Colorado Rockies 2024 offseason preview: Can the team find the pitching to pair with a developing lineup?

Fred Zinkie
Brenton Doyle leads the group of young Rockies hitters who made progress this season. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Brenton Doyle leads the group of young Rockies hitters who made progress this season. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

2024 season: Eliminated Sept. 3, last in NL West

Let's take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Colorado Rockies, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: White Sox & Marlins

A handful of position players took steps forward. The most notable improvement came from Brenton Doyle, who followed his Gold Glove 2023 season by making offensive strides with his strikeout and walk rates. The end result was a 20-20 player who also reached base at a solid rate. As is typical with Colorado players, Doyle did most of his damage at Coors Field.

Meanwhile, Ezequiel Tovar showed improved power skills that complemented his exceptional defensive play. The 23-year-old also deserves credit for logging balanced home/road splits. Tovar’s double-play partner, Brendan Rodgers, was also a bright spot, as he recovered from an injury-plagued 2023 and reclaimed his spot near the heart of the team’s lineup. Finally, Michael Toglia became an imposing power hitter during his first extended major-league trial.

Nolan Jones couldn’t stay healthy, as a nagging back injury led to two IL stints that cost him roughly 2.5 months of the season. When he was in the lineup, Jones looked nothing like the man who hit .297 while reaching the 20-20 plateau in 2023. Kris Bryant joined Jones as Rockies regulars who were felled by injury, and for Bryant, this has become a recurring theme. The 32-year-old logged three IL stints and has now played in less than half of the Rockies’ games in the three seasons since he signed a seven-year, $182 million contract in March 2022.

Even though pitching is usually the Achilles’ heel for the Rockies, this season was worse than most. The team finished last in the majors in ERA by a wide margin, with even the historically bad White Sox faring better than Colorado on the mound. While it’s easy to blame Coors Field for the pitching problems, the Rockies were also last in ERA on the road.

Colorado has many of the pieces in place for a respectable lineup. The infield is set with Toglia (first base), Rodgers (second base), Ryan McMahon (third base) and Tovar (shortstop) all signed for next season. Doyle will again patrol center field, and it’s reasonable to expect Jones to enjoy a healthier, more productive season in left.

With Charlie Blackmon set to hit free agency, the team has the option to use Bryant at DH and hope the reduced workload helps him stay in the lineup. And there is optimism at catcher, as Drew Romo seems ready to at least be part of a platoon. Romo fared well in Triple-A this year (.838 OPS) and joined the team after Elias Díaz was released in August. Jacob Stallings, who has a mutual option for 2025, could work in tandem with Romo after having an effective age-34 season.

Right field is the spot where the team is most likely to invest via free agency. Jordan Beck (more on him later) could be the solution, but depending on Beck feels overly optimistic. Anthony Santander would be a fabulous free-agent prize, but he will command a lucrative contract. Max Kepler is another option and will be more attainable on a reasonable deal.

The Rockies don’t have much pitching talent, but they have four innings-eaters under contract for 2025 in Cal Quantrill, Kyle Freeland, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner. Still, pitching remains the team’s biggest need by a wide margin, in both the rotation and the bullpen. Convincing high-end free agents to make half their appearances at Coors Field is always a challenge, which means Rockies management might have to settle for lesser names on the open market or explore trade options.

Colorado sits near the middle of the pack in terms of the current talent in the minors. 3B/OF Charlie Condon, the third pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, is the jewel of the Rockies’ system, but he’s unlikely to reach the majors in 2025.

Immediate help should come in the form of three outfielders: Beck, Zac Veen and Yanquiel Fernández. Beck has looked overmatched in a pair of brief major-league trials but has strong numbers in the minors and could open 2025 on the Rockies’ roster. Veen was the ninth pick in the 2020 MLB Draft but has been limited by injuries in recent years and should spend most of 2025 in Triple-A. Fernández, a native Cuban who signed with the team in 2019, is on a similar trajectory as Veen and could debut next summer.

Second baseman Adael Amador is another prospect of note, and he’ll have more time to develop, as he sits behind Rodgers on the organizational depth chart. Like Beck, Amador struggled during a cup of coffee with Colorado this year.

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Until the Rockies figure out their pitching situation, they’ll be far from a postseason berth. And with most of their projected rotation members hovering around age 30, there’s little chance that the current cast of characters will soon take a sizable step forward. Additionally, the lack of immediate pitching help developing in the minors is notable. The combination of these factors means general manager Bill Schmidt will need to look outside his organization for pitching help — or else resign himself to his team remaining in the rebuilding phase for a while longer.

So far, the team has resisted the urge to embark on a full teardown, which would involve trading position players such as McMahon and Doyle. Another year finishing last in the majors in ERA could force the Rockies in that direction.

Fantasy managers will always be obsessed with hitters who play their home games at Coors Field, which will make Doyle a coveted player in 2025 drafts. And many managers will be willing to take a chance on a bounce-back season from Jones. Finally, Tovar, McMahon and Rodgers will all be useful picks in the second half of drafts, especially in leagues with daily transactions, which will allow managers to start that trio for all home games but only some road contests.

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