Senzatela Makes Progress With Slider

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—First-round picks Jon Gray, Jeff Hoffman and Kyle Freeland quickly get mentioned when Rockies pitching prospects are discussed. Righthander Antonio Senzatela is a comparative afterthought.

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“Not to us, but in the global prospect world, he gets lost a little bit,” player development director Zach Wilson said.

“But he shouldn’t.”

A first-year member of the 40-man roster, Senzatela made his Cactus League debut against the Dodgers, allowing one hit and striking out four in two scoreless innings while throwing 20 of 28 pitches for strikes.

“There’s power to his fastball, there’s angle to his fastball, and there’s command,” big league manager Walt Weiss said. “And you put those three things together, and you got something.”

Senzatela, a native of Venezuela who signed in July 2011, will open the season at Double-A Hartford after going 9-9, 2.51 in 26 starts at high Class A Modesto, where he averaged 8.4 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings.

His California League-leading ERA ranked far ahead of the runner-up (3.32).

Because he had trouble spinning a curveball, Senzatela began throwing a slider in 2014 instructional league.

In his spring outing against the Dodgers, the 21-year-old’s slider was effective.

“It was the best I’ve seen it to this point,” Wilson said. “It was 84-86 (mph). It was sharp. It had tilt, and it had late bite. It was easy plus, if not double-plus. It was like he took a whole other step forward.”

Wilson said Senzatela commanded both sides of the plate with a 96-98 mph fastball. He concentrated so much on his slider last season that by mid-year, he had lost some of the feel for his fastball, but he has regained it. And his curveball remains in his repertoire as either a show pitch or early-strike offering.

Senzatela always had good fastball control but has honed his command of the pitch to where he has no fear of either using it often or coming inside with it.

“When he gets to the big leagues,” Wilson said, “he’s going to be attacking with three plus pitches, plus command and control and an average curveball.”

ROCKY ROADS

• Lefthander Tyler Anderson was sidelined this spring with a right oblique strain. He missed the entire 2015 season with a second stress fracture in his left elbow.

• Construction delays on its new ballpark will force Hartford to begin the season with 52 straight road games before its home opener on May 31.