The Rockies have optioned down struggling lefty Kyle Freeland, per a team announcement. Also headed to Triple-A is outfielder Yonathan Daza, with the team bringing hurlers Chris Rusin and Jesus Tinoco up to the active roster.
It’s a rather stunning move as regards Freeland, who finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting last year. While it is no doubt hard to drop such a player down, the club could no longer look past his more recent issues.
Through a dozen starts this year, Freeland has managed only a 7.13 ERA in 59 1/3 innings. Though he’s still generating similar numbers of strikeouts (7.4 K/9) and walks (3.8 BB/9) to his 2018 showing, opposing hitters have teed up a league-high 16 long balls against him.
Freeland never seemed particularly likely to repeat his surprising sophomore campaign, as ERA estimators took a much dimmer view of his effort than his 2.85 ERA suggested. But the 26-year-old seemed likely to be a quality rotation piece for years to come.
There’s no glaringly obvious explanation for the downturn. While he has bumped up his swinging-strike rate a bit (9.0% to 10.6%), Freeland has given up much better contact when it has been made. Batters have doubled their barrel rate (to 10.7%) and jumped to 35.5% hard contact. Freeland has been abused in particular at Coors Field (9.31 ERA), the complete opposite from 2018 (2.40 ERA). He’s sitting at a .287 BABIP-against, right where he was last year (.285). There has been a change in sequencing fortunes, as Freeland has dropped to a 62.0% strand rate after sitting at 82.8% in 2018.
Freeland, the former eighth-overall draft pick, had accrued two full seasons of MLB service entering the present campaign. He’ll need to make it back to the majors in 2019 in order to reach arbitration as a Super Two or 3+ service-class player next fall. The team had indicated some pre-season interest in a long-term deal, though talks never seemed to get going in earnest and surely won’t now unless and until Freeland gets back on track.
i dont care how bad you did last year, if you’re slumping as bad as Freeland, it’s worth sending you down. Rox really are in desperate need of at least one more starter; there is no way Rusin should still be in organized baseball.
He pitched well in 2016-2017. He’s a AAA pitcher. He deserves a call up for injuries or struggling pitchers like freeland.
Rusin was not in the minors because of performance, he was on injury rehab.
Rusin is not a starter. Tinoco is the starter. Rusin is a long/middle reliever and a pretty good one at that.
This guy was really good last year, what happened ???
The league has figured out his stuff. It happens. Now it is up to Freeland to change his stuff around. If he can do it, then he has a chance at a long career. If he cannot, he is the next Ricky Romero.
He changed his arm slot to overcome a blister.
Arm slot and blisters have no relation. That doesn’t make sense…unless he had a blister on his bicep…which has never happened to anybody, ever.
You can get blisters from a sunburn. I’ve gotten them on my shoulder. I’m sure getting a blister on a bicep has happened to somebody, somewhere before.
“no glaringly obvious explanation?” How about the juiced ball?
This…
i dont think the ball has become twice as juiced this year. most other pitchers havent regressed just as much. if the ball has become more juiced, its not the main reason.
If the juiced ball is the explanation, then wouldn’t everyone be 5 runs worse this season? By that logic, Freeland should still be the 4th best starter in the NL, because everyone uses the same balls.
Juiced ball in a juiced ballpark. Colorado is a pitchers` nightmare. Very hard to sustain success there. All the more reason why the Arenado hype is overblown.
Baseball is all about scoring and offense. Unfortunately pitchers will continue to be punished.
the Coors field comment is irrelevant when the player in question played there last year as well.
Not only that, he grew up in Denver. Location has nothing to do with it. Something has changed.
I guess Aaron Judge is overblown too. His H/R OPS difference is much higher than Nolan’s. How about Yelich, whose H/R this year is almost double.
Of course any real baseball analyst knows that H/R splits are the most overblown stat out there since there is no equality in “road” stats for different teams. And since you believe that Coors is a juiced ballpark, consider the fact that every player other than Rockies get to use their Coors stats as part of their road stats. In fact, Coors stats makes up a full 10% of other NL West players’ road splits. Whereas the Rockies players don’t get that boost.
But you are going to believe whatever you want because you keep bringing up Nolan being overrated no matter what the story is about. I guess Arenado’s 6 Gold Gloves in 6 years is overblown as well?
Not sure what Darkside is trying to convey here but we can point to most of his/her comments on the daily.
As for you HiFlu….congrats on fabricating the numbers as we know nearly every player leaving Colorado cannot sustain their strong numbers nor can the pitchers. You’ve only had 26 years to figure this out. I guess you will believe what you want.
I did not realize Arenado’s inflated bat helped his glove. Are you trying to imply his gold gloves are fraudulent? Because I’m not. Again, believe what you want.
Arenado’s road numbers among all 3B participating in 50 road games:
2018 – 16th in OPS
2017 – 9th in OPS
2016 – 8th in OPS
2015 – 3rd in OPS
2014 – 15th in OPS
This is just Third Basemen. Congrats to him for making the top 3 once the previous 5 years. I think we’re done here.
You are not worth chatting with. Have a nice life. Or not, because I am done caring.
“Nearly every player leaving Colorado cannot sustain their strong numbers ? Such as whom ?
Many Rockies players have succeeded away from Coors such as Andres Galaragga, Matt Holliday, Corey Dickerson, Dexter Fowler, Chris Ianetta, Larry Walker, Let’s not forget about how well DJ LeMahieu is playing for the Yankees this year as well.
50 road games each year isn’t enough to really compare. It’s like saying 100 MLB games is enough to compare to the rest of players who played 145-162 games for the entire MLB season.
None of the players you mentioned could sustain the numbers beyond 1 season. Some of them didn’t do it at all. Lemahieu has never been a power-first guy, and if you mention him you may as well mention Juan Pierre. Non-power guys don’t need Coors.
Arenado at home among all 3B:
2019 – 3rd in OPS
2018 – 1st in OPS
2017 – 1st in OPS
2016 – 1st in OPS
2015 – 3rd in OPS
2014 – 2nd in OPS
If you’d like to continue your ignorance over the power of Coors Field that is your choice. I could have used 60 games and the results are pretty much the same.
You’re done caring because you have no rebuttle worth using. Just dropped Arenado’s home numbers versus other 3B and the results back my argument, not yours. Now I’m done with you, and you’re not a worthy baseball guy.
Mic drop!!!!
They all had success away from Coors. Holliday was a 4x All Star away from Coors, Fowler did very well away from Coors becoming an All Star with the Cubs and helping the Cubs win the World Series. Dickerson was an all star with the Rays, and had a 3.8 WAR last season with the Pirates.
No one is denying Coors is a great hitters park, but most players can be successful away from Coors.
Freeland just turned age 26 and likely has a long career ahead of him. I saw him turn out a couple of standout performances last year. He needs to work on pitch selection and location. He has been bopped for too many homers this year. I would like to see this prospect Almonte in the rotation. He has experience starting games in the minors. Rusin should work as a reliever, and the Rox need help there too. No way Arenado is overblown. He is a stellar offensive and defensive force virtually every day.
With two years of service, he could reject this, correct? Maybe a change of scenery could help him and get the Rox a pitcher more conducive to their park. Just a thought. Sometimes it works for all involved.
No, he was optioned not outrighted.