Matt Belisle didn't arrive in Denver as a high-priced savior; instead, he was a former starter from Cincinnati who reinvented himself as a high-frequency weapon out of the bullpen, and for six seasons, he was the rubber-armed heart of the Colorado relief corps.
He reached a definitive level of efficiency in 2010, posting a career-best 2.93 ERA and a 1.087 WHIP over 92 innings, and the year after, he had an atypical 10-4 record for a middle reliever.
In 2012, Belisle led the National League by appearing in 80 games, a grueling workload that would have broken most arms at altitude. He functioned as the ultimate bridge to the ninth inning, utilizing a sharp slider and a heavy sinker to navigate the most dangerous hitters in the division. He finished his run in Colorado with 392 appearances, a total that places him among the most tenured pitchers in the team's history. His career 3.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio with the club remains a benchmark for relievers trying to survive the thin air without giving up walks.
He stayed with the organization through 2014, eventually returning for a brief second stint in 2018 to provide veteran leadership to a young, postseason-bound squad.
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