Topes Tuesday Notebook: The pitching at hitter-friendly Isotopes Park has actually been, well, not that bad
Apr. 21—Jaden Hill heard all about it.
Long before the 6-foot-4, 235-pound righty stepped foot in the Duke City or threw his first pitch in Isotopes Park, he heard the stories — things dreams are made of for hitters, but nightmares for pitchers like himself.
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"It's kind of something you hear about before you ever get here — word of mouth, I guess. You know the ball is going to fly here, your pitches don't move the same, pop ups end up over the wall. You hear it all," Hill told a Journal reporter last week sitting in the dugout of the notoriously hitter-friendly Isotopes Park, only a few days ahead of his call up to the Major Leagues with the Colorado Rockies (his second after appearing in nine games with the parent club last season).
"It's something you mentally prepare for as a pitcher, but, it really doesn't affect you until you get here."
But, for all the horror stories about how pitching in the dry, thin air of Albuquerque could get in the heads of the best of prospects as he worked his way through the Rockies minor league system, it might surprise you what the first thing the 25-year-old former second round draft pick of the Rockies in 2021 remembers as being different at Isotopes Park compared to anywhere else he's ever pitched.
"Probably the run from the bullpen to the mound that really gets you out of breath," Hill said after a momentary pause of recollection to his Triple-A debut in 2024. "That was something I noticed pretty early on, to be honest."
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Yes, he eventually noticed it is also hard to pitch, not just run, at altitude. But so far this season, the reputation seems to be worse than the reality for Isotopes pitchers.
If all you do is look at box scores, you'd might not realize that this pitching staff through 21 games has actually been, well, not all that bad.
Through Sunday, the Isotopes' ERA of 5.60 ranked just 8th in the Pacific Coast League, as did their WHIP (1.70) and opponent batting average (.276). All manageable numbers for the team who annually ranks among the best in the Minor Leagues in offensive categories, in particular home runs hit.
The Isotopes' 17 home runs allowed through 21 games also ranks 8th with only league co-leading Oklahoma City (14 homers) and near-sea level Tacoma (11 homers) allowing fewer.
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And Albuquerque's run differential of minus-7 is competitive considering they lost the April 1 season opener 15-1.
"We've definitely got some talented arms, and we got some guys that have some pitch ability," Isotopes pitching coach Chris Michalak said. "They're doing a good job of attacking the strike zone, and that's something that you have to do with this ballpark, you know? You've got to limit the free passes. Usually it's not the hits that hurt you, it's the guys that got on before the hits because of the free pass."
Homers will happen in Albuquerque, pitchers have to accept that. But solo shots hurt far less than 2-, 3- and 4-run blasts thanks to putting runners on base first.
So, why has it been better in the early part of the season so far?
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"I think we got better stuff. I think we have better command. And not to take anything away from the guys that we had last year, but just unfortunately, there was no stuff," third-year Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez said.
"There was no command. When you're playing in places like this, when you're playing in altitude, you gotta make sure that you execute your pitches."
Know the foe
The Isotopes (9-12, tied for seventh in the 10-team Pacific Coast League, Colorado Rockies affiliate) start a six-game road series against the Reno Aces (10-11, tied for fifth, Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate) at Greater Nevada Field, on Tuesday with the series concluding on Sunday.
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Hill on a roll
Outfielder Sam Hilliard has an RBI double in Sunday's Game 1 of the doubleheader, extending to 21 games his Triple-A on-base streak — a stretch that started June 11, 2024, during his short stint in the minors last season.
Something to Taco-bout
The improbable fast start for Salsa Jar to the 2025 chile race season at Isotopes Park continued over the past week with two more wins for the not-so-chunky speedster.
Clear fan favorite Taco has yet to get on a roll and has been rather soft this season while Red and Green Chile don't seem to be in season just yet.
Isotopes Park Chile Race standings through April 20:
5 wins — Salsa Jar
3 wins — Taco
2 wins — Green Chile
1 win — Red Chile
Next homestand
The Isotopes' next homestand is April 29 through May 4 against the Salt Lake Bees.
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