Rockies' Chacin on poor 2014: 'One year doesn't change who I am'

A poor performance in 2014 is all the motivation Colorado Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin needs for next season. 

"One year doesn't change who I am," Chacin told Thomas Harding of MLB.com. "The people who think that I'm not going to be the same as I was before, I want to show them they're wrong. I've got a long career still. I want to get back in the game and show how good a pitcher I can be."

A 14-game winner in 2013, Chacin was shelled in an injury shortened season in 2014. In 11 starts, the right-hander posted a 1-7 record and 5.40 ERA while allowing less than three runs in just a pair of outings. 

Injuries were no doubt a contributing factor to Chacin's ineffectiveness last year. The 26-year-old began his campaign on the disabled list with a shoulder injury that plagued him throughout the season before he was eventually shut down at the end of June. 

Chacin's injury history is unquestionably a cause for concern for the Rockies – he's thrown over 70 innings just once in the last three seasons – though manager Walt Weiss has been pleased with his efforts so far this offseason. 

"Jhoulys has been working hard, and he wants to get back to where he was after a tough year physically," Weiss said. "One thing that he always brings is a competitive fire – he did that last year when he was pitching through discomfort. But for any athlete, it helps to have a level of desperation. It's a good place to be."