Colorado Rockies sign Kyle Kendrick to one-year deal

Sep 13, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher

(38) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies have shored up the back end of their starting rotation as the team inked right-hander Kyle Kendrick to a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

As Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports added, the contract will be worth $5.5 million with $500K worth of incentives should the former Philadelphia Phillie reach 190 innings.

Kendrick, 30, spent the first eight seasons of his career in the city of Brotherly Love. After a spectacular rookie season in which he posted a 10-4 record with a 3.87 ERA in 20 starts, Kendrick failed to parlay that success in future seasons. Although he helped the 2008 Phillies to a World Series victory, Kendrick saw his regular season ERA swell up to 5.49.

Coming off a World Series winning season, the Phillies saw that Kendrick needed to work on his mechanics and thus sent him to the minor leagues for most of the 2009 season.  Returning the rotation in 2010, Kendrick once again didn’t see the results of rookie seasons past as he pitched to a 4.73 ERA while posted a record of 11-10. This season would be the beginning of a string of five straight seasons in which the Houston native would provide the Phillies with consistent production out of the rotation. Consistently average production.

From 2010-2014, Kendrick averaged 10 wins a season to go along with an average ERA of 4.23. With rotation fixtures such as Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and others steering the Phillies ship, Kendrick’s overall performance was passable for a 5th starter. Which is what Kendrick pitched like and has been for a majority of his career.

With that being said, Kendrick should provide the Rockies with a decent option to fill out their rotation. Although the team did acquire David Hale from the Atlanta Braves as a potential candidate for the rotation, Kendrick will likely be the better suited option. The Rockies do boast some good starting pitching talent in their minor league system. Therefore, Kendrick’s presence will allow to the team to not rush any of that talent before their time is right.

Another quality that Kendrick brings with him is his durability. Over the course of his eight-year career, he’s missed only 15 games due to injury. A very important component to a filler starting pitching option as soaking up innings is a part of the job description. However, with Coors Field being a predominant hitters park, it will be imperative for Kendrick to keep the ball on the ground using trademark sinker.

For his career, Kendrick owns a record of 74-68 with a 4.42 ERA in 1,138 2/3 innings.