MLB Power Rankings: Which pitching rotation is the best in baseball?

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DENVER, CO – MAY 30: Starting pitcher Jon Gray #55 of the Colorado Rockies looks back at the scoreboard after bring removed from the game during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on May 30, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

23. Colorado Rockies

Aside from Jon Gray, the majority of the Colorado Rockies’ staff is comprised of relative unknowns.

Gray’s 5.68 ERA isn’t pretty, but he’s compiled some pretty solid numbers otherwise. His 10.5 K/9 rate is certainly nice, but his 2.6 BB/9 mark isn’t. He’s given up a home run in seven of his 12 starts, which could be cause for concern.

Where Gray has slacked, the rest of the staff his picked him up. Colorado starters aside from Gray have combined for a respectable 4.01 ERA.

The team appears have found a keeper in Kyle Freeland.

The No. 8 pick in the 2014 draft has crafted an excellent season thus far. Through 11 starts, he’s pitched to a rotation-best 3.43 ERA, and 1.203 WHIP. Don’t forget, he finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting a season ago.

Chad Bettis, the teams No. 4 option, has been a solid presence on the staff. The 29-year-old “veteran” of the team has put up a 3.68 ERA out of the four spot in the rotation.

After allowing 17 earned runs through his first five starts, he’s given up just 10 in his last six outings.

23-year-old German Marquez has quietly had a great season. His 4.21 ERA doesn’t tell the whole story, though. He allowed 18 earned runs in three starts, but allowed no more than two in the eleven other starts.

While the teams offense is one of the best in the game, its pitching is a definite factor as to why they sit atop the NL West standings.