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DENVER Plenty of players have put up big stats in a Rockies uniform and become synonymous with their jersey numbers, while others have had more modest tenures with the organization.
MLB.com is looking back at the best players to wear each number in franchise history since the 1993 inaugural season. In some cases, players wore multiple numbers in their Rockies careers. To include as many of the notable players as possible, MLB.com is listing the numbers used, and the years they wore that specific number.
0: RHP Adam Ottavino (2013-18)
The extreme movement on Ottavino’s slider made him a highly effective relief pitcher and a fan favorite.
Darren Holmes Courtesy of Baseball Reference: “Colorado Rockies Yearly Pitching Staff - Most Common Pitchers” The Baseball Reference list doesn’t include closers who filled in for a shorter period of time (i.e.
), so technically the Rockies have had more than 16 closers in team history.
A consistent bullpen can be hard to come by when reliever performance can face serious year-to-year volatility. A hitter-friendly Coors Field can magnify those effects, particularly in tight save situations. If you’re a premier closer at the peak of your career, why would you try and prove yourself in Colorado when literally any other ballpark is more favorable for pitchers? When such rationale can lure top arms away from Coors Field, are we forced to look at ‘shorter’ tenures when identifying the best Rockies closers? How many years does a closer need in order to qualify?