{"id":461433,"date":"2026-02-11T04:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T04:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/461433\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T04:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T04:02:10","slug":"rockies-add-another-veteran-arm-to-their-rotation-denver-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/461433\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockies add another veteran arm to their rotation \u2013 Denver Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rockies were in such dire straits last season, they were forced to rush young arms into their major-league rotation well before they were ready. The result was a starters\u2019 collective earned-run average that was the worst in the modern era of major-league history<\/a>, yet another indignity in a wretched season piled with them.<\/p>\n

Avoiding that fate means bolstering the depth of their major-league rotation. Stop-gap, short-term solutions are fine, so long as they allow the Rockies to avoid pushing developing pitchers into the big-league fire before they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

Last month, that meant bringing aboard right-hander Michael Lorenzen, an All-Star as recently as 2023<\/a>. Tuesday, that manifested in the addition of Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano<\/a>, who notched a 1.331 WHIP and a 4.64 ERA over 30 starts for the Baltimore Orioles last year in his only major-league season.<\/p>\n

Sugano agreed to a one-year, $5.1-million deal. He takes the roster spot vacated by Kris Bryant; the Rockies moved him to the 60-day injured list<\/a> due to his ongoing, persistent back problems.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old Sugano joined the Orioles after 12 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League in Japan. For most of his time with the Giants, he dazzled, posting a 1.035 WHIP and a 2.45 ERA.<\/p>\n

The Rockies\u2019 rotation now projects to include Kyle Freeland, Lorenzen, Sugano and Ryan Feltner, with a host of young pitchers grappling for the No. 5 spot, including 2023 first-round pick Chase Dollander, who had a rookie season that was as flummoxing as it was promising, with mammoth road-home splits \u2014 a 3.46 road ERA contrasting with a 9.98 figure at Coors Field.<\/p>\n

ROCKIES HOPE SUGANO CAN KEEP THE BALL IN THE YARD<\/p>\n

In his only season with the O\u2019s, Sugano\u2019s trouble spot was the gopher ball. He surrendered an American League-leading 33 home runs, and his HR\/9 rate of 1.89 was the fourth-worst in major-league baseball among 127 pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched.<\/p>\n

He ended the season allowing at least one homer in six-consecutive starts, giving up 12 homers in those appearances. During those starts, his HR\/9 rate ballooned to 4.21.<\/p>\n

The Rockies will look for Sugano to try and recapture the form of his early-season work last year, when he posted a 3.04 ERA over his first 12 starts before struggling from that point forward.<\/p>\n

Sugano notched 10 quality starts in his 30 appearances last year.<\/p>\n

Rockies sign 2024 All-Star to two-year deal<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow @MaseDenver<\/a><\/p>\n

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