A Rockies pitcher is currently having the best spring in the MLB

The Cactus League has been friendly to the Colorado Rockies in recent years. This year, the club is 14-12 with a handful of games left to play after going 17-12 a season ago. What jumps off the page down in Phoenix isn’t the team’s accomplishments, but rather an individual accomplishment.

Antonio Senzatela has been dominating the Cactus League so far. Among qualified pitchers, he ranks first in ERA (0.54) and runs allowed (1) in 16.1 innings pitched. He’s started three games for Colorado and appeared in five.

The 30-year-old has been on the Rockies pitching staff since 2017 and has posted a career ERA of 4.90. However, he has struggled with injuries in recent seasons as a knee surgery cut his 2022 campaign short while Tommy John surgery cut into both his 2023 and 2024 seasons.

After his first normal offseason since 2021, Senzatela has shown that he’s ready to start a new chapter of his career. The right-hander’s best season came way back in 2017 when he threw 102 strikeouts, had a WAR of 2.1 and won two out of every three games he started. After that, he had an inconsistent mix of good and bad years until he tore his ACL in the back half of the 2022 season.

If Colorado can get similar production from Senzatela in the regular season, that would provide a much-needed boost to the weakest part of the roster. The team was dead-last in ERA a season ago, and will never win anything of importance if the pitching stays that way, no matter how many talented, young hitters are on the roster.

Senzatela is one of six starting pitchers currently on Colorado’s roster. If he keeps this pace up, expect him to climb up the rotation as he returns to his former self and possibly challenge Kyle Freeland for the top spot.

The Rockies have four games left in the Cactus League before heading to Tampa Bay on March 28 to start the season. The team will be at Coors Field for the first time on April 4 when the Athletics come to town.