SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jon Gray is eager to be a workhorse, ready to eat innings and carry the Rockies through a long season like a 21st-century Nolan Ryan. “I want to throw 200 innings,” the right-hander said. “I know I can handle the workload.”
But should he? The Rockies have a stable of starting pitchers who appear capable of pushing them to the postseason. Their run to the wild-card playoff game last season came on the arms of the youngest staff in club history. Those pitchers combined to throw far fewer innings than the 2009 rotation, which was the last time Colorado made it to the playoffs.