DENVER -- Rockies right-hander Jimmy Herget spent much of his career a cool secret.
Using a delivery that begins with a shrug and finishes with a snap to throw pitches that flutter before darting away from bats, Herget spent the first six seasons of his career producing made-for-social-media highlights in various uniforms. Rob Friedman, an analyst who runs The Pitching Ninja site and various video accounts, nicknamed Herget “The Human Glitch.”
The problem was that Herget was a secret to those who built rosters. From 2019-24, Herget pitched for four Major League teams and did ample duty in Triple-A. But last season, Herget emerged as the Rockies’ best pitcher and one of the top relievers in the NL.
After appearing in 59 games and posting a 2.48 ERA -- 10th lowest for a reliever in Rockies history over a full season -- Herget avoided arbitration this week by signing a one-year, $1.55 million contract. Depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out for the revamping Rockies, Herget will either return to his role as a trusted reliever or try his hand at starting for a team that promises to be creative as it seeks improvement.
“There was always a ‘but’ [before Colorado] … like, ‘We love you, but you don’t throw hard enough,’ or, ‘We love you, but we don’t have a spot for you on the roster,’” Herget said. “Not to sound cocky, but I’m a very confident person when I’m on the mound. Confident in what I can do and how I can get people out. I’m grateful to the Rockies.”
Claimed off waivers from the Cubs after the 2024 season, Herget became a leader for a relief unit that was a bright spot on the team during its 43-119 campaign.
Herget’s 83 1/3 innings pitched ranked third among MLB relievers, and his 81 strikeouts ranked eighth among National League relievers -- even though the 92.2 mph average velocity on his four-seam fastball (which he used just 7.4 percent of the time) ranked in just the 19th percentile among Major League relievers.
His finish was especially strong. Herget posted a 1.27 ERA through his final 18 appearances.
It all started with simple goals.
“Going back to the very beginning of our season, making the team out of camp was the biggest thing, and when that happened, I set some goals for myself,” Herget said. “One was going the entire season being healthy. Two was if I could have an ERA in the 3s, that’s a win for me. I had pitched at Coors just once before last year, but I did pitch a little in Salt Lake [the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in Utah], so I knew how altitude could crush you sometimes.
“Going through the season and having some success, I knew Coors would get you at some point, but it was making sure to have a one-run or two-run inning and not letting it become a five- or six-run inning.”
Herget’s splits were solid -- a 3.15 ERA and a .247 batting average against at home, and a 1.67 ERA and .215 BAA on the road. Herget actually felt more comfortable at Coors.
“It was more of an adjustment leaving Coors,” he said. “My style of pitching, I’m an east-west guy, so a lot of horizontal movement. It was an adjustment to be able to start pitches where they should be, so I could bury a sinker in on the batter’s hands or not leave my sweeper on the plate too long.”
Near the end of last season, Herget approached manager Warren Schaeffer with the idea of converting to a starter, even though he hadn't started more than one game in a season since college at the University of South Florida (2013-15). Schaeffer said the idea is on the table; however, the Rockies signed righty starter Michael Lorenzen -- a former teammate of Herget’s with the Reds -- to a one-year contract this week, and believe they could sign another free-agent starter.
Herget’s willingness to offer something different fits with a Rockies team that has made front-office and staffing changes and is looking for better results in 2026 and beyond.
“It's really refreshing having an entire group coming in,” he said.”Everybody is on the same page about what we want to do, where we want to go and how we’re going to move this ship forward.”