Kyle Freeland makes no excuses. At 30, entering his eighth season, he wants more, expects better, his passion for redemption burning like a blowtorch. The Rockies need their opening day starter to …
Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies throws live during Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. He doesn’t unleash a big fastball, not by major league standards. His changeup remains a work in progress. He’s not overpowering, just relentless. Every time his left arm raises and fires the baseball to the plate, it feels personal.
The refreshing candor of Freeland makes him a magnet for the media, a favorite of a fanbase that resides somewhere between angry and apathetic. He is the local kid who made good, from starring at Thomas Jefferson High School — his parents still live in the home where he grew up, 15 minutes away from Coors Field — to toying with the Dodgers in his major league debut.
Since his zenith in 2018, when he finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting, Freeland has been humbled, hurt and hunting for answers. He boasts a 27-47 record with a 4.96 ERA over the past five seasons. He clawed back from a minor league demotion in 2019 and has endured a string of ailments from tight hamstrings to a sore oblique and balky shoulder.
No one feels sorry for the Rockies. Or their lack of pitching. Freeland is a huge sports fan . He knows how this works. He hears the criticism. He is the Rockies’ second highest paid player behind Kris Bryant. They need Freeland to anchor the rotation, especially with Marquez out until after the All-Star break as he recovers from elbow surgery.
Spring training, as it is wont to do, offers hope. Forget the results — March stats are hollow, though he has been dominant —the left-hander has shown tangible improvement. When he began long toss in January, his delivery felt smoother than left-out butter. He was able to let it rip without a wince. His fastball has pop again, reaching 92 to 94 mph with regularity. And he has a changeup that represents a potential equalizer after years of tinkering.
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