Rockies Fans May Not Like It, but Michael Lorenzen Still Has Value

It seems like a fairly obvious no-brainer that the Colorado Rockies should prioritize giving as many young arms runways at the big-league level as possible throughout the rest of 2026. The season has been shot for quite some time at this point, meaning these games — at least as they pertain to making the playoffs and competing for a championship — don't hold all that much relevance in the grander picture of the MLB season.

But what's on paper isn't always correct.

The Rockies Can't Let Go of Veterans Quite Yet

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jose Quintana. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Where are the young arms? Do they even exist? Because while it sounds nice to put those types of players on a pedestal so they can gain the necessary experience to compete at a high level in professional baseball, the Rockies still have a season to complete. Somebody has to pitch, and right now there aren't a ton of options.

This has only become a conversation because there's been a rampant narrative that the Rockies need to cut bait with the likes of Michael Lorenzen and other veteran starters who are clogging up spots in the rotation.

While it's true that Lorenzen hasn't necessarily brought a ton to the table in terms of pitching prowess in 2026, he does fulfill his obligation to take the ball every five days.

He might not throw a seven-inning shutout or strike out 10 hitters while looking dominant, but he gives Colorado a semi-competent effort every time he takes the mound.

That's extremely valuable, especially for a team that's building toward the future instead of trying to win in the present. Sure, it'd be nice if Lorenzen had lived up to his $8 million contract a little more, but beggars can't be choosers.

The Rockies are in this dire situation because of long-standing ineptitude at the top of the organization. Lorenzen and other veteran starting pitching signings were never going to fix that, and that should've been obvious from the jump.

Because while the Rockies haven't been good this year, they are noticeably better than they were in 2025, a season that saw the franchise sink to a new low — something nobody thought was possible. A big reason for that is the veteran presence in the rotation.

No, those pitchers haven't exactly been lighting up the box score, but was that really what people expected? Sometimes it's better to tough it out with what you've got rather than hope the future arrives before it's ready.

Michael Lorenzen Has Become an Easy Scapegoat

Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What's the point of all this? Lorenzen, with his 6.22 ERA over 97 innings of work, seems like an odd player to defend given his mediocre-to-bad season. The point isn't that Lorenzen has pitched well. It's that he's become a scapegoat for some, when in reality he's nowhere near the Rockies' biggest problem.

The issue isn't that Colorado is choosing veterans over young pitchers. It's that there simply aren't enough MLB-ready young pitchers available to justify making that switch. Until that changes, somebody has to cover those innings, and Lorenzen is doing exactly that.

In the end, the Rockies will only get better from the bottom up. That's a long process, one that newly minted president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta is actively trying to achieve. In the meantime, Colorado is going to have to rely on players like Lorenzen to get the job done. Whether fans like it or not, that's the reality.

But for the sake of all Rockies fans, the hope is that the future arrives soon — and that it's ready for the limelight. Successful baseball has been missing from Coors Field for quite some time now. Maybe it's nearby. Or perhaps it's still far away. Regardless, the 2026 season is a building block toward whatever comes next.

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