Rockies Rotation Check—Which Starters Have Boom or Bust Potential

The Colorado Rockies are already off to a worrisome start this year, having dropped their opening series against the Miami Marlins. Right off the bat, fans are already questioning whether or not the ballclub made enough progress in the offseason. Will this be another flopped season for the Rockies, or can they turn things around?

The good news is that the season just kicked off—it's not uncommon for teams to struggle early on. It should be noted that Colorado brought on some new additions during the offseason who should be instrumental in getting things squared away. But as valuable as their new faces are, there are bound to be obstacles along the way. It's the Rockies, and they are no stranger to facing hiccups.

Simply looking at their starting rotation, consisting of Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano and Ryan Feltner, they have emerging arms who could surprise fans. There's some boom potential here, but there's also a glaring bust who could end up experiencing pitching woes this year. Which starters stand out the most?

Projecting Rockies Boom or Bust Arms

Colorado Rockies Kyle Freeland pitching — Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Starting with boom candidates among Colorado's rotation, Kyle Freeland tops all. The 32-year-old southpaw is a longtime veteran with the Rockies, having spent nine complete seasons with the ballclub. Now entering his 10th Major League campaign, he continues to serve as their ace.

So far this season, although he's only started one game against the Marlins, he is carrying a 4.15 ERA and two strikeouts across 4.1 innings pitched. By the time he finished his latest season, he had registered a 4.98 ERA and 124 strikeouts across 162.2 innings pitched through 31 starts.

Having a player as well-versed with the challenges of pitching at Coors Field is irreplaceable, so this alone makes him a quality boom candidate. Then, taking into account his skill level, he should be a reliable arm this year.

As for a potential bust starter, Ryan Feltner seems to be the more likely arm to claim this sour title. He, too, has an extensive history at Coors Field, but not nearly as much as Freeland. Feltner, 29, wrapped his 2025 campaign with a 4.75 ERA and 25 strikeouts across 30.1 innings pitched, but he was knocked by an injury that limited him to just six starts.

Now, if he remains healthy, he might be able to escape the bust title, but fans shouldn't bank on him having a breakout season.