Black sees upside in young Rox pitchers, catchers

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Entering next season with aspirations of contending, the Rockies could field a starting rotation of young pitchers who have never been in the postseason and a catching tandem of a rookie and a second-year player. But they have a unique example-setter in manager Bud Black.

Tyler Chatwood, who turns 27 on Dec. 16, is the old man, with Chad Bettis, 27 on April 26, Tyler Anderson, 27 on Dec. 30, and Jon Gray, 25, in the projected group, with rookies such as Jeff Hoffman, 24 on Jan. 8, and German Marquez, 22 on Feb. 22, competing for the other spot.

A club that has had pitching issues throughout its history has, for the first time, turned to a former pitcher as manager. Black’s 398 Major League starts from 1981-95 and his experience as a manager and pitching coach can certainly bridge the gap. While the Rockies’ main reason for optimism is a powerful lineup that could be augmented with a run-producing first baseman, the young pitching talent is part of Black’s excitement.

“I believe that this team is trending up,” Black said.

In the past decade and a half, the Rockies have brought in seasoned veterans — Mike Hampton, Denny Neagle, Jeremy Guthrie, Roy Oswalt — but none of them had significant accomplishments over time.

In fact, according to Baseball Prospectus, the top seven starting pitchers in Rockies history in wins above replacement (WAR) are, in order, Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, Jason Jennings, Jeff Francis and Armando Reynoso. Only De La Rosa was not developed by the Rockies, and De La Rosa had just 97 games, 41 starts, in four seasons before arriving. Of the most successful pitchers in team history, only top 10 wins and strikeouts pitcher Pedro Astacio had as many as 100 Major League games before putting on purple pinstripes.

So putting the …

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