Christian Bergman

After a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, the Rockies decided to move Bergman to the bullpen and use him as a spot-starter as needed. He improved upon his 2014 numbers with the Rockies, although his 4.74 ERA and 1.42 WHIP were still nothing to get excited about. The right-hander showed good control (1.98 BB/9), but had trouble striking batters out, as he only managed a 4.9 K/9. With plenty of higher-upside pitchers competing for rotation spots, it appears Bergman will remain in the bullpen for Colorado, making occasional spot starts when necessary. He should see a fair number of innings, but needs to improve his ERA and WHIP in order to be relevant in most fantasy formats, and that seems unlikely given his home park and inability to miss bats.

Bergman was promoted from Triple-A to the big leagues in early June following a rash of injuries to the Rockies' rotation, and didn’t do much to warrant excitement about his future. The 26-year-old adhered to the organizational ethos of pounding the strike zone (1.7 BB/9 rate), but his lack of dominating stuff made him far too hittable. Opponents posted a .902 OPS against Bergman, saddling him with a 5.93 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 54.2 innings. Unless he shows an ability to generate more groundballs in concert with his pitch-to-contact approach, the right-hander is probably a long shot to earn a starting job with the Rockies out of spring training, though the organization may have other plans entirely for him. Bergman was given a trial in the bullpen during the Arizona Fall League and seemed to take well to the role, striking out nearly a batter per inning while effectively limiting hard contact. At this point, a relief gig might be the easier route for Bergman to earn a more permanent stay with the Rockies.