Welcome to the 2025 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2025. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context.
The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 54, Germán Márquez (-1.2 rWAR)
Germán Márquez has been a staple of the Colorado Rockies’ rotation since he debuted on September 8, 2016. The right-hander was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old in 2011, but was traded to the Rockies in 2016 alongside left-handed pitcher Jake McGee for outfielder Corey Dickerson and third base prospect Kevin Padlo.
He didn’t quite make the Opening Day roster in 2017, but was recalled in late April and spent nearly all of 2017 with the big league roster.
During his tenure, Márquez ranked among many Rockies leaderboards, including the following:
- 200 starts: Tied with Jorge De La Rosa for the third-most games started in franchise history
- 1,142 IP: Ranks third in franchise history
- 1,068 career strikeouts: First in franchise history
- 68 wins: Third in franchise history
- 98 Quality Starts: Fourth-most in franchise history
- 53 Road QS: Tied for third-most in franchise history
Additionally, he earned such accolades as a 2018 Silver Slugger and a 2021 All-Star nod (though he was snubbed from starting at his home ballpark in favor of Clayton Kershaw).
He also had multiple one-hitters – one in 2019 against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, and the other in 2021 at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lost the first one in the eighth inning, and the second one in the ninth.
Unfortunately, everything hit a snag in 2023.
Márquez suffered an elbow injury in April that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. He returned on July 14 against the New York Mets at Citi Field, where he pitched four innings and finally broke De La Rosa’s strikeout record of 985 Ks. (He was two short of topping De La Rosa’s numbers before undergoing Tommy John surgery.)
Unfortunately, Márquez started feeling more arm discomfort and was ultimately shut down for the year.
He returned once again in 2025, and after a tough start, things looked promising… until they weren’t.
Through the first half of the season, Márquez went 3-10 with a 5.57 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through 19 starts. But then he again went on the IL with right biceps tendinitis.
When he returned in August, he wasn’t the same. He went 0-6 with a 10.16 ERA and 2.03 WHIP in just seven starts and 31.0 innings. Additionally, he threw two games where he recorded zero strikeouts. As a pitcher known for strikeouts, this was an anomaly. In fact, when this happened on August 29, it was the first time in his career as a starter, and it was also the first time since a relief appearance on September 16, 2016 – his third-ever big league game, and last relief appearance. Then, it happened again three games later on September 14 (where he only threw 2 ⅓ innings).
Márquez bounced back, throwing seven innings against the Los Angeles Angels and allowing just two hits – two solo homers – with a walk and five strikeouts in his final start at Coors Field. But then in his final start in San Francisco, he tossed 4 ⅓ innings and allowed six runs on five hits with two homers, one hit batter, three walks and one strikeout.
It was a sad end to a storied career.
Márquez’s biggest challenge in his post-surgery era is a downtick in velo on all his pitches, as well as a decreased strikeout percentage. His 14% strikeout percentage was the lowest of his career, and ranked among the bottom 2% of the league. His 48.5% HardHit% also ranks in the bottom 2% of MLB. He relied more heavily on his knuckle curve, using it nearly as often as his fastball.
Overall, it was a challenge for Márquez to command himself on the mound and be the pitcher we all remembered.
Germán Márquez is now a free agent, and he is not expected to be back with the Rockies in 2026.
Whatever happens, it’s still been a hell of a tenure in purple for the 30-year-old.
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