Southpaw Mark Manfredi arrived in Colorado alongside infielder Juan Martinez in the deal that sent Antonio Senzatela to the Milwaukee Brewers . Since earning his first major league promotion, Manfredi has posted a 1.59 ERA with 13 strikeouts across 11.3 innings, while his 2.39 FIP provides further encouragement that this is not a case of him getting lucky. The sample size is small, but the results have been impressive in his limited opportunities.
Mark Manfredi pitches in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As of now, Manfredi has relied almost exclusively on his fastball and slider. He has thrown his heater 113 times and his slider 46 times, while his sweeper and changeup have been used a combined 19 times, according to Statcast .
The limited range of pitches is less of a concern for a relief pitcher, who usually faces a lineup only once. So far, both of his main pitches have shown promising results. Opponents are hitting .214 against his fastball and just .125 against his slider.
A recent video shows off Manfredi's fastball, as he froze Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman with a high heater that clipped the zone. His lower three-quarter arm slot helps create a flatter approach angle and trip up hitters.
His slider complements the fastball nicely because Manfredi can manipulate it in different ways. In one example , he steals a strike from Matt Olson with a backdoor slider in a lefty-lefty matchup. In another , he gets Angel Genao to chase a slider that darts inside and finishes around the knees.
The example against Genao is actually a rare instance of Manfredi getting a hitter to expand the strike zone. In his limited major league work, he has posted a 19% chase rate and a 13% walk rate, both in the bottom quartile of the league. His 28.3% strikeout rate remains strong, but he has had to work harder than ideal for those swings and misses because hitters have generally refused to chase his pitches outside the zone.
Hitters have also done damage when they make contact, producing a 90.9 mph average exit velocity against Manfredi. Combined with his low chase rate and elevated walk rate, that creates an odd profile. Manfredi has shown that he can miss bats, but he has yet to consistently coax hitters out of the zone or limit the damage when they do connect.
None of that should eliminate Manfredi as a potential bullpen piece, though. If he can improve his command and turn more of those borderline pitches into chases, the swing-and-miss ability is already there to give Colorado something worth developing for 2027.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rockies/onsi as Have The Rockies Found a 2027 Bullpen Piece? .
