In 2011, Senzatela signed with the Rockies (see Transactions below). 

In 2014, Baseball America rated Antonio as 24th-best prospect in the Rockies organization. They moved him all the way up to #8 in the winter before 2015 spring training; and he was at #9 a year later in the spring of 2016. In 2017, he was rated at #10.

In 2015, Antonio's California League-leading 2.51 ERA ranked far ahead of the runner-up (3.32).

April 11, 2017: Antonio made a special dedication after Colorado's win over the Padres at Coors Field, during which he shook off yielding a leadoff homer to throw seven innings for his first Major League win. During starts, Senzatela stashes the rosary used by his mother, Nidya, in his back pocket. Nidya died of cancer in Venezuela on Aug. 24, 2016. After the game, Senzatela kept a ball from the win in the top shelf of his locker.

"I'm going to take it and give it to my mom," Senzatela said, before his voice trailed. "In her tomb."  

In 2016, Senzatela was limited to seven Double-A starts. He had two bouts with right shoulder inflammation. And he also went to Venezuela to be with his mom for the final month before her death. But during a strong Spring Training, Senzatela demonstrated why the Rockies moved him past the Triple-A level. (Harding - mlb.com - 4/11/17)

Antonio just might have a nickname fitting of a star: "The Little Prince." Teammate Ian Desmond started it, noting that since Senzatela is from Valencia, Venezuela, the hometown of Mariners star pitcher "King" Felix Hernandez, he needed a royal nickname too.  

"I like it," Antonio said.

Rockies manager Bud Black said, "I'm in on that one. The best nicknames come from those that you're around, from teammates." (Harding - mlb.com - 5/4/17)

May 12, 2017: A shuffling of the Rockies' starting rotation landed Senzatela's next start on Mother's Day. Every start, Senzatela carries a rosary of gold in his back pocket that belonged to his mother, Nidya, who died of cancer at age 52. 

The Rockies allowed Senzatela, then at Double-A Hartford, to return to his native Venezuela to be with her in her final days. It was part of the reason he threw just 34.2 innings in the 2016 season. 

"It's special for me," Senzatela said. "Every day is special, because I remember my mom every day. Every moment."

Beyond the pink uniform accents that every team wears on Mother's Day for breast cancer awareness and a pink bat, which he used in bunting drills, the most Senzatela is considering doing extra is wearing pink socks. Senzatela said the conversation with manager Bud Black about him getting the Mother's Day start was matter-of-fact, because Senzatela kept his emotions inside.

"He asked me, 'Hey, you wanna throw Sunday,'" Senzatela said. "I said yeah. Then he said, 'You got Sunday.'" (T Harding - MLB.com - May 12, 2017)

Whether it's to the batter at the plate, or with the food on his plate, Antonio claims to make better choices.  In Spring Training 2018, Senzatela was learning to take care of himself over the rigorous Major League season. He noted in 2017 that he had to diversify his diet beyond pizza. Turns out the Rockies were coaching those decisions.

The results are obvious now. After dropping from 245 pounds last year to 227, Senzatela has less upper-body beef. Having grown up in Venezuela with limited options, Senzatela is beginning to make sense of the veritable smorgasbord offered in big league cities.

"We had a sit-down about midway or three-quarters of the way through last season," Rockies director of physical performance Gabe Bauer said. "We made a few changes to his diet and he continued that throughout his offseason. This is definitely where we want him. Tyler Hines, the Rockies' culinary nutritionist, played a big part in this, as well. And there was the combination of that and his training regimen that he had in the offseason."  (Harding - mlb.com - 2/25/18)

Q&A with Drew Creasman - Sept. 2023: Who were your favorite players growing up? “King Felix (Hernandez) and Miguel Cabrera.” 

If you could have any job in the world other than your own, what would it be? “I think maybe engineer. If I go to college I would maybe go for petroleum engineering. I just like that. I like numbers.”



TRANSACTIONS

July 8, 2011: Senzatela signed with the Rockies as an international free agent, via scouts Rolando Fernandez, Orlando Medina and Carlos Gomez. His bonus was $250,000.

Jan. 12, 2021: The Rockies and Senzatela avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3 million contract. 

Senzatela has a 92-98 mph 4-seam FASTBALL with good late life and garners a 65 grade on the scouting scale. It gets on hitters quickly, and he commands it to all four quadrants of the strike zone. And his 90-93 mph 2-seam boring SINKER works well. He also gets good depth on his SPLITTER.

After the 2014 season, he added a hybrid 84-86 mph SLIDER in the Instructional League. It is now a solid strikeout pitch for him, with fine tilt and late bite, rating a 65 and flashing 70. He brought back his CURVEBALL that he can throw for a strike, and gives hitters something else to think about. Like his fastball, Antonio commands his down-tumbling 80-82 mph CHANGEUP to both sides of the plate; it can be a swing-and-miss pitch for him. (Spring, 2017)

“For his age, where he is developmentally, he’s probably got the best combined control and command in our system,” Rockies farm director Zach Wilson said. “He’s very advanced in that way. And truly his fastball command is what is an enormous separator for him when it comes to his stuff.

“The kid knows how to pitch, and he’s got plus stuff,” Wilson said. “And that equals front-of-the-rotation potential.”

2017 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 72% of the time; Change 4.3%; Slider 21.9%; and Curve 1.8% of the time. (Brooks Baseball)

2018 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 63.4% of the time; Change 9.2%; Slider 18.7%; and Curve 8.7% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 94.3 mph, Change 87.3, Slider 83.5, and Curve 78.9 mph.

2019 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 63.7% of the time; Change 6.3%; Slider 19.8%; and Curve 10.3% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 93.7 mph, Change 86.8, Slider 84.3, and Curve 79 mph.

In 2014, Antonio battled a fingernail issue that limited his ability to throw curveballs. It carried over into Spring Training, so he started to develop a slider. Now it's become his top secondary pitch to go along with a fastball that usually sits around 93 mph. Senzatela was throwing his slider well and it's become a much tougher pitch to hit.

Senzatela uses the slider to get back into the count without having to throw a fastball.  And he strikes guys out with the slider. Now, he will occasionally throw a CURVE, but it's just for show.

Antonio comes at the hitter from a good downhill plane. He throws heat, but it comes so easy to him. It doesn't look like he's throwing hard at all. He attacks hitters on the inside part of the plate with both fastballs.

"He's a strike-thrower,” Asheville manager Fred Ocasio said in 2014. “He’s always around the zone, and with his fastball, he’s got good downhill plane. And then he can command the ball in and out. He’s not afraid to challenge anybody. At times, he throws a really good curveball. Not like it’s a bad curveball. He’s got to be more consistent with it.”

Modesto pitching coach Brandon Emanuel said in 2015. "He's going to come at you. It really bothers him to walk guys. He's going to make them earn their way on. He has a lot of confidence in what he brings and just his aggressiveness to get hitters out and attack them."

Antonio repeats his delivery easily.

He is a fierce competitor on the mound. He has a feel for how to set a hitter up.

Senzatela impresses you with his knowledge of the game and attention to the finer points of pitching. He is not the least bit afraid to attack hitters on the inside, driving the hitter off the plate, with the intent of getting him out.

Antonio can put a pitch on either corner when he wants to. He controls the strike zone and never really gets himself into bad counts.

2014 Season: Senzatela was the youngest and best starter in a strong low Class A Asheville rotation, going 8-1, 1.84 ERA in 13 second-half starts and allowing one homer in 73 innings. He led the South Atlantic League in victories, ranking fifth in opponents average (.243).

2015 Season: Antonio never allowed more than four earned runs in any of his 26 starts en route to a landslide victory in the Cal League ERA race (2.51). He also topped the league in WHIP (1.06) and opponents' average (.229).

August 2015: Senzatela has a very advanced feel for his tender age of 20. His biggest asset is his fastball command, considered the best in the system. Senzatela fills the strike zone and is a bulldog who wants the ball in big situations. He'll take his fearless approach with him as he begins moving up the organizational ladder. 

There's ample fire in the belly, and he'll need to corral his emotions a bit better as he matures. The team has been aggressive with Senzatela thus far and he's answered the challenge. He has the look of a future bullpen asset at this point if he can find a 50 grade pitch in his secondary arsenal, and the Rockies have the luxury of ample time on their side in helping him develop one. (August 2015)

2017 Changes: Senzatela is back in the rotation. After seeing his velocity dip, he went to the bullpen, hoping that with a little rest and less innings, he would regain his early season form. He also expanded his repertoire, adding a curveball and adjusting his slider grip to give a bit more of a velocity dimension to his arsenal.

Antonio let a smile cross his face, and his mind’s eye could see his beloved, late mother, Nidya. His nose and mouth were drifting back in time, to his school days in Valencia, Venezuela, and his mother's empanadas—pastries filled with love and savory goodness.

“She had an empanada stand,” Senzatela said. “Used to be, I’d go to school with two empanadas.”

But quickly, Senzatela pushed those treats to the back of the mind. In addition to a new curveball, a renewed changeup, and good ol’ self-confidence, Senzatela lost 15 pounds during the offseason.

But memories of those empanadas, and a reflexive habit of grabbing candy whenever it’s laying around, will have to be tamped down once the season begins. Senzatela is a rare player who gains weight during the long baseball season. He, his wife Vanessa, and young son Tiago are all partners in helping him keep the weight off, which may help him control the ERA.

Senzatela, 25, is 27-22, with a 5.33 ERA in 84 games over three seasons. Not a bad start to a pitching career. But last year was challenging for him, as he went 11-11 with a 6.71 ERA in 25 starts. He began the year on the injured list, due to an infected right-heel blister, and dealt with an in-season option to Triple-A Albuquerque.

“I want to be here a long time,” Senzatela said. “I recognize I need to eat better, stay healthy, treat my body like an athlete. Candies and everything, keep it away from me right now. It’s hard, but when you put your mind on something, you try to do it every time."

He reports the fridge is almost empty.

“My wife cooks," Senzatela said. "We keep doing empanadas, just one a month – and we're really careful. And she makes really good cakes, but she’s not making them now. We don’t put anything in the refrigerator.”

“He’s going to move better within his delivery,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He hasn’t lost any strength. I think it might make his arm move a little quicker because his body is moving better.”

Before camp, he was considered part of a competition for two open rotation spots, but Senzatela has carried himself as if there’s just one spot, and so far he has performed that way. In his second inning on the mound, he left two pitches over the plate, giving up singles to Ronald Guzmán and Rob Refsnyder. Rather than use one of his secondary pitches, Senzatela threw his heavy fastball and forced Scott Heineman to ground into a double play. (T Harding - MLB.com - March 5, 2020)

2020 Season: After losing 15 pounds in the offseason, Senzatela was ready to compete. He made three starts in spring training, allowing four runs on six hits over 10 innings. He also struck out eight and walked just two, posting a 3.60 ERA.

After the hiatus due to COVID-19, Senzatela started 12 games for the Rockies and ended up being their most consistent starter. In those 12 starts, he posted a personal 5-3 record, but the Rockies had a team record of 6-6 when Senzatela took the mound. He was the only one of the “Four Horsemen” to post a personal winning record. During his 12 starts, he pitched such highlights as an eight-inning shutout performance against Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros on August 18 (the Rockies lost on a walk-off) and a complete game against the Oakland A’s on September 15. Six of his 12 starts were quality starts. If Senzatela was on the mound, you felt like there was a chance.

Some of Senzatela’s newfound success could be attributed to a rise in velocity on his four pitches:

Most notably, his fastball velocity is back up to where it was during his rookie season in 2017 and there has been a steady rise in his slider.

According to Baseball Savant, Senzatela also threw a greater mix of pitches. He only threw his fastball 55.9% of the time — down from 61.9% in 2019 and 64.1% in 2018. He still relied heavily on his slider as his main secondary pitch, but started utilizing the changeup more often as well alongside the curve. He used the changeup less in 2019 due to finger pain, but it was a successful pitch for him this year. Heading into summer camp, pitching coach Steve Foster had praised Senzatela’s offseason work:

“The greatest offseason strides of all the guys (in the rotation) is Antonio Senzatela,” Foster said. “It was the things done behind the scenes last year at the end of the season, that he stuck with through the offseason and came into spring training with. His velocity is up. His breaking pitches are sharper.”

After struggling with injuries and lack of success in 2019, it was a welcome sight to see Senzatela’s early season success. As the dreadful 2020 season dragged on, his continued success ended up being a bright spot for the Rockies. Everything came together for him. Senza is arbitration-eligible for the first time during this offseason, so it will be interesting to see what the Rockies will do. (Samantha Bradfield@SammieB_27  - Nov 6, 2020)

Jan 12, 2021: “Senza’s next step is to continue doing what he did in 2020, the COVID year,” pitching coach Steve Foster said. “That is disciplined attention to his delivery, using his mix of pitches and being unpredictable, getting ahead of hitters, trusting his preparation and making in-game adjustments.

“He can be one of the best in the game. I call him ‘El Tigre.’ Tigers never quit until the job is done.”

Senzatela went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA and turned in the Rockies’ only complete game (a six-hit, 3-1 home victory over the Athletics at Coors Field on Sept. 15) last season, thanks in large part to the new approach to his pitch mix.

After going 10-6 with a 5.68 ERA as a rookie in 2017, Senzatela went 17-17 with a 5.73 ERA in 48 games (38 starts) over the next two years. According to Statcast, Senzatela threw his four-seam fastball 72.3 percent of the time in 2017. Those figures dropped, but usage rates of 64 percent in 2018 and 62 percent in 2019 were not enough to keep hitters from sitting on his main pitch. 

“Some of what makes Antonio Senzatela so incredibly tough on the mound is he is a stubborn guy,” Foster said in August. “He’ll be the first to tell you. And it’s taken a while to convince him, but the timing had to be right.

“Some of it was convincing him that, ‘Your numbers since you’ve been in the Major Leagues have been good, but they can be great, and if you’re willing to try some things that we’ve been trying to get you to do …’ As a coach, we don’t force change. Change comes at the right time.”

In 2020, Senzatela used his curve more strategically and reached career highs in usage of his slider (24.6 percent) and changeup (9.2 percent). According to MLB Quality of Pitch, the better pitch sequencing and deception, plus the quality of his changeup helped Senzatela succeed even though his other pitches saw reduced vertical break.

 His strikeout rate remains among the lowest in the sport—13.1 percent in 2019, and 13.5 percent in 2020. But Senzatela lowered barrel rate and hard-hit rate in 2020, and became more effective. (T Harding - MLB.com - Jan 12, 2021)

Senzatela's best pitch is his slider. The 26-year-old had a breakout season in 2020, posting a 3.44 ERA in 12 games started. Since 2017, Senzatela’s slider has seen an uptick in velocity each season, with the 2020 version averaging 86 mph. The slider was used on both sides of the plate and produced a 54% ground ball rate.

As of start of the 2021 season, Antonio had a career record of 32-25 with a 5.00 ERA, having allow (ed 454 hits and 56 home runs in 423 innings.

2021 Season:  1.3 rWAR

One of the best things about the Rockies’ disappointing 2020 season was the emergence of Antonio Senzatela, who put up a sterling 3.44 ERA (151 ERA+) over 72.1 IP. After getting in better shape, the young Venezuelan’s command was greatly improved, resulting in a career-low walk rate. His confidence improved, and his groundball-generating skills remained intact. And while there were questions about how repeatable it was, Senzatela entered 2021 locked into a legitimate top four rotation spot for the first time in his career.

How did it go?

The results were good. The final line: 28 GS, 4.42 ERA (108 ERA+), 156.2 IP, 3.61 FIP, 1.34 WHIP. Those are very solid 4/5 starter numbers by themselves, but it was a weird season. It started with a stinker against the Dodgers (3.1 IP, 7 ER) and ended with the worst start of his MLB career at Arizona (0.2 IP, 6 ER), and if you take those away, his ERA goes down to 3.77. I know it’s cherry-picking, but still. Senzatela didn’t really have any overwhelmingly dominant stretches, but he was consistently good. From June 2 to September 26, a 17-start sample, he pitched 6+ innings in all but two starts.

Senzatela was one of the best pitchers in baseball at avoiding walks and homers, and his strikeout rate increased compared to 2020.  (Mario DeGenz - Nov 6, 2021)

2022 Season: Senzatela, signed to a five-year, $50.5 million extension during the offseason, had his year ended abruptly when tearing his left ACL covering first base on August 18. Before that outing in St. Louis, he held a respectable 4.67 ERA despite two earlier stints on the injured list. 

2023 Season: In 2022, Senzatela pitched 19 games before suffering a torn ACL in August. He made his triumphant return on May 5 against the New York Mets. After the Rockies lost ace Germán Márquez to Tommy John surgery in April, as well as Noah Davis to elbow inflammation around the same time (though he didn’t require surgery), Senzatela’s return was supposed to provide the spark to a struggling Rockies’ rotation. In his return, Senza pitched five innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out three and walking one. It was a great moment.

But his next start was not-so-great.

On May 10 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Senzatela was pulled after 2 2⁄3 innings after feeling pain and tightness on the underside of his forearm near the elbow. That sounded alarm bells amongst Rockies fans and, unfortunately, our worst fears were confirmed.

On July 14, it was officially announced that Antonio Senzatela, too, would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Senza tried the plasma-rich platelet treatment that Lucas Gilbreath tried during the offseason (he ultimately had TJS in March) and had some encouraging bullpen sessions, but it wasn’t enough. In total, the Rockies had six pitchers undergo Tommy John in 2023: major-leaguers Lucas Gilbreath, Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela, as well as prospects Gabriel Hughes, Jackson Cox and Jordy Vargas.

Looking ahead, Senzatela is likely projected to return close to the end of the 2024 season — the third year of his five-year contract. While the Rockies can’t fault him for the injuries, it will be interesting to see what happens when he is fully healthy and ready to go again. ( Samantha Bradfield@SammieB_27  Nov 10, 2023)

This is of course due to “Senza” suffering two serious injuries over the last two seasons - a torn ACL in 2022 and a torn UCL last year. These setbacks have caused the right-hander to miss significant time, as he’s appeared in just five games in the last two years.

Now, though, the Venezuelan native is back and healthy, ready to be a contributing part of Colorado’s rotation. His brief reappearance this past season was the first step in getting back to major league form after so much time away.

Being that he only appeared in three games, we’re going to take Senzatela’s small sample size with a speck of salt, savvy? Even with a very limited frame of reference, we can get an idea of what he’ll be entering 2025 with.

For example, his game plan appears to be the same as ever - fastball first and foremost.

“Senza’s” heater is his bread and butter, easily his most utilized pitch in his career. The last few seasons saw him try to mix things up a bit more, but he appeared to revert back to his original strategy in 2024. That fastball was thrown almost 60% of the time, with his slider and changeup usage lagging far behind.

This is fine if that pitch is effective, but his four-seamer wasn't exactly unhittable as opposing hitters recorded a .385 batting average against. His slider didn't fare much better, and with those being his two most-utilized weapons by a good margin, it’ll be up to Colorado’s coaching staff to turn these two pitches back into productive tools.

Again, small sample size. Senzatela and the Rockies were likely far more concerned with getting him reps and allowing him to regain the feel of pitching in MLB, rather than looking for any kind of genuine results. Even so, his three starts seemed to mirror the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears - one hot, one cold, and one that was pretty okay.

(I know the last one is supposed to “perfect”, but does anyone really like porridge that much? Sound off if you’re a porridge truther).

Senzatela will enter 2025 penciled in for a rotation spot, and he’ll have every opportunity to return to his 2020 form. He's 29 and still set to be a member of the Rockies roster for at least the next two seasons. However, Colorado has a fair few starting pitching prospects working their way toward MLB, and with the Rockies continuing to suffer through the many issues of their long-embattled bullpen, there’s a conversation to be had about his skillset being more suited to a relief role.

Is that likely? Not really, but it’s an option that the team may want to consider.

As for the immediate future, we’ll see what a fully-healed “Senza” can do next season. The time away from the game may have helped to hone his repertoire, or it may take him some time to ramp back up to form. Either way, he’ll have plenty of time to work out the kinks as he once again takes his place among Colorado’s pitching unit.

For now, he’s finally back. We’ll take that as a win. (Mac Wilcox@MacWilcoxCBP  Nov 4, 2024)

2014: Senzatela battled a fingernail issue that limited his ability to throw curveballs. It carried over into Spring Training, so he started to develop a slider.

June 2015: Antonio missed two starts due to a sprained right knee sustained in a collision on a bunt play.

April 17-May 23, 2016: Senzatela was on the D.L. with right shoulder tightness that was not considered serious. 

June 14–end of 2016 season: Antonio's shoulder flared up. Antonio only made seven starts in 2016. He finished rehab on November 1.

May 17-July 3, 2018: Antonio was on the DL.

July 10-22, 2018: Antonio was on the DL with left middle finger blister.

Aug 3-18, 2018: Antonio was on the DL with right shoulder inflammation.

March 25-April 15, 2019: Antonio was on the IL with blister infection on right heel.

May 1-11, 2021: Antonio was on the IL.

July 16-Aug 5, 2021: Antonio was on the IL.

May 16, 2022:  The Rockies lost starter Antonio Senzatela in the series opener against the Giants before he could throw a pitch in the third, with lower back strain. He felt his back tighten while fielding a first-inning comebacker and it got progressively worse until he called for the training staff during his warmup pitches before the third. 

May 17, 2022: Antonio was on the IL with lower back strain.

July 2-22, 2022, Antonio was on the IL with right shoulder inflammation.

Aug 19-Oct 6, 2022: Antonio was on the IL .   Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela is expected to miss six to eight months with a torn left ACL, manager Bud Black said prior to the series opener against the Giants.Senzatela, who was injured while trying to cover first base on an infield bouncer in the second inning of a 13-0 road loss to the Cardinals.

Oct 6, 2022-May 3, 2023: Recovery from knee surgery.

May 10, 2023: Senzatela left the game after just 2 2/3 innings with right forearm tightness. Manager Bud Black said he will be evaluated by team doctors in Denver. Senzatela was making just his second start after beginning the season on the injured list while recovering from knee surgery.

“Crossing our fingers,” Black said. “He’ll go through all the exams and tests.”

May 12, 2023: – Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela has been diagnosed with a right elbow sprain and does not need surgery, he said following an MRI exam. In just his second start since he returned from left knee surgery, Senzatela left the Rockies’ 4-3 victory over the Pirates after 2 2/3 innings because of discomfort in the elbow andwhose fastball velocity was down dramatically.

Senzatela, 28, said the pain occurred after his first 2023 start, when he held the Mets to one run in five innings on May 5. He thought he could work through the discomfort. While the news so far is encouraging, Senzatela admitted some worry. As it stands, he believes he will miss at least two months.

July 14-Nov 2, 2023: The Rockies’ awful year of pitching injuries continued, when manager Bud Black announced that right-hander Antonio Senzatela will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and miss the remainder of the season.

A platelet-rich plasma shot and some encouraging bullpen sessions had Senzatela believing he could make it back, but he lasted just two bullpen sessions.

“Senzatela’s injury presented itself [Saturday] in San Francisco,” Black said. “When he threw on the side, it didn’t go well.” (T Harding - MLB.com - July 14, 2023)

Feb 28-Sept 16, 2024: Antonio was on the IL with recovery from TJ Surgery.

July 10, 2024: Senzatela threw “another strong bullpen today,” according to manager Bud Black.

“He’s probably a month and a half away, hopefully, from pitching for us," Black added.

Sept 8, 2024: Senzatela made his fifth rehab appearance for Double-A Hartford. He pitched 3 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk, with four of the five runs coming in the first inning. Senzatela had his best rehab start to date on Sept. 3, throwing four scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no walks. The righty is making his way back from Tommy John surgery with the hope of returning to the Rockies roster before season’s end