4/5/2024

Spring training and the start of Major League Baseball season means different things for Tri-State employee Chris Gilbreath, father of Colorado Rockies pitcher Lucas Gilbreath.

The advent of Spring means different things to different people, as the long, harsh Winter gives way to far more promising times filled with warmer weather, longer evenings and outdoor activities. For Tri-State’s Chris Gilbreath, however, this time of year is the start of the baseball season, which means he is about to lose a bit of weight.  

For you see, Gilbreath, Tri-State senior manager for remediation and reclamation, is the father of relief pitcher Lucas Gilbreath of the Colorado Rockies, one of the bright spots for the future of the state’s Major League Baseball team. 

“When the season starts and Lucas is pitching, I just don’t eat. I can’t eat. The diet begins with the baseball season, and I’ll lose 10-15 pounds or more,” Chris Gilbreath said. “My wife Theresa and I will make most of his home games here in Denver, and we’ve traveled to different ballparks during Lucas’ career. But if there’s a game that day, I just can’t bring myself to do much more than watch and wait to see if he’s active in the bullpen, and to see if he’s going to pitch.” 

Chris Gilbreath, who has been with Tri-State for 17 years, helps oversee recovery efforts at Tri-State’s retired properties, as required by federal, state or local regulations. Over the years, he has worked on remediation and reclamation efforts at numerous Tri-State properties, including the more recently retired power facilities in Nucla and Rifle, Colo.; his current work includes efforts at Tri-State’s retired Escalante Generating Station near Grants, N.M. 

Lucas Gilbreath, 28, was born in Westminster, Colo., and graduated from Legacy High School in Broomfield, Colo. He grew up a Rockies fan and played youth baseball at Larry Walker Field in Thornton, Colo., and later became promising major league baseball prospect while playing at Legacy and for the Colorado Rockies’ Scout Team Program. Collegiately, he played for the University of Minnesota, after originally being drafted by the Rockies in 2014. Later selected again by the Rockies in the seventh round of the 2017 draft, he began his professional career pitching for the Rockies’ rookie league team in Grand Junction, and later pitched in the minors in Asheville, N.C., in 2018, and in Lancaster, Calif., in 2019.  

After a year of baseball lost to the pandemic in 2020, Lucas Gilbreath barely missed making the Rockies’ roster out spring training in 2021. He was, however, soon called up by the Rockies, making his first appearance in relief May 1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. He has appeared in 94 games for the Rockies in 2021-22, almost entirely as a relief pitcher, with five wins and a stellar 3.78 earned run average per game, often in the unforgiving confines of Coors Field in Denver. In March 2023, he underwent Tommy John surgery to restore stability and range of motion to his arm. All signs point to a return to the Rockies in May. 

Lucas Gilbreath and his wife Kelsey live in Thornton, Colo., and are expecting a child in September. They are active in A Precocious Child, an organization that helps disadvantaged children and their families in connecting with needed resources, services, opportunities and educational support. They also have two rescue dogs and are active with Paws 4 Life, an animal rescue in Denver. 

“When I see him pitch at Coors Field, or in places like Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles or Wrigley Field in Chicago, it is all still so surreal. I thought he would have a great career if he just made it to double-A ball (minor leagues), but he’s made the jump and all signs are positive for his return from the surgery,” Chris Gilbreath added.