RHP, Age-28 season
Minor League Contract
Pre-arbitration, possible arbitration after 2026
Other Previews: Ian Anderson | Ben Bowden | Aaron Bummer | Dylan Dodd
A year after the Rockies selected Vandy relief ace, Ben Bowden, in the second round, Colorado made the always astute decision to grab yet another college relief ace in UVA righty, Tommy Doyle, in the second round of 2017.
Amazingly, this super-smart strategy of taking a pair of relief arms with second-round picks did not work out. I’m shocked. I just can’t figure out why the Rockies struggle to win.
Doyle, who saved 14 games with the Cavaliers before joining the Rockies' system, wasn't a fast riser much like Bowden wasn’t. Which, by the way, is the whole reason you select college-age relief arms that high. Sigh. Outside of three games in the 2020 season, Bowden didn't pitch above A-ball until 2021. A shoulder surgery limited him to just 9.1 innings that season and he missed all of the following year. In 2023, he got back into form in Triple-A and earned another run in the majors with, sadly, very little success.
Doyle looks like a force coming out of the pen. He's 6'6" and 244 pounds. It's like a linebacker throwing 95-mph heaters at you. But his command looks about the same and let's just be honest - you don't want Fred Warner throwing out of the bullpen.
The big righty relies on a cutter and a four-seam fastball. If there's any promising news here, it's that the cutter was a decent pitch last year for him. It rolls in around 90-91 mph and hitters managed just a .248 wOBA against it with one homer in 45 PA. And remember, he played a lot at Coors. The problem is that his fastball, which adds 3-4 mph, doesn't have nearly the same results. He'll also incorporate a slider and possibly a sinker, but he lives off the fastball/cutter.
At 27, Doyle remains a project. And there may be something to the cutter. If he sticks in the organization after camp, he could even turn into a nice arm for Gwinnett. Might even get a look at the majors or be brought back as an option for 2025. But it's a packed bullpen right now so my guess is that he probably won't be in the mix for Atlanta this season. Nevertheless, I do want to see if he can build on the cutter and maybe develop his breaking pitch into something more as well.
Walk-Off Walk 2024 fWAR prediction
0 fWAR
Other Previews: Ian Anderson | Ben Bowden | Aaron Bummer | Dylan Dodd