Gilbreath had right mindset for swift ascension

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Lefty Lucas Gilbreath took the express route to the Rockies’ bullpen.

A High-A starter in 2019, Gilbreath had some good fortune during the 2020 pandemic. There was no Minor League season, but Gilbreath, a Colorado native who went to Legacy High in Broomfield, was able to work with Frank Gonzales, now the pitching coach at Triple-A Albuquerque. The accelerated program helped Gilbreath debut in the Rockies' bullpen last year.

But fast isn’t easy. Last year, Gilbreath had six stints on the Major League roster, even though he appeared in just two Triple-A games. He began this year on the COVID-19 injured list, and needed a five-game Triple-A refresher after being declared healthy.

But the crash course has led to opportunity. Gilbreath has thrown scoreless ball in 16 of his last 19 appearances, has carried a 2.04 ERA over that period, and has not given up an earned run in his previous 11 games.

Gilbreath, 26, is an example of the good that happens when a player doesn’t despair upon being sent down.

“Fortunately, I had some guys here -- Tyler Kinley, Carlos Estévez and even Daniel Bard -- that helped me through it, talked me through the grind of going up and down,” Gilbreath said. “They told me, ‘Be present, wherever you are. If you are in Triple-A, you’re in Triple-A. Pitch your butt off that day. If the next day you’re in the big leagues, you’re in the big leagues.’

“I see it as an opportunity to develop and continue to pitch. At the end of the day, you’re still playing baseball -- and that’s a pretty good job.”

During this year’s stint in Albuquerque, Gonzales reminded Gilbreath to simply trust the attributes that convinced the Rockies to move him quickly. A pitcher can lose confidence in the Pacific Coast League, which has notoriously hitter-friendly parks and just strange games. Gilbreath’s April 29 game at Albuquerque featured a string of ground balls that led to six hits and five runs in two-thirds of an inning, even though by all accounts he pitched well.

“Going down there and having a guy like Frank, who knows me pretty well, get me into my rhythm where he knows I can be good, was awesome,” said Gilbreath, who said he has learned to manage his excitement on the mound. “Then I was able to take that out on the mound.”

Gilbreath is setting an example several Rockies are following. Righty Jake Bird, who wasn’t on the big league roster to start the season, is contributing in the Majors. Justin Lawrence and Chad Smith have been up and are now down, and Jordan Sheffield, who spent last year in the Majors, but hasn’t appeared at the top level this year, also is at Albuquerque.

“Lucas was fast-tracked here because we saw the talent and we thought that he could handle the jump, mentally,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Everybody watches each other. Some of the younger guys that come through here, whether it’s Bird, Lawrence, Chad Smith, should recognize what makes other guys successful, and what makes them successful, and do it between the lines.”