Fans saw him on Saturday’s probable list and began hitting up friends or searching online for tickets.
At the same time, a question arrives via email and text: Will the Rockies ever have their version of Skenes?
They did. In 2010.
Ubaldo Jimenez posted a 19-8 record with a 2.88 ERA.
He threw a no-hitter at Atlanta. In the span of seven starts, he allowed fewer than two hits four times. He started the All-Star Game in Anaheim when he was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA.
His four-seam fastball averaged 96.1 mph, per PITCHf/x data. His sinker — a bowling ball with devil’s horns — averaged 96.6 mph. For comparison, Skenes’ heater checks in at 97.1 mph this season.
Jimenez became Kevin Brown with Greg Maddux’s command, working 221 2/3 innings in 2010, third-most in Rockies’ history.
It is no coincidence that Colorado made the playoffs in 2007 and 2009 with Jimenez in the rotation. Because of an awkward exit in a trade, Jimenez remains one of the most underappreciated Rockies ever. He went 56-45 with a 3.66 ERA in six seasons, including 30-19 with a 3.66 ERA at Coors Field in 67 games.
The Rockies need a fire-breathing dragon.
They thought they had one in Chase Dollander, but he is facing elbow surgery.
With Skenes set to pitch at Coors Field — he is comfortable in Colorado after starring at Air Force — I figured it was a good time to catch up with Jimenez.
He still follows the Rockies — he took the mound in Denver last August when the Savannah Bananas were in town — and has ideas on how to help.
His first suggestion: stop letting starters run from the problem.
“In my opinion, they have to develop pitchers for Coors Field. They should avoid the mistake of emulating what the rest of MLB organizations are doing when it comes to preparation. They have to implement their own way,” Jimenez said. “To be a consistent starter in Colorado, your body requires endurance to resist the hardships of altitude and adaptations of going on the road. All the pitchers who were consistent in any kind of way — Pedro Astacio, Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, German Marquez, myself — we all ran distance the day after our games. I am an avid believer in running distance to stay healthy. And I always tell people who go against it, check baseball history and see how the all-time great ones lasted — running distance! ”
Jimenez understands that his advice jogs against the grain.
Today’s pitchers typically use short bursts and explosive movements in training to mimic moves made on the mound. There is no denying it has spiked velocity. It is impossible to watch a game and not see a pitcher flirt with triple digits or, in the case of Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, live there.
But at what cost?
Dollander, if and when he has surgery, will miss the remainder of this season and possibly all of 2027.
“I know. It’s so bad to think about that. I saw him pitch a couple of games,” Jimenez said. “And he has great stuff.”
Though the upcoming draft could change things, there is no other Dollander in the Rockies’ system. Brody Brecht, drafted in 2024, brings heat, but is struggling with command at Class-A Spokane.
Jimenez prescribes “an attitude for altitude.” He looks across the sport and connects injuries to training.
Brian Jordan, a former Rockies strength-and-conditioning coach in the majors and minors for 15 years, saw firsthand how Jimenez’s program paid dividends.
“He was very gifted and a very hard worker. I would agree that his running and lifting helped with his durability, while he was still explosive,” said Jordan, the owner and director of sports performance at Peak 303 in Englewood. “While not every pitcher could or should do the program he did, I absolutely agree that generally speaking mistakes are being made with how pitchers are being trained. When you sell out solely for performance, the trade-off is less durability. We are definitely seeing that at all levels, not just at the professional level.”
The Rockies raced off to a surprising start in April because of their pitching — 4.17 staff ERA — but the transmission dropped. Due to injuries to Jose Quintana, Kyle Freeland, Ryan Feltner and Dollander, they have been forced to lean on younger arms and too hard on the bullpen. Colorado is 14-29 since May 1 with an ERA well north of 6.
“It has been a reminder that Coors Field games have more hits. And there are more home runs in the warm weather. The toll is a hard test,” Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes said on returning to work in Colorado for the first time since 2002. “We have looked at how many days off the (relievers) have had, and how many multiple-inning games they’ve had. We are still exploring and learning.”
There is no perfect formula. Even in seasons when the Rockies have pitched well, they have struggled to repeat their success.
But Jimenez is adamant that Colorado’s environment demands the proper baseline.
“I know that we should adapt to new times and use every resource to get better. And that pitchers must adjust preparation to what works for them. But you can’t eradicate the foundation of pitching longevity. Why do boxers run distance when preparing for a fight when they don’t run in the ring? To have the endurance to throw punches for 12 rounds,” Jimenez said. “In 50, 100 years from now the next generation will examine how pitching in this era changed so dramatically, and they’ll be asking who was the ‘genius’ who came up with developing every pitcher as a reliever.”
No power pitcher has ever pitched better in Denver than Jimenez. Even Skenes allowed four runs in five innings in his lone start at Coors Field last August.
It remains a baseball tragedy that Jimenez failed to become the Rockies’ first 20-game winner in 2010, a milestone missed because of bad luck, including a dropped popup, and meager offensive support.
That he remains the zenith explains the problem. The Rockies need more like him. It has been 19 years since Jimenez, along with left-hander Franklin Morales, was promoted from the minors and helped Colorado win 21 of 22 games to reach the World Series.
The Rockies have made significant year-over-year progress this season, but are still losing more games than anyone else.
This can change. But not without better starting pitching.
They need another Ubaldo. Or two.
“They have one of the greatest fan bases who support them and wait for the team every year (to improve),” Jimenez said. “They have many staffers in the organization who have worked so hard to reach the goal of winning a championship in Denver. Hopefully, they put it all together soon and God opens the door once again.”
