Get to Know Colorado’s Spring Training “Opening Day” Starter
Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | February 23, 2024
It’s official. Baseball is back! Today, the Rockies play their first Spring Training game of the 2024 season. Let’s learn about their starter to begin the exhibition section of the season.
Background
Carson Palmquist, 23-year-old left-hander was drafted by the Rockies in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He attended college at the University of Miami (FL) for three years. He features a three pitch mix – fastball, slider, and changeup – with his highest rated pitch being his slider.
In his three years at Miami, he totaled a 2.63 ERA across 140.1 innings and accumulated 208 strikeouts, good for a whopping 13.3 K/9 ratio. In his first two seasons, Palmquist did not start a single game. In his sophomore season, Palmquist was dominant out of the bullpen, appearing in 25 games and racking up 14 saves. He pitched 44.2 innings, struck out 75 (15.1 K/9) while walking only 8, and earned a 2.22 ERA and 0.67 WHIP… Is that any good?
In his final collegiate season, Palmquist transitioned to being exclusively a starter, and filled the role quite nicely for the Hurricanes. In 16 starts (9-4), he racked up 84 innings, yielded a 2.89 ERA, and struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings.
Coming out of college, Palmquist was highly sought after because of his lower arm-slot delivery and exceptional command. After the Rockies drafted him in ‘22, he began his professional career at High-A Spokane, where he started 15 games (7-2) to the tune of a 3.73 ERA while striking out 106 batters and walking just 28 across 70 innings. Late in 2023, Palmquist was called up to AA Hartford, where he started four games (0-2) with a 4.43 ERA in a small sample size of 22.1 innings.
What to Expect in 2024
The entire BSB staff has high expectations for Palmquist this year. As we now know, he will be getting the ball first this Spring Training. The hope is that he performs well in the Spring, and ultimately gets called up later on this season. Overall, I think Palmquist can be a terrific pitcher at the Major League level, and despite his ETA on MLB.com being 2025, the hope is that he arrives at Coors Field in ‘24.
Tyler Paddor, a fellow member of the BSB team, shared this sentiment on the BSB podcast posted yesterday. When discussing Palmquist, he said “He’s someone that really could emerge quickly…I think he’s someone who probably starts at Double-A. If he makes good work in those first couple months, he’s someone who could be right there on that big league radar… I would bet he’s going to make a start for the Rockies this season.”
What do you think? Can Palmquist make his Coors Field debut this year? Or is that a bit too much wishful thinking? Let us know.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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