Colorado Rockies On SI

In Rockies’ Worst Season the Bullpen Emerges as a Lone Strength

The Colorado Rockies had good things come out of some of their bullpen.

Maddy Dickens

Jun 12, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Jimmy Herget (44) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field.
Jun 12, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Jimmy Herget (44) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In this story:

After the season that the Colorado Rockies had, it is hard to imagine that there are many good things to focus on, but there are a few in the bullpen that looked like some of the best in the business.

The starting rotation struggled (to say the least) with the worst numbers across the board in ERA, total strikeouts, opponents' batting average, etc. However, that wasn't the case for the relief pitchers.

Victor Vodnik, Jimmy Herget, and Juan Meija are the names that come to mind when thinking about the relief guys that the Rockies used this season and shone. They led the bullpen for the Rockies and gave the organization something to be excited about.

Good and Bad of the Bullpen

Vodnik pitching off the mound in a purple uniform and white pant
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The 32-year-old veteran Herget was used the most of any relief pitcher, and he just got better as the year went on. In his last 15 outings (over 17 innings), he posted a 1.56 ERA with 23 strikeouts to complement a mere three earned runs.

Another shining light that came out of the bullpen was Meija. They used him in just four fewer games than Herget (55), and he finished the year with an ERA under 4.00 to complement the second-most strikeouts amongst the bullpen (68), trailing only Herget with 81. Meija was a strikeout machine for the club.

Vodnik truly came to life this season after showing signs of life in his rookie debut the season prior. He could be Colorado's top closer next season as he continued to grow in confidence as the year went on, and his numbers proved that. In his last 14 innings of play this season, his ERA dropped to 1.26.

There were issues with the Rockies' original closer- Seth Halvorsen. The thought at the beginning of the year was that he would be able to handle that role. Well, he did not. Maybe at first, and that is why he finished the year off with an ERA still under 5.00, but in his last seven games (only five innings), he had six earned runs to go with six walks.

The Rockies really have nowhere to go but up next season (hopefully). There were highs and lows, mostly lows, but there were some definite highlights out of the bullpen. The offseason is here and it is time to look towards the future, makes big changes, and emphasize the talent that is currently on their roster.

More Rockies On SI

feed

Published |Modified
Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

Home/News