German Marquez

A divisive player last draft season, Marquez's backers argued his huge second half in 2018 proved he could thrive anywhere, while his detractors pointed to the long list of pitchers before him who couldn't tame Coors Field. Though Marquez displayed stellar skills -- his 19.4 K-BB% and 12.7 SwSt% were both top 20 among qualified starters -- the skeptics ultimately got the last laugh. Marquez submitted a bloated 6.26 ERA (3.30 xFIP) and 1.55 WHIP in 13 starts at altitude, and his road numbers, while good, couldn't atone for the Coors-inflicted damage. For that reason, Marquez is best suited for leagues with daily lineup moves, but those rostering him in weekly formats should aim to fill out their staff with low ERA/WHIP arms. Despite the ratio risk he carries, Marquez offers high-end strikeout upside; he was tracking for a second straight 200-K season until he was shuttered in late August with an arm injury.

Marquez took a big leap in his second full season, finishing eighth in the major leagues in strikeouts. Something clicked around midseason. He posted a 2.41 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 137:20 K:BB in his final 16 starts spanning 108.1 innings, including a minuscule 1.90 ERA at Coors Field during that stretch. Both his breaking pitches -- his curveball and his slider -- had swinging-strike rates north of 20%, and Marquez had the fourth-best K-BB% among qualified starters in the second half (28.4%). The Coors Field effect is always risky on a start-to-start basis, but Marquez has two full seasons under his belt and will turn just 24 in February, so there's plenty of reason to expect growth and continued success.

Fun with small samples: in nearly the same number of innings, Marquez's home ERA was 4.59 compared to 4.19 away from Coors Field, which makes sense. However, a 1.26 home WHIP versus 1.49 away is curious until you see Marquez's road BABIP was a bloated .331. Skills-wise, Marquez fanned more and walked fewer at home, though he predictably surrendered more homers in Coors. The message isn't Marquez is a better pitcher at home, but rather if he can improve his performance on the road, which he should, he can be a useful starter. In his favor is a low walk rate (2.7 BB/9) and a groundball tilt (45.2 percent) to help combat the long ball. Colorado did an excellent job managing his innings, limiting the righty to 29 starts spanning 162 frames. Marquez should eclipse that total in 2018, but not by much as the Rockies look to protect their still just 23-year-old arm.

Marquez was more or less an add-on in the trade that brought Jake McGee to Colorado from Tampa Bay, but after one season in the Rockies' system, it seems like the 21-year-old was actually the true prize. The right-hander started off strong, holding a 2.85 ERA and a 126:33 K:BB ratio with Double-A Hartford, prompting a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque. He also performed well at that stop, leading the Rockies to send Marquez to the big leagues ahead of schedule. The top prospect had some rough outings with Colorado, but he also displayed the pitching prominence that led the Rockies to accelerate him through their farm system. His pitching style fits his future home park quite well (good control, few home runs allowed), and if he can continue to adjust to big league hitters, Marquez could break camp in the rotation and become one of its staples for years to come.