Kyle Freeland has long been my go-to guy.
The veteran lefty, who turns 32 on May 14, is passionate and candid. He usually steers clear of the Pollyannaish public pronouncements that we hear too often at 20th and Blake.
You might recall Freeland’s comments in August 2023 as the Rockies were careening toward a 103-loss season.
“It’s very frustrating,” said the Denver native, who had signed a five-year, $64.5 million contract extension in April 2022. “The second year into this contract, it’s definitely not how I pictured things going, for myself or this team. It’s tough.
“We all want to win, and we all want to have success, and we all want to be in the playoffs playing meaningful baseball. Right now, it seems like every time you look down that tunnel, looking for that light, it just keeps getting further and further away.”
But now, with the Rockies less than two weeks away from their 2025 season opener at Tampa Bay, Freeland’s darkness has lifted. He’s genuinely optimistic about the upcoming season and the club’s future.
“For me, there is a different level of excitement with all of these young guys we have coming up,” he said. “I’m encouraging these guys to go out and showcase their stuff. I tell them, ‘Just be you, and let’s go win baseball games. That’s why we are here.’
“It’s not just about being in the big leagues, it’s about winning at the major league level. That message is resonating with the guys. We understand we’ve had some really bad years, but we are looking to turn it around. We know we have the tools, the skill set and the right guys to do that.”
Early in spring training, outfield prospect Zac Veen and starting first baseman Michael Toglia scoffed at national pundits who predict that the Rockies will lose 100 games again. That would make the Rockies the 13th team in big-league history with three consecutive 100-loss seasons, and the first since the start-from-scratch Astros from 2011-13.
Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections give the Rockies a 0.0% chance to reach the postseason with a predicted win total of 55.5 games.
“I think it’s hilarious,” Veen said when asked about those dire predictions. “I mean, when we look at each other, we know we are going to be good … pretty soon. I think the team is already good with the guys we already have on it and the (players) we have brought in.
“I think the younger guys just laugh at all of the stuff we read and all of that. I think we all know we are going to be good.”
I’ll admit that I scoffed when I heard Veen say that, but I was curious what Freeland had to say about the bravado from Colorado’s young, unproven players.
“I think that’s a great thing,” Freeland said. “Kind of every year, we get put in this position. You can even go back to ’17 and ’18 when we made the playoffs. The baseball world counted us out because of the division we’re in.
“But I think it’s great to see that the young guys are paying attention to what’s being said about us and they have that feeling of, ‘Screw that! We haven’t even started the season, we haven’t even played Game 1 yet, and you guys are already counting us out.’
“I think that’s fantastic that they have that chip on their shoulder and it (ticks) them off. Because at the end of the day, when everything is all said and done, and our goals are met, it’s going to make it that much sweeter in the end.”
Freeland said the ’25 Rockies resemble the ’17 team that earned a wild-card playoff spot. Freeland made his debut that season, and so did right-hander Antonio Senzatela. Right-hander German Marquez debuted the previous September. Freeland sees promise in young pitchers like Ryan Feltner, Chase Dollander, Bradley Blaylock, Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik. He loves the upside of shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle.
“It reminds me of when we were coming up to ‘the Show’ and we had that hunger to prove who we are and play our brand of baseball,” he said. “It’s fun to see.”
I don’t think anyone seriously believes that the Rockies can rebound from their 101-loss season in 2024 to become a playoff team this season. But Freeland likes the fire he’s seeing from the Kid Rox.
“The energy, and the confidence, and the enjoyment of the game has carried over from the end of last year,” he said. “We’ve had some turnover on the roster, we had some young guys debut, we got to see the talent and what they are all about. For me, there is a different level of excitement.”
Freeland is especially jazzed about the Rockies’ retooled bullpen, which could help the team turn the corner.
Last season, Rockies relievers had a 5.38 ERA with 28 blown saves — tied for second-most in the majors with the Cardinals. Late-inning losses sucked the life out of the team.
“Last year, the last couple of years, actually, it’s been extremely frustrating with the amount of games that we have lost during ‘winning time’ — the seventh, eighth and ninth innings,” Freeland said. “We were walking guys, we were allowing teams to get back into ballgames, letting them claw back into games.”
That’s going to change, Freeland predicted.
“Having a bullpen that has the skillset, has the talent, has those high-velocity (arms) and has the mentality of, ‘We are going to come in and shut the door,’ makes a huge difference,” he said. “That changes a season. That takes those tough losses in the eighth and ninth innings and turns them into wins.”
Freeland said the bullpen is now armed, not with just 100 mph flamethrowers like Vodnik and Halvorsen, but with the right attitude.
“The message now to the young guys is being pounded into their brains. If your name is called in the seventh, eighth, or ninth, go in and shut the door. Do not let (opponents) have a thought in mind of crawling back into the game. If we have the lead, shut it down and let’s win a ballgame. Then let’s go do it the next night.”
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