Feltner's strong finish, and this key pitch, spark confidence for '25

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Ryan Feltner entered Spring Training looking to build on a strong second-half run that seemed to convince him he belonged in the Major League rotation.

A 15-start, 2.98 ERA stretch can do that.

¡°I saw glimpses of it throughout my whole career until that point, but it is harder to lean into that until you have it consistently,¡± Feltner said after his Cactus League debut. ¡°Definitely the second half of the year was instrumental for me. I¡¯m moving forward. I feel good about last year, and hoping not to replicate that but get better on top of that.¡±

Feltner took that first step with a two-inning outing in the Rockies¡¯ 7-6 victory against the Royals on Wednesday at Surprise Stadium.

¡°I¡¯m looking for stuff,¡± manager Bud Black said. ¡°I¡¯m looking for delivery. I saw both. It looked in order.¡±

Feltner threw 29 pitches (22 strikes) and gave up two runs, both in the first inning. The second scored when Nolan Jones lost a routine fly ball in the sun with two outs that fell for an RBI double.

After relying on his fastball and changeup in the first inning, Feltner used more offspeed pitches in a 1-2-3 second frame. He used three curveballs and a changeup to strike out Drew Waters for the first out.

¡°There were a couple of things I wanted to work on going into the game, and we were able to do that,¡± Feltner said. ¡°We wanted to establish the fastball a little bit and kind of get my feet under me for the first Spring Training start. But then the curveball came out, and that helped the separation of my pitches.

¡°I always want to make sure my changeup is there. That¡¯s a very feel pitch for me, so I wanted to make sure I threw a few of them. They got better as I went, and I felt good about that.¡±

Feltner had a staff-best 4.49 ERA among starters while taking every turn in the Rockies¡¯ rotation last season, and his 3-10 record was nowhere near reflective of his efficiency, especially in the second half.

He made a staff-high 13 quality starts, nine from June 26 on, and was the victim of several bullpen implosions after leaving with a lead.

¡°It started with him getting the ball down in the strike zone,¡± Black said. ¡°Really realizing how his best stuff played. I think he realized that fastball down, slider down, change down. Elevate the fastball when needed. He was truly pitching, and it starts with a lot of strikes down in the strike zone.¡±

Feltner credited catcher Jacob Stallings for helping take his game to that place.

¡°Just learning the game of pitching,¡± Feltner said. "I always have known a lot about my stuff, but pairing that with the hitters¡¯ weaknesses and certain personalities in the box and different things.

¡°Learning the game within the game really helped me out a lot last year. Just having reps under my belt, too. Over time you just get more comfortable.¡±

Feltner threw two sweepers Wednesday, a pitch that he and Stallings believe could provide another option against right-handed hitters.

¡°The sweeper is OK right now,¡± Feltner said. ¡°That¡¯s the one that we¡¯ll catch up over time but I feel like everything else is in midseason form.¡±

Stallings said conversations with Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller, a former teammate in Pittsburgh, brought the idea to the fore.

¡°I caught Mitch when he was coming up and know him really well,¡± Stallings said. ¡°Just asking him what clicked for him and how he developed his sweeper, so Ryan and I took that.

¡°I felt like Ryan could use a slower breaking ball to righties. He spins it really well. Just felt like it would be a good weapon. We didn¡¯t use it a ton a ton, but I felt like it really kept them off balance.¡±

Stallings said that pitch eventually helped Feltner develop his other pitches, as well.

¡°His two-seam became more effective. His fastball became more effective. It was good,¡± Stallings said. ¡°We just kind of learned which pitches played best in which spots. He did a good job. He¡¯s a smart guy. Really looks at his analytics.¡±

Feltner is looking forward to joining returning veterans Germ¨¢n M¨¢rquez and Antonio Senzatela in the rotation.

¡°I love watching those guys throw,¡± Feltner said. ¡°It¡¯s electric out of both of those, and to have their personalities back in the rotation as well. They are leaders. Having them around is great."