If you’re of the belief that a pitcher can’t thrive despite calling the hitters’ haven known as Coors Field home, think again. Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland did so in 2018, a year in which he finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting. He pitched to an excellent 2.85 ERA/3.67 FIP across 202 1/3 innings that season, giving the Rockies and the rest of the baseball world the impression that the club, long starved for solid starting pitching, had a front-line one-two punch on its hands in him and German Marquez. While Marquez did continue to produce last year, Freeland declined to a dramatic extent – no doubt one of the reasons the Rockies went from a playoff team to a bottom feeder.
Things went so awry for Freeland in 2019 that he spent a sizable portion of the season in the minors. The Rockies demoted Freeland to Triple-A Albuquerque on May 31 and didn’t recall him until the middle of July. Freeland wasn’t remotely effective during his time last year in the minors, where he pitched to an 8.80 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 29 innings. He was better in the majors, but that’s not saying much. In fact, it’s hard to find a pitcher who went downhill faster from 2018 to last season than Freeland, who logged a 6.73 ERA/5.99 FIP across 104 1/3 frames as a Rockie.
So what happened? Home runs, for one. The HR bug bit many a pitcher during what was a historically power-happy season. Freeland didn’t elude the long ball, as his HR-to-fly ball rate climbed from 8.5 percent during his Cy Young-contending effort two years ago to 21.7 last season. And Freeland, whose typical fastball sits in the 92 mph range, has never been much for strikeouts, but that was especially the case in 2019. He struck out fewer than seven batters per nine and ranked 12th last among all starters who threw at least 100 innings in strikeout-walk percentage (8.5). The fastball betrayed Freeland, who – according to FanGraphs – dominated with that pitch during his dream ’18. Last season was a different story, though, as Freeland’s heater ranked near the basement of the league in efficacy.
To make matters worse, Freeland wasn’t any kind of Statcast favorite. Rather, he finished below average in just about all of its categories. To list a couple examples, his expected weighted on-base average rose by 62 points from the previous year, while his hard-hit rate jumped by almost 11 percent.
“I didn’t feel confident at all,” Freeland admitted to Shane Monaghan of 5280 Magazine in regards to 2019. “I was just hoping not to give up runs.”
Freeland has since adjusted his delivery, which he and the Rockies hope will do the trick.
“You aren’t going to see the long pause,” manager Bud Black told Monaghan. “It will be a free-flowing, momentum-building delivery.”
It’s quite possible we’ll never see the Cy Young-type version of Freeland again, though it may also be fair to give him the benefit of the doubt. The pedigree’s there (Freeland was the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft), he’s still just 26 years old and even before his brilliant showing two seasons back, he fared well as a rookie in 2017. Nobody knows whether there will even be Major League Baseball this year, but if there is, Freeland will enter the campaign as one of the game’s most intriguing bounce-back candidates.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I don’t think he ever touches 2018 again, but I also don’t think he touches 2019 either. Maybe his ERA in 2017 would be where I expect him to bounce back to.
In 2018, I saw my last game at Globe Life Park (in person), and it was also the last time I saw the great Adrian Beltre play in person. Colorado was in town, and Freeland started the game, and for the most part he made it very boring. Until the 8th inning whenever Beltre drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a 2 run triple. That is the loudest I’ve ever heard a stadium get, even during a playoff game. 5-3 final score… I’ll never forget.
I don’t see a transaction rumor here.
Because theres been a freeze on such things…….
Thanks for keeping us up to date, Saturated Fat Sticks! I don’t know what this community would do without you!
I wish I could know what the community would do without you. I know my head would ache less.
It’s okay HiFlew you’re my favorite fast food employee!
He may rebound once he’s traded away from the
cesspool in Colorado. Drain the Swamp!
Rox 2020 success and Arrenado’s future are dependent on a bounce back by Freeland and a host of others. No improvement, no success… no Arrenado.
I’m not close to the situation but from afar something just doesn’t feel right in Colorado. Not sure if it’s the owner, the GM, Buddy or the clubhouse but something is not right.
Everything is wrong they are like the Mets except nobody talks about them because the team is in a small market
But they aren’t in a small market. They aren’t in the biggest market like the Mets, but they are above average. Denver is 13th in MLB I think.
Shell shock probably set in. Sub 4 ERA’s from Colorado SP’s two years in a row have rarely happened.
I don’t think that as a factor with Freeland. He pitched high school in Colorado. It’s not like he is surprised by how balls react in thin air.
It was just a slow start for the entire team last year and Kyle couldn’t overcome his bad start. It has happened to more seasoned pitchers in the past. Some pitchers need a slow start in order to get going, but some need to get going quickly. Freeland seems to be the latter.
Bounce back – Miguel Cabrera?
Freeland was killed by the new ball last year. He depends entirely on fastball/cutter/slider glove-side movement, and the ball just wasn’t moving like it did in 2018. So those pitches that were jamming righties in 18 were gopher balls in 19.