It’s always a positive to see struggling teams having nice outbursts of talent, especially when your team is as stuck in the gutter as the Colorado Rockies are. But who is to blame? Besides playing in the most hitter-friendly park, at the highest elevation in any major league ballpark—a pitcher’s worst nightmare—there are incompetent front office decisions, a cheap ownership unable to sign top free agents, and the tough competition of being in the same division as the Dodgers and Padres.

The Rockies are a passionate organization that just wants to see their team succeed, but it becomes difficult when the players surrounding the star players are not playing to their full potential. It’s hard to play in Coors Field, and after failing to take proper advantage of trading stars like Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and DJ LeMahieu to provide the organization with key players for the future, it looks like this will be the 4th year of being in 5th place for the team.

It’s unfortunate, but at the end of the day, what matters more to an owner—knowing the future of your club is in good hands from the plentiful assets you’ve received from trading your star talent, or ticket sales and having a star player like Arenado to drive ticket sales by marketing him as the franchise icon? It’s a hard dispute, but I think the Monfort brothers didn’t take advantage of it as much as they should have.

Of the three players listed above, the Rockies ownership only managed to trade one of their superstars, with Nolan Arenado being sent to the Cardinals before the 2022 season began after he demanded to leave Colorado. To this day, the deal between the Rockies and Cardinals is considered a highway robbery in favor of the Cardinals, as they gave up no top 10 prospects in exchange for the superstar third baseman. The Rockies parted with their franchise star and $51 million for his contract, receiving five minor leaguers in return, none of whom have really panned out for the team.

The most notable addition to the team from the Arenado trade was LHP Austin Gomber, who joined the Rockies’ rotation after struggling to get consistent playing time in St. Louis. At Coors Field, with its high fly ball rate, Gomber faced the harsh realities of being a Rockies starting pitcher. Over his tenure with the club, he averaged a 5.19 ERA over four years, with a record of 24-27 and a near 5.00 ERA. It seemed Gomber would never rise above being a middle-of-the-pack pitcher, especially while pitching at Coors. Well this year was different and Gomber put that narrative to rest and his performance lately has been nothing short of amazing. It is really hard to pitch in Coors and that is not an understatement when your 5,280 feet above sea level everything flies out of the park. Gomber’s success has not just come out of no where he has always had proper command in the Cardinals minor leagues and finally became the highly touted prospect that the Rockies knew they were getting in the Arenado trade.

But just how successful has Austin Gomber been at Coors this season? For starters, Gomber is ranked 13th in baseball with a 2.0 fWAR (Fielding Wins Above Replacement). Despite his record standing at 1-2, many of his quality starts have been undermined by a shaky bullpen. However, he commands an impressive 2.76 ERA over 59 innings, giving him an ERA+ 62% above the league average. Gomber has found success this year by utilizing a different mix of pitches compared to previous seasons.

In 2024, Gomber has primarily relied on his four-seam fastball (90 mph) and changeup (81 mph), while also mixing in a curveball (76 mph) and slider (83 mph). His curveball and slider, crucial components of his arsenal, are particularly effective at Coors Field. These pitches benefit from the strong winds and high altitude, relying more on sweeping action than on creating fly balls, which can be problematic at Coors.

After a rough start against the Houston Astros, where he gave up 6 hits, 4 runs, and recorded only 2 strikeouts in 7 innings, Gomber significantly improved. In his next four starts, he delivered quality outings, allowing only one run in two of those games over 26.2 innings, with 19 strikeouts. His upcoming start against the Dodgers on Sunday will be a true test to see if he has indeed elevated his game to the next level. If Gomber can keep this quality streak going it would be the first time in over six years since the Rockies had a starting pitcher with an ERA below 3.00 and a performance 60% better than the league average in terms of Stuff+. The last time this happened was in 2018 when Kyle Freeland finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting with a 17-7 record and a 2.85 ERA.

It is a long time coming for the Colorado faithful to finally have a capable pitcher but whose to say Gomber is the only successful pitching story that comes out of Coors? Call in Cal. Cal Quantril only 29 and already been traded twice, first the Padres to the Guardians and recently traded to the Rockies at the start of the 2024 offseason. Cal Quantril was a DFA candidate after having a 4-7 record and 5.24 ERA, the Guardians called it quits and traded him to the pitchers nightmare. No one really acknowledged this trade when it first came out as people figured it would be another star pitcher turned flop in Coors and didn’t really predict the revelation of a career he would be serving in all places.

Though his stat line is not as attractive as Gomber’s he has still been very efficient. For the year Quantril has a 4-3 record, 3.53 ERA in 64 innings pitched making him 28% better than league average and coming from Coors that’s a wild improvement. Nonetheless he has been pitching better than what his perpihals may imply. Quantrill produced his fifth straight quality start, going 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA during that span. Prior to this hot streak, he was 0-3 with a 5.34 ERA to begin the year. Owning now a 3.53 ERA and a 49:23 K:BB through 63.2 innings he’s really taken to Coors and the environment of pitching as a Rookie. His home and away splits are not that different, commanding a 3.72 era at home and a 3.38 away from home. But in his past 5 quality starts with the first coming against the Pirates where he went 7.2 innings, only giving up 3 hits with zero runs and 9 strikeouts. Since that stellar wake up he has only allowed at most 2 earned runs in his starts against the Phillies, Athletics, Padres, Giants and Pirates.

A revelation from these two pitchers has provided an immense spark for the struggling Rockies, significantly boosting their starting rotation over the past month. With the help of Gomber and Quantrill, the Rockies’ starters have achieved a 3.77 ERA with 13 quality starts in 23 games, a 3.04 ERA with 11 quality starts in the last 16 games, six straight quality starts with a 2.34 ERA, and six quality starts with a 2.09 ERA in the last seven home games. The undeniable impact of this underrated duo has done wonders for the club. If only the Rockies had a better bullpen, their starters’ performances would have resulted in more wins.

This blog aims to give more recognition to stars who may not be as well-known or popular as other top pitchers like Corbin Burnes or Zac Gallen. Despite the Rockies being a horrible team overall, it’s always nice to acknowledge those who truly make the best of their abilities in a difficult situation. I’m glad Gomber has finally broken out and provided some value in the Arenado trade, which initially seemed to offer nothing of worth to the Rockies. Quantrill, a consistent workhorse, is proving he can be as efficient as the next guy, regardless of where he pitches. These boys have persevered, and it is an understatement how much their success means for Colorado, paving the way for a possible future playoff appearance. Underappreciated, undervalued, and understated, these pitchers have shown that nothing is impossible, even achieving quality starts in Coors Field.