In spring training 2017, Rockies hitters were leaving the batting cage and shaking their heads in wonder after facing a 22-year-old right-hander they knew little about.
“He’s got this really heavy fastball that’s tough to handle,” marveled former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu. “He throws it so easily, but then the ball kind of jumps on top of you.”
In baseball parlance, Germán Márquez was throwing “easy cheese.”
Márquez liked the sound of that. So much so, in fact, that he and his wife, Dilvanny, tagged their 2-year-old son, Damian, with the nickname “Easy Cheese.”
Sunday night, there’s a chance Márquez, 26, could be named to the National League roster for the All-Star Game on July 13 at Coors Field.