Prospect Rosenbaum looking to get back in form

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Left-hander Danny Rosenbaum hopes to show the Rockies the stellar form he displayed for the Nationals during the first half of last season.

The Rockies selected Rosenbaum, 25, in the Rule 5 Draft. Once the season begins, the Rockies must either carry him on their Major League roster the entire year or offer him back to the Nationals for $50,000. At the time of the Rule 5 Draft, the Rockies said they were looking at Rosenbaum for their bullpen, but he is being stretched out like a starter and could swing to either role.

Rosenbaum established himself as a budding prospect by beginning last season at 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 15 starts Double-A Harrisburg. However, by season's end he was 8-10, with a 3.94 ERA in 26 starts. A 22nd-round pick out of Xavier (Ohio) University in 2009, Rosenbaum had not finished any of his previous seasons with an ERA above 2.59.

"The first half, everything was working, so I tried to just slow the game down and have a lot of confidence in my abilities, and that's why I was so successful," Rosenbaum said. "Toward the second half, I went away from what I was successful with. That's kind of why the season started to go downhill for me. I tried to find things, rather than sticking with what worked.

"These guys have seen a lot of video of me and want to get me back to where I was in the first half and the first years of my career. The minor mechanical flaws have been fixed, and it's starting to feel good again."

There also was an unusual injury. Rosenbaum was hit in a sensitive area by a line drive.

"It was something I wish no one to have to experience," he said. "I learned my lesson, [since I] didn't wear a cup that day."