New-look Senzatela off to hot start for Rockies' bullpen

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SAN DIEGO -- Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela's resurgence started with good food with baseball friends.

After last season, Senzatela went back to his Scottsdale, Ariz., home and wondered what it would take for a resurgence. From 2022-24, Senzatela was either injured (right ACL in 2022, right elbow ligament in 2023) or rehabbing. Last year he was healthy but struggled, with a 4-15 record and a 6.65 ERA.

The turnaround started when he joined a couple of friends from the Rockies organization -- Latin American hitting coordinator Michael Ramirez and Arizona Complex League pitching coach Helmis Rodriguez -- at a barbecue hosted by Ramirez’s sister. Both suggested Push Performance, an Arizona training facility that counts the Red Sox’s Garrett Crochet, the Giants’ Logan Webb and the Mariners’ Bryan Woo among its success stories.

“They said, ’Check this place out,’ and as soon as I got there, I felt really good about what I was doing,” Senzatela said.

In three relief appearances entering Thursday, Senzatela hasn’t given up a run and has struck out nine against two hits and a walk in 7 1/3 innings. Not only that, but his four-seam fastball has had a 2.3 mph increase, to 97.3. His sinker, changeup and curveball have also seen similar gain.

Senzatela has always been a seeker of information. Because he finished last year healthy, he could put new ideas into practice.

“I worked on my delivery, using my lower back and my lower body, and I worked on some things throwing the ball -- how my arm is getting out,” he said.

Manager Warren Schaeffer moved Senzatela to the bullpen late last season, but didn’t give up on him. He brought Senzatela up in interviews while building the group of pitching coaches. At the base of Schaeffer’s thinking, however, was Senzatela’s desire.

“One hundred percent, he could have gone one of two ways -- the other way or the way he’s going now -- which is a credit to the way he went about it,” Schaeffer said. “None of us doubted that this was going to be the case. I’m extremely proud of the way he goes about his business, attacking it every single day.”

At the suggestion of Schaeffer and the two coaches he talked to immediately after they were hired -- pitching coach Alon Leichman and assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas -- Senzatela trimmed his four-seamer usage from the usual well-above 50 percent to 34.7 percent this year. He has six pitches, with his cutter and sinker improving rapidly and his slider increasing in quality.

To do this, Senzatela had to hand over some trust.

Because Colorado's research and development staff was light over the years, Senzatela used an analytics firm for advanced information. Now, Senzatela is receiving everything he needs from the coaches and a research staff that has the help of increased personnel.

“We have a lot of good information coming into this year, and I draw on our guys a lot,” Senzatela said.