In 2018, Kyle Freeland dazzled Rockies fans. Five years later, they’re still waiting for a worthy sequel.

The Denver native, who’s a much different pitcher now, is confident he can deliver.

“I definitely believe I can,” the left-hander said. “I’ve been saying this for the past few years. It’s going to come down to how consistent I can be over the course of 30-33 starts. It’ll come down to going deep into ballgames and keeping runners off base. It’ll be about letting my teammates know, early and often, that my confidence is high, and that when I’m on the mound they are going to feel that confidence.”

Freeland’s goal is as steep and lofty as the Colorado mountains he loves. The Rockies signed him to a five-year, $64.5 million contract last year, so they desperately need him to meet expectations to surprise in the National League West.

In 2018, at age 25 and in his second big-league season, Freeland finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting after going 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA. His ERA was the lowest in a full season by a starter in franchise history.  And he was a workhorse. His 202 2/3 innings pitched ranked fifth in the NL.

But 2019 was a disaster — 3-11 record, 6.73 ERA, and a late-May demotion to Triple-A — as opposing hitters counterpunched and Freeland failed to find an answer. That humbling experience forced Freeland, always a technician and never a flamethrower, to retool.

Consider these numbers from FanGraphs:

— In 2018, Freeland threw his fastball 52.4% of the time at an average of 91.6 mph. He also threw a cutter (29.3%, 85.8 mph), a changeup (13.8%, 85.6 mph) and a slider (4.5%, 81.2 mph).

— Last season, when Freeland went 9-11 with a 4.53 ERA in 31 starts, he threw a fastball 45.4% of the time averaging 90.0 mph, followed by a harder slider (22.6%, 85.5 mph), a curveball (18.2%, 81.0 mph) and a changeup (13.8%, 84.8). The cut fastball is no longer a major part of his repertoire.

Freeland has been working hard to master his slider, trying to give it a sharper break rather than the cutter shape it follows when he doesn’t throw the pitch well. Like many of his pitching mates, Freeland is constantly tweaking his changeup, trying to get his arm action right to where hitters think Freeland is throwing a fastball only to be fooled by the off-speed pitch.

But the left-hander believes his curveball can be a difference-maker going forward.

“That’s a pitch I completely redid in 2020,” Freeland said. “I moved to a spiked-curveball grip and it was one of those pitches I was able to harness very quickly. I know how to throw it for a strike, and I know how to throw it for a swing and miss. And I can throw it to set the hitter up from something else…It’s become my go-to pitch.”

Manager Bud Black, always the optimist, believes the Rockies’ rotation is poised to rebound from last season’s debacle when starters combined to go 39-66 with a 5.22 ERA — the second-worst in the majors, ahead of only Washington (5.97).

“I thought the starting pitchers would be a strength of our team,” Black said. “We fell short of our standards. I think all those guys are ready to set the record straight about our rotation. And I think those guys are all in a better place mentally and confidently and with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder to perform like they are very capable of.”

Black has a certain kinship with Freeland. When Freeland expresses confidence, Black believes him.

“I absolutely, 100% think that Kyle can be just as effective, performance-wise, this year as he was in his big year of 2018,” Black said. “Even last year, if you look hard at the numbers, they’re not drastically off from what he did in 2018.”

In 2018, Freeland posted a 1.245 WHIP, walked 3.1 batters per nine innings, struck out 7.7, and served up 0.8 home runs. In 2022, the lefty had a 1.408 WHIP, struck out 6.8, walked 2.7, and gave up 1.0 homers.

At 29, Freeland remains a work in progress. He’s lost a couple of ticks off his fastball, so pitch location and guile are more important than ever.

“Kyle has made multiple adjustments in his repertoire over the last couple of years,” Black said. “I think we’re beginning to see the benefits of those adjustments in his repertoire, his mechanics, and how he gets his outs….As long as Kyle makes his starts I truly believe he will be one of the big reasons why we will be successful.”

Freeland said he’s had “an excellent offseason,” and he’s ahead of schedule so he’ll be ready to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which begins March 11.

“My arm feels really good and I’ve gotten quite a few bullpens in already, to where it’s getting to the point where I’m ready to start facing some hitters because bullpens are getting kind of boring,” he said.

It remains to be seen if Freeland can ever become one of the National League’s best pitchers again, but there’s no question he’s committed to the endeavor.

“I’m learning how to be more creative and constantly forcing myself to learn more about this game,” he said. “I’ll always be refining my stuff and my mechanics and I’ll never become complacent with what I do.

“I had to learn the hard way, as we know, but I’m also glad I did learn it and it created the pitcher I am today.”

Projected Rockies Rotation

Starting pitching was one of Colorado’s biggest disappointments a year ago. Starters combined to go 39-66 with a 5.22 ERA (second-worst in the majors), with 294 walks (ninth-most) and 655 strikeouts (fifth fewest).Here’s how the rotation stacks up:

• LHP Kyle Freeland (9-11, 4.53 ERA): He was Colorado’s best starter last year and pitched well over his last nine outings, posting a 3.78 ERA. He’s working to get more depth on his slider and make his changeup more difficult for hitters to read.

• RHP German Marquez (9-13, 4.95): The 2021 All-Star was bad last season, there’s no way around it. At Coors Field, he was 2-6 with a 6.70 ERA and opponents hit .317. His velocity remains high (95.7 mph), but he needs better fastball command and must find a way to limit the damage with runners on base.

• RHP Jose Urena (3-8, 5.14): Urena became a free agent but quickly rejoined the Rockies by signing a one-year contract with a $3.5 million guarantee and club option for 2024. He made 17 starts for Colorado last season. Inconsistency was Urena’s major problem, as witnessed by 38 walks vs. 60 strikeouts.

• RHP Ryan Feltner (4-9, 5.83): The Ohio State product got burned in his baptism by fire. Through his first 21 career starts he’s 4-10 with a 6.37 ERA. The Rockies’ lack of depth — a problem exacerbated by injuries — forced Feltner to make the leap sooner than the club intended.

• LHP Austin Gomber: A key part of the Nolan Arenado trade with St. Louis in 2021, Gomber found himself in no man’s land last season. He was both a starter and a reliever, bouncing to the bullpen when the Rockies needed a southpaw reliever.  For Gomber to be effective he’s got to be effective with his plus-curveball and his changeup. That’s because Gomber’s 91 mph fastball, a pitch he threw 40% of the time last season, got hammered at a .376 clip.

• RHP Antonio Senzatela (3-7, 5.07): Senzatela, who suffered a torn ACL last August and underwent knee surgery, remains on track to join the rotation at some point in May. When Senzatela is pitching well, he gets a lot of groundball outs and limits walks. He doesn’t strike out many batters so he can’t afford to allow men to get on base. He’s 1-12 in 21 road starts over the past two seasons.

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