With the Colorado Rockies picking up free agents to improve their team heading into the 2026 season, there's no denying that the ball club is looking to turn around the direction of the franchise. One acquisition was the Rockies signing pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the team, as the 34-year-old spoke about the apparent challenges of pitching for the team.
The reason why it's difficult is due to Coors Field in Colorado being known as a hitter-friendly ballpark, with pitchers at a slight disadvantage. However, Lorenzen would say that it is “untapped when it comes to the pitching side of things,” as the 11-year veteran is confident in a way to overcome the obvious hurdles.
“Colorado is untapped when it comes to the pitching side of things, and how awesome it is to be at the forefront of that,” Lorenzen said, via DNVR Rockies. “That's exciting to me, to be one of the first guys to come in and try and figure this place out. And obviously, the front office and the coaching staff that they've brought in, is right on board with that. So to have that support group, to be able to help me through that, and me be able to bounce ideas off of them, vice versa…it's an awesome opportunity.”
“Colorado is untapped when it comes to the pitching side of things”
Michael Lorenzen talks about tackling the challenges of pitching at elevation as the primary reason for signing with the Rockies⬇️ pic.twitter.com/haZMIkajly
— DNVR Rockies (@DNVR_Rockies) February 13, 2026
Could Michael Lorezen hit for the Rockies on top of pitching?
Besides pitching, there have been rumors on the Rockies wanting Lorenzen to hit, as the veteran has shown in the past to be somewhat capable, though his last plate appearance was in 2021. According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the team and Lorenzen didn't talk about that possibility before reaching the contract, though the idea has been ‘kicked around internally.'
“The Rockies have kicked around the idea internally, and might talk to Lorenzen about it once his deal is finalized. While Lorenzen, 34, surely is intrigued by the idea of hitting at Coors Field, a return to hitting might not be realistic,” The Athletic wrote on Jan. 10.
Last season with the Kansas City Royals, Lorenzen pitched a 4.64 ERA to go along with 127 strikeouts and a 7-11 record.
