Breaking Down the Colorado Rockies' 2024 Starting Rotation Ahead of Opening Day

Cal Quantrill and Dakota Hudson provide veteran reinforcements to a Colorado Rockies rotation that is biding its time until Germán Márquez rejoins Kyle Freeland at the top of the group.

Apr 17, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) faces the Pittsburgh Pirates. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 MLB regular season is about to begin, and that means it's time for every club to lock down its top five starting pitchers.

The Colorado Rockies haven't had a high-end starting rotation in a long time, and they aren't expected to this season either. Still, even with Germán Márquez out for the next few months, the front office still made an effort to surround the familiar faces with some solid veterans.

Here is a quick preview of how Colorado's starting pitching will look in 2024:

1. Kyle Freeland, LHP
2023 Stats: 6-14, 5.03 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, 1.2 WAR
2024 Projections: 7-13, 5.80 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 1.0 WAR

Freeland is serving as the Rockies' Opening Day starter for the third time in six years – the other three starts have gone to Márquez – so fans know what they're going to get out of the now-30-year-old lefty. 2023 was the second-worst season of Freeland's career, though, so he'll have to prove he can turn things around and become a steady presence at Coors Field once again.

2. Cal Quantrill, RHP
2023 Stats: 4-7, 5.24 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 5.2 K/9, 0.7 WAR (CLE)
2024 Projections: 6-13, 5.96 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 5.7 K/9, 0.8 WAR

Between 2020 and 2022, Quantrill was 23-8 with a 3.11 ERA, 1.189 WHIP and 5.7 WAR as a member of the Cleveland Guardians. Quantrill's numbers dropped off a cliff in 2023, which is why the Rockies were able to pick him up on the cheap via trade and give him a shot at redemption in 2024.

3. Austin Gomber, LHP
2023 Stats: 9-9, 5.50 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 0.9 WAR
2024 Projections: 7-12, 5.69 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 1.0 WAR

Gomber is entering his fourth season in Colorado, and while his win-loss record has been decent, his ERA and WHIP have both been on the incline throughout his tenure. He has struggled mightily to strike out batters in back-to-back years, which isn't exactly a recipe for success given the park the Rockies play half their games in.

4. Ryan Feltner, RHP
2023 Stats: 2-4, 5.82 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 0.9 WAR
2024 Projections: 6-9, 5.43 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.2 WAR

A skull fracture and concussion limited Feltner to just 10 starts in 2023, with half of them being impressive and the other half being borderline disastrous. If he can even things out, Feltner should be a half decent option for manager Bud Black.

5. Dakota Hudson, RHP
2023 Stats: 6-3, 4.98 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 0.3 WAR (STL)
2024 Projections: 6-10, 5.79 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 0.6 WAR

Coming off six mostly solid seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Hudson is finally bound for a change of scenery. He has struggled ever since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, however, boasting a 3.17 ERA before the procedure and a 4.55 ERA ever since.

Germán Márquez, a former All-Star and Rockies mainstay, is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and is unlikely to pitch until late in the season. Antonio Senzatela underwent Tommy John surgery of his own last summer and isn't expected to return until 2025.

All 2024 projections are compiled using FanGraphs' Steamer model.

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