Statistically, Riley Pint's season left a lot to be desired. However, numbers rarely tell the whole story, and the struggles Pint endured can ultimately be a learning experience and source of growth for the young right-hander.
"Riley made significant progress in a lot of different areas and one of those areas is he faced a lot of adversity for the first time in his career," said Zach Wilson, the Rockies' director of player development. "That is one of the best development tools that we have at our disposal -- adversity and challenges -- and he faced them this year."
Pint, the Rockies' No. 2 prospect (No. 54 overall), is currently continuing that development in Colorado's instructional league in Arizona, though he isn't throwing in games.
The Rockies' 2016 first-round Draft pick (fourth overall) got off to a strong start this season, posting a 3.07 ERA in April and holding opponents without an earned run in four of his first six starts. However, he gave up 10 earned runs over his next two starts and finished the 2017 season with a 5.42 ERA and a 2-11 record in 22 starts.
"I don't even pay attention to numbers," Wilson said. "It's the last thing I care about... Just because of where he was drafted, or this aura that surrounds him, it doesn't mean that these things don't take time. He's still 19 years old."
Pint's youth is certainly noteworthy when considering his 2017 season. Pint struggles with control at times, he walked 59 in 93 innings this season, but possesses the stuff to become a staple in the Rockies' rotation for years to come.
Pint's fastball, which grades as a 75 on the 20-80 scouting scale, sits in the mid-90s and can hit the triple digits. He also posseses a plus curveball and a quality changeup. The numbers may not have been there is 2017, but Pint is still very high on a lot of scouting reports.
"He's had tremendous bouts of success and also found some challenges," Wilson said. "That is a very good balance for any young player to have. In my opinion, he grew substantially through it and he's only going to continue to grow as he continues to pitch."