Rockies’ Pitching Depth Issues Are Becoming Impossible to Ignore

The Colorado Rockies need help in the starting rotation. Is there any on the way?

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Pitching, pitching, pitching.

It’s all anybody seems to want to talk about as it pertains to how the Colorado Rockies are performing. It’s no surprise, either. With how poorly Rockies pitchers have performed throughout almost the entire existence of the franchise — which is due to a variety of factors, with the most blatant being the perilous conditions each arm has to operate in at Coors Field because of the high elevation — it’s no wonder that fans and media pundits alike are raining down criticism on Colorado’s pitching efforts in 2026.

And the bad news is that there’s no help on the way.

The Rockies hitched their wagon to a bunch of veteran starting pitchers that they believed could elevate — pun absolutely intended — the team’s pitching operation to another level in what was supposed to be a year of improvement under new president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta.

So far, not so good on that front.

The Rotation Has Been a Disaster

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Rockies’ starting rotation has a league-high 5.69 ERA, allowing 134 earned runs over 212 innings. They’ve allowed 41 home runs — only the Athletics, in hitter-friendly Sacramento, have allowed more with 44 — with opponents possessing a .300 batting average against them.

Most teams have contingency plans in place if a group of players isn't performing. And while the Rockies might have that too, it’s not a very good one. There are absolutely no arms in the minor leagues that could come up and make a sizable difference right now, which isn’t necessarily the fault of the current front office — they just got here, for crying out loud — though it is an indictment of the Rockies’ process for the better part of a decade. There is no help coming, which means that this current group of players is going to have to fend for itself.

The Farm System Isn’t Ready Yet

Of the Rockies’ top 10 prospects, only three of them are pitchers: RHP JB Middleton, RHP Brody Brecht and LHP Griffin Herring. None has an expected debut date this season, with Brecht and Herring aiming for a 2027 appearance in the big leagues. The top prospects that could feasibly help out this year are LHP Sean Sullivan (No. 11) and LHP Welinton Herrera (No. 14). Gabriel Hughes (No. 16) could be an option as well.

"Was just trying to fill up the strikes zone… mix in that new cutter I've been working on." @Rockies starting pitcher Sean Sullivan on his Cactus League outing vs. the @Dbacks. Sullivan threw 40 of 53 pitches for strikes over 4 IP with 2 ER, 3 hits, no walks & 1 K. #Rockies… https://t.co/J4bMA6lXC7 pic.twitter.com/49dkiG1vj7

— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) March 12, 2026

Sullivan’s progress in Triple-A has been discouraging, to say the least. In nine starts, he currently has a 5.77 ERA over 43.2 innings of work. The same goes for Herrera, who has a 4.64 ERA over 21.1 innings.

Of course, ERA isn’t everything — especially in the minors where players are often fiddling with different things — but results still matter. If those pitchers can’t get hitters out in Triple-A, how can the Rockies expect them to do it in the majors?

All in all, Colorado must face the reality that this current pitching operation is not in good shape. Rebuilding that aspect of the organization must be DePodesta and the company’s biggest priority over the next couple of seasons. Because while it can’t be fixed right now, it can at least be put in a good spot for the future. That’s really all Rockies fans can ask for at the moment.