Márquez went from wild 3B to All-Star pitcher

DENVER -- There was a time during his youth when Germán Márquez thought his career path would mirror that of his former Rockies teammate, third baseman Nolan Arenado.

As a youth in San Felix, Venezuela, Márquez preferred jersey No. 5, the scorebook code for the hot corner. And he loved hitting -- still does. However, he knew his greatest gift was his right arm. If only …

“When I was 9 or 10, I was throwing hard, but everywhere,” Márquez said, smiling.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: July 13 on FOX

But Márquez found his place on the mound, and signed with the Rays in 2011 for $200,000. The control he has meticulously built -- especially after being traded to the Rockies in January '16 -- has lifted him to such heights that he will represent the Rockies on the National League squad for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at his home park, Coors Field. He’ll take his place among the game’s best, happy he went his way and left third base to guys like Arenado, who will represent the Cardinals.

“I knew my talent from the beginning, even from the day I signed,” Márquez said. “I just knew I had to work.”

Márquez’s story includes the typical mechanical adjustments that, if they work, can take a raw prospect and have him cooking with an upper 90s fastball, biting slider and one of the game’s better curveballs. That learning continues to this day, with pitching coach Steve Foster timing his delivery for consistency -- a windup of 1.9-2.05 seconds is good -- and letting him know after the first inning if he is quick.

But Márquez’s real story is a testament to listening and believing, and staying grounded through good and tough times. To the Rockies -- a team that always seemed in his destiny -- Márquez is a fitting representative.

His arrival in 2017 helped crystalize a starting staff that fueled two straight postseason appearances. The Rockies are counting on Márquez’s continued presence (under a five-year, $43 million contract through '23 with a '24 team option) as the team tries to work back to winning ways.

“There wasn’t a given that he was going to be this good,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “His potential and what he’s done on the field are attributable to him.”

In San Felix, Márquez’s happiness at being on the field was evident. But would he find his true calling? Turned out he didn’t need much directing.

A Rockies scout in Venezuela still with the club, Carlos Gomez, saw a young Márquez and shared the information with another scout who had successfully signed prospects for the Dodgers and the Rockies, Francisco Cartaya. It was Cartaya who recommended the Rockies sign a Dominican prospect who would top many of the club’s pitching lists, Ubaldo Jiménez.

“[Gomez] saw me when I was 13 -- still throwing hard, but around,” Márquez said, laughing. “Then I went to Valencia [Venezuela] to a tryout with Cartaya. He told me, ‘You have to pitch. We can figure out your delivery and everything. You have to keep pitching.’

“I was fine with that.”

Logical as it seemed for the Rockies to sign him, they were reaching the end of their available signing bonus money in 2011. So Rays scout Mario Gonzalez, father of Red Sox multi-positional player Marwin Gonzalez, signed Márquez for $200,000. Days later, the Rockies did fine with their money, signing current righty rotation member Antonio Senzatela out of Valencia for $250,000.

The Rays gradually molded Márquez’s delivery, and he began to blossom in 2014, when he fanned 95 against 29 walks in 98 innings at Low-A Bowling Green. The next year at Charlotte in the High-A Florida State League, Márquez fanned 104 against 29 walks in 139 innings.

D-backs right-hander Jacob Faria, a prospect in the Rays system at the time, found Márquez curious because "he has like super small hands, so it's crazy he has such a good, big and hard curveball."

Faria also noted his quiet and strong nature.

"I was intimidated by the guy because he was 18 or 19 and throwing like 98 -- I was like, 'I'm never going to get to the big leagues with guys like this you have to fight against,'" Faria said. "But he's just the nicest guy, like the nicest human being I've ever played with. He's really soft spoken, but he's that guy that when he opens his mouth, everybody kind of shuts up and listens to what he has to say."

The Rockies, through pro scout Jack Gillis, were watching intently. When the Rays became interested in outfielder Corey Dickerson, Gillis strongly recommended the Rockies take Márquez, who ranked 25th on MLB Pipeline's list of the Rays' Top 30 prospects.

When Márquez joined the Rockies for Spring Training 2016, then-general manager Jeff Bridich, who had engineered his best trade, let Márquez know how closely the team was paying attention to what was happening in Florida.

“Every player was given a player plan,” Márquez said. “Bridich said, ‘Remember when you faced Carlos Beltrán when he was rehabbing in high-A with the Yankees?’ I struck him out with a curveball.

“Bridich told me, ‘You have to throw that curveball for the rest of your life.’”

Márquez embraced a multipronged approach to refining his delivery, with Foster and then-bullpen coach Darren Holmes (now with the Orioles) and then-Minor League pitching coach and current Rockies bullpen coach Darryl Scott. But it was the maturity Márquez was showing off the field that impressed the Rockies as much as his arm.

“I saw a nice guy -- a hardworking young guy, an eager learn, eager to teach -- you know, humble,” Foster said. “He was as hardworking as anybody, but focused. A lot of young guys try to gain focus but have trouble doing it.”

Agent Daniel Szew could have told the Rockies about humility and focus. Another client recommended he sign Márquez. Even though he needed representation, Márquez made it a family decision, with his parents involved.

“Imagine one of your boys from high school, just that he has this crazy good arm,” Szew said. “His humility is off the charts. When he made the 40-man roster, it was all the same. When he made the Major League roster, it was all the same. When he set that Rockies strikeout record [230 in 2018], it was always all the same.

“I gave him a big hug for making the All-Star team, then I said, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ He said, ‘Yeah, me neither.’”

There have been grounding moments along the way. Some have been wondrous, like when he left the club briefly in 2018 to join his wife, Dilvanny, for the birth of their son, Damian. There have been tough times, like the two years he spent working with Szew, Bridich and an immigration lawyer to get his wife and son into the country.

“I’ve always thought that there was an everyday consistency to him emotionally,” Black said. “I always thought that he was going to grow into something good. That’s part of his strength -- his consistency emotionally. Behind that, there’s a confidence.”

And while Márquez was a rookie in 2017, he dealt with unspeakable loss. His best friend, Yoennis Velíz, who was two years older and helped him with homework and the like, passed away unexpectedly. It’s why Márquez looks upward, tilts his head slightly to the side and points to the sky after big performances -- like the one-hitter against the Pirates at Coors Field on June 29 -- “to God and her, to give me that help.”

With his talent and the help of others in his life, Márquez may have reached one of his career goals with All-Star selection. But it’s not a final destination by any means.