force me to rewrite my story in the blink of an eye.
First of all, I don’t think McGee will get moved, but he’s already been bumped out of his closer’s role. The return of Adam Ottavino and the growth of rookie right-hander Carlos Estevez should bolster the back end of the bullpen in the second half of the season.
I’m still scratching my head as to why the Rockies signed Qualls (two years, $6 million) and Jason Motte (two years, $10 million), because neither aging veteran has been as good as the Rockies hoped.
