Kyle Freeland had a historic season in 2018 while pitching for the Colorado Rockies. It was arguably the best season a pitcher has had for the franchise since Ubaldo Jiménez’s outstanding 2010 campaign.
A native of Denver, Colorado, Freeland has a tattoo of mountains on his left arm to honor his home state. He grew up as a Rockies fan and was drafted by the team out of Evansville University in 2014. This set the stage for the 2018 season, which will always be remembered as one of the greatest single-season pitching performances in Rockies history.
Kyle Freeland Gained Steam with Each Passing Month
Jiménez’s first-half performance in 2010 is unlikely to ever be matched by a Rockies pitcher. While Freeland can make a case when considering the entire season, he didn’t start as strongly as Jiménez. Jiménez had just come off a strong 2009 season, carrying significant momentum into his fifth year. In contrast, Freeland was starting his second year in the league. He had a solid rookie season, highlighted by a near no-hitter at Coors Field against the Chicago White Sox. However, in 2018, he needed to work hard to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
He struggled to pitch deep into ballgames to begin the season. He did not get out of the fifth inning in three of his first four starts, going 1-2. But in his fifth start of the season, he turned a corner and did not look back. Against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field, he threw seven dominant shutout innings, allowing only three hits and two BBs with eight Ks in an 8-0 win. That is all he needed to jumpstart his season, as he won four of his next six.
In May, he posted a 2.56 ERA with a 25:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 31 2/3 innings. His ERA in the following months was as follows: 3.03 in June, 2.54 in July, 2.15 in August, and 2.61 in September. Throughout 2018, the Rockies frequently battled the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West, and the ace at the top of their rotation played a significant role in that competition. He successfully confused opposing lineups by limiting hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground.
How Freeland Found a Formula to Succeed
In the high altitude of Colorado, a pitcher needs to limit baserunners as much as possible. Freeland utilized both his four-seam fastball and slider very effectively to do so. Per Statcast, his 36 pitching run value, 25 fastball run value, and 10 breaking run value all ranked near the top of the league. He limited opposing batters to a hard-hit rate of 29.2%, a 5% barrel rate, and only walked batters 8.3% of the time.
Per Fangraphs, Freeland ranked fourth and seventh in Major League Baseball, respectively, with an 82.8 LOB% and 0.76 HR/9. When baserunners did get on, he was stellar at limiting the damage.
Pitchers are going to give up their fair share of runs and hits at Coors Field. But the best Rockies pitchers don’t worry about their stats and just focus on keeping their team in the game. Freeland more than kept his team in ball games, going an unbelievable 10-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 86:31 K:BB ratio in 93 2/3 innings at Coors. For comparison, in his historic 2010 season, Jiménez had a 3.19 ERA in 101 2/3 innings.
Freeland Gets the Wild Card Start
Freeland had earned his trust under manager Bud Black when he was called upon to start the most important game of the season. In the NL Wild Card game, he was starting against Jon Lester of the Chicago Cubs. Freeland was one of the hottest pitchers in baseball in September. He went 5-0 with a 2.61 ERA in 38 innings, improving his team-leading record to 17-7. He had been the Rockies ace all season and it was his time to shine.
It was a frigid night in Chicago, and it was more than likely going to be a low-scoring affair. Freeland was in his sophomore season in his first career postseason start. Facing a Cubs team loaded with experience from their 2016 World Series. But he went stride for stride with Lester, keeping his team in the ball game. Freeland threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, limiting the Cubs to four hits and one walk. He struck out six Cubs and forced them into eight ground balls.
He met the moment and gave his team a chance to win on the biggest stage. Although he did not get the win, the bullpen picked him up the rest of the way, and the Rockies scratched across a run in the 13th to win their first postseason game in nine years, 2-1. They likely would not have won without Freeland’s stellar start, and it was the perfect way to follow up his historic regular season.
Cementing Himself in Franchise History
In one of the greatest single-season pitching performances in Rockies history, Freeland established himself as the leader of the Rockies’ rotation. He finished fourth in the National League Cy Young race, and his 7.7 WAR for the season is the highest recorded by a starting pitcher in Rockies history. Freeland excelled at Coors Field, dominating performances that ultimately helped break an extended postseason drought for the team in only his second season. However, similar to Jiménez, Freeland has struggled to replicate that level of performance since 2018.
In the six seasons since his masterful 2018, he has not had an ERA below 4.33. 2019 was the low point of his career, as he went 3-11 with a 6.73 ERA and was sent down to Triple-A at one point. But he has been a middle-of-the-rotation starter for Colorado since while showing flashes of his 2018 self.
After an awful beginning to 2024, he rebounded nicely for the rest of the season. Giving Rockies fans a slight hope that he again could become the ace atop their rotation. But even if Freeland does not, he, like Jiménez, will always hold a special place in Rockies history. It is very hard to pitch in Colorado. Jiménez and Freeland proved it can be done at the highest level.
Main Photo: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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