The Colorado Rockies made a surprising move over the weekend. They released right-hander Jhoulys Chacin. He struggled with the Colorado Rockies in spring training. Chacin had an ERA of 6.52 in four appearances in the Cactus League with two starts. The Rockies thought it was best to let him go. Was this the right decision?
Chacin made his Rockies debut in 2009. He started one game and lost it, but did pitch in 9 games. He had an ERA of 4.91 and struck out 13. 2010 was the first year he was inserted in the Colorado Rockies rotation. He had 9 wins and 11 losses. That year was the lowest ERA in his career with 3.28. Chacin also struck out 138 batters. In 2011, he didn’t have bad season, going 11-14. He had his career high of 150 strikeouts .
2012 was a year to forget for Jhoulys Chacin. He had a record of 3-5 with a 4.43 ERA. He rebounded the next year to have the most wins as a member of the Colorado Rockies with 14. His ERA was outstanding at 3.47.
Last year, the Rockies were confident he would be one of the top pitchers on the staff. He only appeared in 11 games due to a shoulder injury. He went 1-7 in those 11 games but had his highest era ever at 5.40.
Going into this season, the Rockies were optimistic he would take the next step and be a number two pitcher behind Jorge De La Rosa. That didn’t happen. The velocity on his fastball dipped this year. Two years ago it averaged out at 92 miles per hour. Throwing in spring training, it was averaging anywhere between 86 to 88 miles per hour.
The Rockies had no choice but to release him. They have young pitchers who will take his spot. Those could include Jon Gray, Eddie Butler, and Christian Bergman. The two front-runners to replace Chacin are Eddie Butler and Christian Bergman. Last year, Butler started two games for the Rockies going 1-1 with 3 strikeouts and an ERA of 6.75. Bergman was a little better than Eddie Butler winning 3 games with an ERA of 5.93 with 31 strikeouts. The Rockies don’t know what they have in Gray but they are happy with the progress he has made since being drafted in 2013.
The Rockies have many options for replacing Chacin. At least Chacin’s release came during spring training rather than the regular season. This will give the Rockies time to evaluate their pitching. It also will allow Chacin a chance to land with another Major League Baseball team.
Who should replace Jhoulys Chacin’s in the rotation?
It seems as if the Rockies are ready to find a good pitcher. Good luck to them.