Baltimore Orioles Chris Davis headlines 2018 performances that won't repeat

Baltimore Orioles Chris Davis headlines 2018 performances that won’t repeat

By Joey Brasch | Dec 28, 2018

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 28: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with the World Series trophy after his team's 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Five of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 2: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the National League Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Over-shooting the mountains

Kyle Freeland was a feel-good story for the 2018 Colorado Rockies. He was born in Denver and was even photographed as a baby in Rockies’ gear. In his rookie year in 2017, Freeland was fine, posting a 4.10 ERA in notoriously hitters friendly Coors Field. But in 2018, he brought it to a completely different level, tossing over 200 innings with a 2.85 ERA, the best mark for a qualified Rockies’ starter in their franchise history.

His magnum opus was in the NL Wild Card Game, where he pitched 6.2 scoreless innings on short rest. Freeland finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting, and he will undoubtedly be slotted in as the Opening Day starter for the 2019 Rockies.

However, there is some reason to believe that Freeland will not be the pitcher going forward that he was in 2018. One reason for concern about Freeland’s 2018 season is his 20.5 strikeout percentage, below the league average for starters of 22.3. His success was largely due to his ability to limit hard contact, which may be hard for Freeland to sustain in 2019 and beyond.

He very well may remain a good pitcher for the Rockies, but his true status as an ace may not be backed up by his future performance.

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