While starting pitching will always be the greatest hurdle for the Colorado Rockies, they have had no shortage of excellent relievers in their history. In 2023, the bullpen kept the Rockies afloat many times when the starters waivered early and injuries ravaged the rotation. Jake Bird, Justin Lawrence and Brent Suter were just some of the workhorses that ate a lot of innings and gave the Rockies some options, but the burden of the extended workload caused them all to falter a bit down the stretch. The bullpen is an important aspect of today’s game and the Rockies may have another breakout star waiting in the wings for the 2024 season. Jaden Hill could be something special.

Drafted in the second round from LSU in 2021, the Rockies were taking a chance on an arm that they saw potential in. Hill had Tommy John surgery before the Draft and wouldn’t make his professional debut until July 12, 2022. His workload was understandably limited as they eased him back into action and tried to decide if he was destined to be a starting pitcher or make the transition to the bullpen. In 17 2/3 innings of action over 10 games in 2022, Hill posted a 3.06 ERA between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Fresno.

2023 was a challenge for Hill as injuries in his back and shoulder caused plenty of inconsistencies as a starter. Spending the entire season with the High-A Spokane Indians, Hill went 0-9 with a 9.48 ERA over 43 2/3 innings in 16 starts. He gave up 11 home runs while opponents batted .295 against him. His 1.81 WHIP showed that the inconsistencies came from an inability to find the zone regularly, putting him in difficult counts and situations to pitch.

Still, the Rockies held on to the belief that the kid could be something special. They decided to send him to the Arizona Fall League after the 2023 season with the plan to transition him to the bullpen. In 11 games in the AFL, including five of which he finished, Hill allowed four earned runs on six hits. He began to look the part of an elite backend power arm that could easily close out games when things were on the line.

Hill’s putting that potential to the test in Spring Training with the Rockies. He has pitched just four innings this spring, allowing one run on one hit, but it’s his arsenal that has caused the Rockies to keep him around in big league camp through the first two rounds of roster cuts.

A power arm is a valuable weapon for Hill. His fastball flirts with triple digits while sitting in the upper-90s. There has also proven to be more run on the pitch while in the AFL which has carried over into Spring Training. Throw in a tumbling mid-80s changeup and an above-average biting slider and you’ve got the makings of an elite reliever. 

Jaden Hill's 2Ks. 🐅 pic.twitter.com/RtticpLhHi

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2024

What can make Hill so effective as a reliever is that it allows him to maximize his abilities in a single inning, with the intent of sidestepping inconsistency from inning to inning. He can be a strikeout machine. Already in Spring Training, he has six strikeouts in four innings. In the AFL he had 13 strikeouts. During the regular season, he had 57 strikeouts. Despite his limited amount of innings dating back to college, he’s roughly averaged 10.7 SO/9 since 2019.

His command may never be elite, but he will continue to work on finding more consistency in his mechanics. The changes he has already made have allowed him to sync his upper and lower half, helping him recover between outings more effectively. Staying healthy will be of the utmost importance for Hill, especially as he strives to become a weapon in the back of a bullpen.

An ability to miss bats is key for a reliever like Hill. The high octane by which he pitches has allowed him to limit opposing batters to a .077 AVG in Spring Training. His transition to the bullpen is something that seems to be on the right track and the Rockies hope that it will put him on the fast lane to the big league club.

Entering the 2024 season, Hill is ranked as the No. 28 prospect in the Rockies organization per MLB Pipeline, and while he likely won’t crack the Opening Day roster, it’s not out of the question that he will make his debut sooner rather than later this season. He could likely start the year in Double-A to continue to develop as a reliever with routines and workload before quickly moving up the ladder. A target month of June could be a plausible time in the season when Hill gets the call. It could come sooner depending on how the first two months play out with performance and injuries.

It can be difficult to get excited about pitchers for the Rockies, but there is more arm talent than the broader baseball world realizes. Pitchers like Hill are examples of the electric type of pitchers the Rockies are looking for where the altitude isn’t going to have the drastic effects on him as they might others. The longer Hill stays in the big league camp, the more anticipated his role with the team will be. He’s going to be a fun one to keep an eye on this season.