Colorado Rockies News: Senzatela is thriving in the bullpen

If you had asked me a month ago how Antonio Senzatela’s 2026 would end up I would have said he had a good chance of being designated for assignment by midseason. He was arguably the worst performing pitcher in the entire league last year and would almost certainly have been released if it hadn’t been for the lack of alternatives on the roster.

Cut to today, however, and he has started the season looking great in his new role as long reliever. In 7.1 innings over three appearances, Senzatela has yet to allow a run. It goes without saying that there is not enough data to take any results seriously in terms of predictive value, but what we can start looking into is whether there are any process measurables that have shifted.

For his entire career Senzatela’s four-seam fastball averaged just under 95 mph. After being moved to the bullpen late last season, he started regularly hitting 97 with the heater. That has continued into this year and he’s now averaging 97.3 with the four seamer. His changeup velocity has risen in kind; where it used to sit around 87-88 mph, so far this season it has jumped up to 90.6 mph.

While the velocity bump can largely be attributed to the shift to the bullpen, what is more interesting is that his extension has also increased this year. Essentially, the point at which he is letting go of the ball is noticeably closer to the plate than it has been at any prior point in his career.

Pairing increased velocity with less distance for the ball to travel simply means that this version of Senzatela is giving batters less time to react to his pitches.

In 2025, 56.9% of all the pitches Senzatela threw were four seam fastballs. He did that despite that pitch having the second lowest overall run value in the league at -21 according to Baseball Savant. His fastball has gotten measurably better (see above) and he’s using it less often.

Additionally, it looks like he has largely phased out his slider, only using it 10% of the time against righties this season, which had been his second-most used pitch every previous season of his career.

In their place, he is working in more sinkers and cutters. He had thrown both pitches previously, but very infrequently as you can see in the chart below. So far in 2026, they have both become part of his regular arsenal.

Against righties, he now has six different pitches being used at least 10% of the time up from only three in 2025. His arsenal against lefties is not quite so deep (he’s barely using the slider or changeup against them) but, overall, this is an enormously deepened pitch mix. Opposing batters now have more to think about than just the four seamer.

A smaller thing that has changed a bit may be his approach to begin plate appearances. His first pitch strike % has spiked from 61% in 2025 all the way up to 76% so far this season. Only 6.5% of that 15% increase is accounted for by swinging strikes, so he does appear to actively be attacking hitters more with his first pitch.

For comparison, his overall zone% (51.6%) is higher than it was last year (50.3%) overall, but not noticeably so. This makes it seem more likely that the marked increase in first pitch strikes is indicative of a purposeful approach change than it is an improved command tool. The sample size on this is, obviously, miniscule and should be monitored moving forward.

Some of these changes (the velocity boost) started with his transition to the bullpen last season so I think it’s probably best to let him stick in his current role even if injuries open another spot in the rotation. As I’ve said multiple times throughout this piece, we need more data before any of this actually means anything. My main takeaway is just this:

It’s great to see Senzatela pitching well after a very rough few years, let’s all just enjoy it.

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 13, El Paso Chihuahuas 5

The Isotopes offense keeps on rolling. It’s bound to be a good day with seventeen hits spread throughout everyone in the lineup but five errors from the Chihuahuas mean that six of the resulting thirteen runs were unearned. That being said, homers from Charlie Condon and Andrew Knizner paired with two doubles from Cole Carrigg meant that it was a blowout from start to finish. On the pitching side, Tanner Gordon held the Chihuahuas to four runs over five and a third innings before Carson Palmquist and Ryan Miller didn’t let them to even feign a comeback.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 1, Reading Fightin’ Phils 8

The Yard Goats did not fare nearly as well as the Isotopes on Wednesday. The offense failed to get much of anything going with the only notable performers being Bryant Betancourt with his two doubles, and Cole Messina’s double and stolen base. Things were not much better on the pitching side as Griffin Herring was limited to three innings after allowing four runs before being relieved by Connor Staine who then allowed another three runs on five walks over two and a third innings.

High-A: Spokane Indians 1, Hillsboro Hops 4

The lineup for Spokane struggled to the tune of fourteen strikeouts. The only successful hitter for the High-A club on Wednesday was centerfielder Jacob Humphrey who reached base three times, once via a triple, and stole two bases. On the mound, Brody Brecht did not manage to make it through three innings. He gave up three runs in the first and then was out of the game in the third after 49 pitches.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 12, Stockton Ports 8

While the Grizzlies pitching staff did not have a great night, the lineup was on fire. Twelve hits and twelve walks made for twelve runs. The majority of that took place in an eight run second inning which saw twelve Grizzlies come up to bat. Everyone in the lineup was on base at least once but Roldy Brito (three for five with a triple) and Zach Rogacki (two for three with a home run) were the real standouts.

Box Score Banter: Does Coaching Matter? | Baseball Prospectus ($)

Connor Farrell has also taken note of the Rockies early season pitching results. This piece discusses the new pitching regime in Colorado and highlights Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela’s performances in Wednesday’s 5-1 win against the Astros. It is just putting a spotlight, for a national audience, on the same things that folks in the teams orbit have already noticed, but it is nice to see all the same.

Strike 1: Rockies pitchers have a workplace dilemma | Mile High Sports

Mark Knudson has an alternative take on the Rockies system of suggesting pitches from the dugout. His main sticking point is that a “suggestion” from your boss presents a difficult dilemma to navigate if you disagree with it. We haven’t seen anything publicly suggesting that the Rockies pitchers are not bought into the program but we can’t know for sure whether that’s because of the exact power dynamics Knudson is worried about.

MLB Power Rankings: Who’s your team’s early difference-maker? | The Athletic ($)

The Athletic’s weekly power rankings have the Rockies down at 30th despite there surprisingly respectable start to the season. This should act as a reminder that, while things are looking up, there is still a long way to climb before folks around the league will buy into the idea that the Rockies are genuinely on the way up. It took years for their reputation to sink as low as it did (rightfully so) and it will take a lot for people to give them the benefit of the doubt again.

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