Rockies' pitching greats lend wisdom to current staff, emphasize deception of paying attention to stats
May 27—The scorebooks have to be thrown away in Colorado, they don't mean as much.
Ubaldo Jiménez and Jason Jennings made their way to Coors Field on Saturday to celebrate the franchise's 30-year anniversary and said as much. The two represent one of the best eras in the franchise's pitching history — Jennings is still the only Colorado player to be named Rookie of the Year and Jiménez still stands as the only starter for the club to toss a no-hitter.
And both would tell you the stats don't matter, it's only about beating the opposing pitcher. Dinelson Lamet, Noah Davis, Germán Márquez, Ryan Feltner and Antonio Senzatela are all starting options for the Rockies that are on the injured list.
In their spots the Rockies have made several quick pickups. And the preparation for Colorado has been shortened. For Austin Gomber, a chat with Adam Wainwright after being traded to the Rockies helped. Jennings relied on Pedro Astacio, among others when he was readying for the challenge.
And yet, only one strategy really stuck.
"The strategy they gave us in the (farm system) was to pitch better than the other guy. We knew our stats would be higher, our (earned run average) would be higher," Jennings said. "Once I got here, even if I gave up four or five runs, I knew we could score seven or eight."
Jennings and Jiménez were also part of the club when the Colorado Springs Sky Sox were the Triple-A affiliate. The altitude and lessons learned there stuck around when they went from Security Service Field to Coors Field.
Spring training still involves pitchers learning the strategies. Manager Bud Black and company put hurlers through a crash course in Arizona, just as a different staff did when Jennings and Jiménez were starring for the club.
"The best way to learn is through experience," Black said. "They're getting a crash course on pitching here, but a lot of it has been talked about before — in the winter time, in January and February, and in Scottsdale, (Arizona)."
The Rockies moving their minor league team from Colorado Springs to a similar elevation in Albuquerque, New Mexico was a good one if you ask Jennings. His battles with altitude hardened him for the Denver air.
Several prospects in today's game skip Triple-A altogether, if they have outbursts in Double-A. That step is crucial for the Rockies and the difference between success and possible failure.
"It was an essential step for me, nothing I accomplished here would've ever happened without the time and some of the struggles I experienced in Colorado Springs," Jennings said.
