Jorge de la Rosa , * , COL , 29 , 2 , SP , SP , 118 , 161 , Fastball Life 4, Poise 2, Dr. K, Recovery,
Jorge de la Rosa , L , 34 , 96 , 4SFB , x , 52% , .5
Jorge de la Rosa , L , 34 , 96 , SPLT , 5 , 37% , .5
Jorge de la Rosa , L , 34 , 96 , CB , 2 , 6% , .5
Jorge de la Rosa , L , 34 , 96 , V-SLD , 2 , 5% , .5

X , 3 , Jorge De La Rosa , De La Rosa , Jorge , * , COL , P , P , 31 , 114 , 152 , , risp4 , vsl4 , , , fblife2 , , , rec4 , , , , , , , Dr. K , , , , , , , , , , 34 , 96 , 4SFB , , SPLT , 5 , CB , 2 , V-SLD , 2 , , , ,

De La Rosa slings the ball from a 3/4s arm slot, and delivers a 91-96 mph fastball that has some cutting action. He also throws a slider and curve, which has been the biggest change/maybe why he's had more success with the Rockies. He is now throwing his slider more (16% from 6%) and his curve less (4% from 12%). He also started throwing his change-up more (27% last year), and it has good fade from right-handed hitters. His slider and his change are his two best pitches; his fastball has been hit hard the past 4 years. He uses his slider the most with two strikes. His biggest problem is his control, and his BB/9 rate is consistently around 4.

Jorge de la Rosa is 33 years old, and a free agent at the end of the year. And despite what the Rockies owner thinks, Jorge de la Rosa has not “pitched great” this year. He has a 113 ERA-, a 112 FIP-, and a 116- xFIP-, making him a below average pitcher by any way you choose to evaluate his performance. His park-adjusted ERA is the same as Jake Peavy‘s, who the Red Sox are openly trying to give away. His park-adjusted FIP is the same as Kevin Correia‘s, who was a scrap-heap free agent signing a couple of years ago. His park-adjusted xFIP is the same as Marco Estrada‘s, and he’s about to get thrown out of the Brewers’ rotation.

De la Rosa has pitched well in the past, but even his decently strong 2013 season came with indicators that it wouldn’t continue. Last year, de la Rosa posted an ERA- of 81 and a FIP- of 87, but his xFIP- was 108, as he basically built his entire success around not giving up home runs. For a pitcher in Colorado, that’s a flimsy foundation at best, and not surprisingly, de la Rosa’s home run rate has regressed this year.

There was a time when de la Rosa was actually a good pitcher. From 2008 to 2010, de la Rosa threw 435 innings with an 88 FIP-/90 xFIP-, as he combined a 23% strikeout rate with a 47% groundball rate. But then he blew out his elbow, and he missed most of the 2011 and 2012 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. You can see what has happened to his strikeout rate since the injury.

He still gets his fair share of groundballs, but he’s gone from an above average strikeout pitcher to a below average strikeout pitcher, and he still doesn’t throw enough strikes. That’s not great, especially for an aging pitcher whose stuff is only likely to continue to decline going forward. And his platoon splits suggest that he’s probably best off in relief, where he could dominate left-handers and not get exposed against right-handers.

Currently, de la Rosa could best be described as a below average starting pitcher. He’s never thrown 200 innings in a season — he’s only thrown as many as 150 innings twice, in fact — so you can’t even make the innings-eater argument, or suggest that he’s helping to provide necessary rest for an overworked bullpen. He doesn’t pitch a large quantity of innings, nor does he perform all that well when he is on the mound.

De La Rosa could be a decent pitcher but a pitcher ruined by Coors/the Rockies. He throws a quality fastball that hits 95MPH, that doesn’t get a ton of whiffs, but generates grounders. He throws a above average slider by whiffs and an above average splitter. He also stopped throw his curve after a a few bad seasons, despite also being an above average pitch by whiffs.

So we are looking at a lefty with a few above average pitches and bad numbers. I think

where's the cut 3 come from? and no curveball? i do see a rare cutter on Fangraphs, but it grew out later...the CB on the other hand has always been there, right?

thanks for the reports Phillies134 - I read the middle two from Dave Cameron this morning, good writeup.

yeah since the cutter is barely a season old, im not gonna add it to him, most likely...maybe as a Sittch bonus pitch or something, if i need it. I'll go with a mediocre curve...its got a lot of movement, and generates whiffs, but 1-2 should be fine.

If I can't get poise 2, then I'll try for fastball life 2? Since it gets hit around so much.