The historically bad 2025 Colorado Rockies look very different than they did when the season began in a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
With this in mind, the staff at Purple Row felt it would be useful to revisit the “State of the Position” series that we run in March as a season preview.
We’ve also asked authors of the spring pieces to re-evaluate their earlier remarks with an eye toward the trade deadline.
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What I said in March
I forecasted that Colorado’s bullpen would be tested this season, and that has certainly been the case.
The additions of Scott Alexander and Jimmy Herget to the roster would give the team more veteran presences, and having Lucas Gilbreath back in purple pinstripes would do wonders for morale.
These players, plus exciting young hurlers such as Viktor Vodnik, Angel Chivilli, and Seth Halvorsen, would make for a perfectly functional relief unit. Add longtime bullpen stalwart Tyler Kinley into the mix, plus a dash of reliable Jake Bird, and suddenly the Rockies have a ‘pen that fans could be cautiously optimistic about… at least, that was my thought.
In fairness, much of the optimism I felt in March was due to what I believed to be heretofore untapped potential still waiting to be unleashed from a few of their younger arms. What better time than now, in a season with such low expectations, to go out there and prove me right?
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Where the Rockies are now
The starters
Well, it’s been interesting.
See, even though the Rockies are off to a start the likes of which we could never have even imagined, there are always positives. Usually it’s the ascension of a budding offensive star, or maybe the exciting debut of a high-ceiling starter. As weird as 2025 has been, though, one of the weirdest aspects has been this: The bullpen is actually one of the better stories of the season.
How? Well, let’s talk about it.
It’s been a tough season for the starting pitchers in the Rockies rotation, but the bullpen has enjoyed a fairly positive experience, at least compared to recent outings. Largely, Colorado’s relievers have done a decent job of keeping games close and shutting down opposing lineups, though it’s resulted in few wins partly because of the team’s woeful offensive numbers.
For example, Jake Bird’s 2025 campaign has mostly been one of sustained success, and his hot start to the season had some fans clamoring for an All-Star appearance. June and July have certainly been less kind (ERAs of 4.91 & 20.25, respectively, compared to his 1.08 and 2.70 in April and May), but he’s still one of manager Warren Schaeffer’s most effective weapons at this time.
So, too, is Victor Vodnik. His 2.96 ERA belies what’s been a very solid season for the California native. Like Bird, Vodnik hasn’t enjoyed the warmer weather of the season’s middle months, but that’s not reason to believe that he can’t bounce back in a big way in the second half of the season, especially when he possesses one of the most electric fastballs in all of MLB.
Seth Halvorsen’s turning in a decent little season as well. While certainly not blowing anyone away, his 5.30 ERA and ability to collect strikeouts has proved valuable in key moments. The Rockies coaching staff obviously believes in his ability, as he’s been counted on in numerous save situations and serves as the team leader in that category. Now if only he could cut down his walks…
Unquestionably the biggest surprise of the season, though, has been the ascension of Jimmy Herget. Acquired in November of last year, Herget has been a revelation out of Colorado’s ‘pen as he’s become the picture of consistency in the game’s late innings. Is he at the level of, say, Edwin Díaz? Of course not. On a team such as this, though, Herget has provided some sorely-needed stability and should be an enticing trade chip as the deadline approaches.
Of course, not everyone is enjoying such success. Tyler Kinley appears well on his way to posting an ERA north of 6, which would be his third consecutive season of doing so. Appearing in a team-high 44 games, Kinley’s peripherals show that he may the victim of some bad luck, so there’s a possibility he could turn things around… right?
Colorado’s bullpen looks very different now than it did on Opening Day. Scott Alexander is gone and Lucas Gilbreath has been outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque. Angel Chivilli’s there with him after inconsistent results, while Jeff Criswell has been injured all season. These were names that the Rockies were planning to rely upon heavily in key situations, but their various departures have forced them to make adjustments.
As such, the task has fallen to some newer faces to try to provide stability in their stead, with these hurlers experiencing up-and-down results.
Ryan Rolison, former starter and first-round draft pick, is logging innings as a long reliever in his first year in the bigs. It’s been a rocky start for Rolison, especially lately, which may be expected given his long road to MLB and his need to adjust to his new role. Hopefully he’ll gain confidence — and effectiveness as the season rolls on.
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Zach Agnos has experienced similar growing pains. Like Halvorsen, Agnos allows too many free passes and occasionally gets himself into jams. The raw ability is there, but he’ll need to mature quickly and make the adjustments necessary to combat big league hitting. Our preseason No. 23 PuRP has plenty of time to turn things around and become the reliable reliever many view him as, but the sooner he makes those changes, the better.
Finally, we land on Juan Mejia. The Dominican rookie pitcher has appeared in 29 games and posted a 3.97 ERA while boasting serious K potential. He’s impressing his team’s higher-ups and has a chance to solidify himself in their future plans if he can keep these kinds of results coming. Mejia has the makeup of a strong bullpen piece — is this simply the first season of many exciting years to come?
The backups/depth options
The Rockies have a few different options available in case of injuries or trade deadline deals.
Angel Chivilli, who broke camp with the team on Opening Day and spent the first couple of months in Denver before being sent down to Triple-A, is likely on speed dial. He’ll be the go-to arm that they call up for support. He had a decent debut in MLB last season, so finishing 2025 strong — be it in Albuquerque or Denver — could go a long way towards his development.
Jaden Hill could be an alternative as well. Our No. 19 PuRP last appeared with the Rockies back in April, and has been with the Isotopes since. He’s got electric stuff and seems poised to be a crucial part of their relief plans for years to come. Whether or not that journey will continue in MLB this season will be up to his managers to decide, but I know I and many Rockies faithful would love to see it.
Finally, we look at a bevvy of young starting pitchers. Gabriel Hughes, Karl Kauffmann, Mason Albright, Jack O’Loughlin — any of these talented arms could make their MLB debut before the season’s up in hopes of stretching out and getting a look at big league hitting. It seems the Rockies are more willing to just let starters be starters, à la Chase Dollander, Carson Palmquist, and Bradley Blalock, but they may still choose to have one of their debuting pitchers take their first steps onto an a Major League mound by trotting out from the bullpen.
Closing Thoughts
For the first time in what seems like ages, the Colorado Rockies seem to have assembled a fairly capable set of bullpen talents. It’s been an absolutely brutal season, as we all know, but it hasn’t been the fault of the relievers. Instead, we’re starting to see the fruition of what we hope will eventually turn into a legitimately strong point for the team, though that’s still some ways away.
For now, we’ll just have to continue to monitor the development of these exciting young relievers, while also enduring whatever blowups may happen. Who knows? Maybe this time next year, we’ll all meet back up and celebrate how the Colorado Rockies managed to assemble the Avengers of baseball’s late innings — led by Zach Agnos, Seth Halvorsen, Juan Mejia, and whoever else is ready to take the next big step.
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