Colorado Rockies: Kyle Freeland to pitch in the World Baseball Classic

Major League Baseball announced on Friday that Colorado Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland will pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer’s joining the team was also announced on Friday.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is part of an ever-growing impressive Team USA for the World Baseball Classic

With the move, Freeland joins an eye-poppingly good Team USA roster:

• Catchers: J.T. Realmuto, Will Smith
• First Base: Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt
• Second Base: Trevor Story
• Shortstop: Tim Anderson
• Third Base: Nolan Arenado, Bobby Witt Jr.
• Outfield: Mookie Betts, Cedric Mullins, Mike Trout (named as team captain), Kyle Tucker
• Starting Pitchers: Nestor Cortes, Kyle Freeland, Merrill Kelly, Brady Singer, Adam Wainwright, Logan Webb
• Relief Pitchers: David Bednar, Ryan Pressly, Dillon Tate, Devin Williams

The Rockies homegrown lefty had an uneven 2022 that saw him finishing strong. He pitched 174.1 innings, earning a 4.53 ERA with nine wins. In addition, he had a 6.9% walk rate, the lowest in his career, and an HR/FB of 0.98%, his best since 2018.

This year, Freeland, 29, was in perhaps his best form since 2018, the year he was a Cy Young finalist, finishing fourth in the NL balloting.

Freeland has a five-pitch mix, mostly relying on a fastball (23%) that averages 90 mph along with a slider (22.5%), sinker (22.1%), curve (19.2%), and changeup (13.9%). (See the Baseball Savant details here.)

“He is a veteran pitcher,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of Freeland. “His stuff plays.” With the WBC, he’ll be playing on a much bigger stage than his home park of Coors Field.

With Freeland joining Team USA, the decision will also bring him back together with former Rockies teammates Nolan Arenado (now with the St. Louis Cardinals) and Trevor Story (now with the Boston Red Sox).

For Rockies fans, the WBC just got even better.

The World Baseball Classic begins on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.