The Colorado Rockies are taking a chance on a fresh arm from the collegiate circuit, signing lefty Bryson Van Sickle to their minor league fold. Van Sickle, who made a splash on the mound for the University of Utah, has inked a deal that slots him into the Arizona Complex League with the ACL Rockies. According to Utah Utes News, the Eagle Mountain native is set to further develop his skills in the minors, after a noteworthy college career that saw him narrowly miss the top 10 for strikeouts in Utah's storied history.
Van Sickle's journey began in earnest when he stepped up to be the Saturday starter for the Utes, only to swiftly move to fill the coveted Friday night slot. His string of impressive stats includes a standout 5-1 finish with a 2.67 ERA and 69 strikeouts in his redshirt senior year. He turned enough heads to snag the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year award, not to mention Third-Team All-American honors. The pinnacle of his college career came with something most pitchers only dream of: a "Maddux" against Arizona State. It seems the Rockies are keen to see if he can continue to define, and potentially redefine, his dominance on the professional stage.
Before his time with Utah, Van Sickle put up decisive numbers at Labette Community College, which first paved his way into Utah's program. The Utes' report details Van Sickle's college tenure, where he snapped up an impressive 11-6 record and maintained a 4.06 ERA over his college career. His college coach must have seen the potential brimming in Van Sickle early on, a potential the Rockies hope to harvest as their own.
His pro season debut with the Ogden Raptors in the Pioneer League offered a glimpse of his abilities: 15.2 innings pitched, 12 Ks, and consistently crossing the five-inning mark. Such performances likely nudged the Rockies' decision-makers to consider Van Sickle a plausible investment. Now granted his shot in the minors, the Rockies seem expectant to watch Van Sickle possibly grow into a towering figure among their ranks with time and seasoning in ACL's challenging environment.
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