Freeland leading Rockies with experience ... and strikes

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Left-hander Kyle Freeland remembers what winning was like with the Rockies, and wants to show a new crew the way back.

On Friday, Freeland demonstrated that the path back is lined with strikes -- 20 in 21 pitches in his two-inning start against the Mariners -- starting things on the hill in a 10-9 victory at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Freeland broke in with Rockies teams that made the postseason in 2017 and 2018. He started the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the 2018 National League Wild Card game -- the Rockies’ only postseason victory since 2009. The Rockies haven’t had a winning season since, much of that team is gone and the '24 Rockies are coming off a 59-103 record last year.

But not everything has disappeared.

“That feeling hasn’t left me; I still remember 2018 like it was yesterday,” Freeland said. “I hope other guys who were on that team remember it as well. And these young guys, that’s what they’re chasing. This is what we love.

“We had veterans and we had young guys who were all pulling the rope in the same direction. That’s what we need. That’s what we’re trying to install into this clubhouse, and so far it looks like everyone is pulling in the right direction.”

Now, Freeland leads a rotation that doesn’t have Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela, who are still around but are recovering from Tommy John surgery last offseason. With a spate of injuries sustained by prospects last year, a good part of the next wave of pitching is delayed.

But Freeland leads where he can. A third of the projected daily lineup (Sean Bouchard, Brenton Doyle and Nolan Jones) were rookies within the last three seasons. More are coming. Freeland’s catcher Friday was 21-year-old Drew Romo, the 35th overall pick in the 2020 Draft. Camp is populated with guys who populate various prospect lists.

So Freeland, who himself has largely struggled in the first two years of a five-year, $64.5 million deal, is trying to show winning ways. Friday was a good beginning. A fastball that dipped in velocity last year showed life, thanks to meticulous attention to shoulder care – something that may have slipped at one point. A changeup grip he discovered late last season showed up for ‘24.

“My main focus is going to be that changeup,” he said. “I am definitely going to throw it a lot this spring, get comfortable with it. We really liked the spin profile and movement, and I’m working on the slider to get depth back so it can play off my fastball. In getting that fastball velocity back up, today was a good day for it – it sat 92-94 [mph].”

Manager Bud Black said, “His stuff was crisp, really good arm action – he looked like the real Kyle Freeland.”

Freeland also paid particular attention to Romo, who has made strides in his second full Major League camp.

“He wants to learn, and that’s what we want to see out of our young prospects,” Freeland said. “It’s guys who are hungry and want to learn. They’re not afraid to come to a veteran guy and ask questions. What are their plans? What do they like to do? What are they seeing?”

Romo said, “It was funny because in the first inning, we were going to go with changeups, but his fastball ended up really effective and he got the first three hitters with only his fastball. It kind of threw the game plan off a little bit, with how good it was.”

Notes

• The Rockies claimed left-handed hitting outfielder Sam Hilliard from the Orioles to compete for a bench job. Non-roster invitee Bradley Zimmer fits the same profile and was already here. Zimmer continued a strong spring by going 2-for-3 with a homer off Joey Krehbiel, plus a stolen base.

Zimmer, a onetime top pick of Cleveland who is trying to return to the Majors after spending ‘24 in the Minors with the Red Sox and Dodgers, is 7-for-13, (.538) with the homer and three doubles this spring.

“I’ve just been really relaxed and having fun playing the game, so I’ll try to stay on track,” Zimmer said.

Ryan McMahon also parked his first spring homer.

• Hilliard, who was with the Rockies from 2019-22 before spending last year with the Braves, batted behind Zimmer and went 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in his first Rockies Cactus League game. Hilliard appeared in just 40 games with the Braves last year, so he spent much of his non-playing time with Atlanta-area hitting instructor and former pro player Tyler Krieger. He underwent lab analysis.

“It was kind of nice to attack it from a different angle,” Hilliard said. “The swing-and-miss has plagued me from time to time, so I was trying to get to the bottom, that root cause.”