DENVER – Right-handed reliever Seth Halvorsen put an end to experimentation after it landed him at Triple-A Albuquerque to start the season and pitched his way to a new opportunity with the Rockies.
Last year, Halvorsen seemed on his way to establishing himself as the team’s closer as a rookie when he finished with 11 saves before sustaining a mild right elbow flexor strain on Aug. 2 and missing the rest of the season – although he healed in time to have a normal offseason.
This spring, with new pitching coaches encouraging different grips and additions to pitch mixes, Halvorsen was an enthusiastic tinkerer. He tried and abandoned a “splinker” – a cross between a split-finger pitch and a changeup that he used in a Cactus League game two days after happening upon the grip. He abandoned that one but kept testing new grips and ideas with his sinker and slider, believing a time when results aren’t official was a good time for just that.
But with Halvorsen having given up 12 earned runs and walked 12 in five innings over seven Cactus League appearances, the Rockies optioned him to Albuquerque on March 25. Part of the reason was the decision to keep righty Chase Dollander as a starter-in-training rather than send him to Triple-A.
But on Thursday, the Rockies placed Jimmy Herget on the paternity list and recalled Halvorsen, who posted a 1.80 ERA, 12 strikeouts and five walks in 10 innings, with opponents hitting .176 while in Albuquerque.
The Halvorsen who walked through the clubhouse door is the one who was rounding into a force late last season.
“Four-seam fastball, slider and splitter – right now my arsenal is just what I’ve thrown for a long time,” he said. “It feels good.”
Halvorsen has thrown 241 pitches at 100 mph or greater since debuting in 2024 – a quick rise from the time the Rockies drafted him in the seventh round out of the University of Tennessee in 2023. Last year, his 194 pitches at 100 mph or greater ranked sixth in the Majors.
There was some health concern on the Rockies’ part. Halvorsen underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, when he was pitching at the University of Missouri, and last year’s elbow problem was a scare. But there was no indication that Halvorsen was in pain during Spring Training.
In Albuquerque, he allowed two walks just once. In five appearances, he didn’t walk anyone.
“It was my job to go down there,” he said. “I knew what I needed to do. I needed to get consistent outs. That’s what I was trying to do.
“I am confident with what I have in my arsenal right now, and I’m prepared. I’m excited to compete with the stuff that I have.”
Halvorsen's presence opens some possibilities for what has been a strong Rockies bullpen to start the year, ranking 7th in ERA and tied for first with the Toronto Blue Jays with their 121 strikeouts.
Manager Warren Schaeffer has emphasized multi-inning pitchers early in the season, believing that one-inning relievers have been overused early in seasons. The current group includes three righty starter types – Dollander, Antonio Senzatela and recent callup Tanner Gordon. Righty Zach Agnos is a reliever by trade, but his diverse pitch mix has allowed Schaeffer to give him extended outings.
After the return of Herget, who can be used in many ways, do the Rockies keep Halvorsen as a one-inning, late-matchup option?