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DENVER -- Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner¡¯s process-oriented approach did him well during the rough first half of his 30 starts last season. When one has a 6.02 ERA and a .296 batting average against through June 19, it makes total sense to focus on the journey ahead.

Feltner, 28, turned it around by posting a 2.98 ERA and a .227 batting average against for his final 15 starts. September¡¯s numbers glowed brighter: a 1.78 ERA with a .171 opponents¡¯ batting average.

But living in the moment remains a must for Feltner. Last year¡¯s early numbers didn¡¯t sink him. His plan since the season ended was to acknowledge the successes, but not let them leave him riding a dangerous cloud.

¡°Stepping away and letting go of those things is super important,¡± Feltner said. ¡°Being out there, being present and letting my abilities take over -- that¡¯s the sweet spot for me. If I start to think too much about results, I'm in the wrong headspace. So I like to just step away from stuff like that and just let it unfold.

¡°If you become conscious of those things, they might run away from you a little bit. I was on it riding a little bit of a wave, and just decided to keep it going and try to not even pay attention to it. But now that it's the offseason, I definitely was able to turn around and look back and say, ¡®OK, what did I do? Well, try to do that again.¡¯¡±

Feltner could be at the edge of blossoming.

Drafted in the fourth round out of Ohio State in 2018, Feltner debuted late in 2021. By early May of 2023, he was gaining footing as a power pitcher, but that stretch came to a scary end when a line drive from the Phillies¡¯ Nick Castellanos bounced off the right side of his head and left him with a fractured skull.

Feltner returned in September with five scoreless innings of impressive power stuff against the Padres. During the first half of last season, Feltner often pitched impressively without luck or run support, but he was also burned by poorly located pitches or planned pitches at the worst times.

However, he kept searching and found good advice. His younger brother, Riley Feltner -- a former collegiate pitcher and prodigious pitching analyst (who has been hired as such by the Guardians) -- helped by showing that what he was doing and how he was being coached could work. Working with veteran catcher Jacob Stallings helped him improve in-game awareness.

Heading into 2025, Feltner has arguably the best stuff of the returning pitchers.

Righties Germ¨¢n M¨¢rquez and Antonio Senzatela missed most of last season with elbow problems. Lefty Kyle Freeland finished the year strong after an elbow scare, and lefty Austin Gomber was mostly healthy last season. But Feltner¡¯s 13 quality starts and 138 strikeouts led the staff.

The Rockies believe some of the pitchers selected high in recent MLB Drafts should begin surfacing in the Majors this season. But for a team that hasn¡¯t been to the postseason since 2018 to show improvement in the standings, the starters at least have to stay healthy. Feltner is at the right age and has the right stuff profile to emerge.

Can he turn the second half of 2024 into a full season of consistency in 2025?

¡°That¡¯s the next step, and he showed it in a really big sample -- the last 15 starts,¡± manager Bud Black said during the Winter Meetings. ¡°You can tell [he showed] a little bit of the confidence and, for lack of a better term, the mental tiger.¡±

Feltner feels no need to change his stripes.

¡°This was a different offseason for me in terms of pitching stuff,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s the same old strength, making sure of my legs and things like that. But in terms of pitching, this is the first offseason I really had that I didn't have a big project or something that I was super excited to get better at. I'm always trying to get better, but it's more about refining what I have at this point in time.¡±