Final Rockies Spring Training Update

With Spring Training coming to an end, there is more to celebrate other than Opening Day. Things like extensions, trades, and big names to look forward to in this upcoming season. So let's get started, because this is one of the most exciting times of the year.

The best headline the Rockies had this offseason came just days before the offseason ended with the announcement of the Tovar extension. On March 24th, the Rockies and their young shortstop Ezequiel Tovar agreed to a seven-year, up to $84 million contract extension that does include a club option for the 2031 season. Tovar was one of the few bright spots for the Rockies last year, including tying Helton's rookie record for most doubles by a rookie in franchise history with 37. He was also a finalist for the Gold Glove award with a .988 fielding percentage which broke the MLB shortstop rookie record held by the Rockies own 2007 Troy Tulowitzki. Not to mention the 15 home runs he hit was more than he hit in 2022 with the minor league clubs. This deal had the Rockies future in mind, and it brought them a little closer to a winning recipe.

When it comes to offseason additions, the Rockies have never really been a spending team. The same thing could be said for this past offseason too, but they did make a trio of trades. They brought in starting pitcher Cal Quantrill from Cleveland back in November for catcher Kody Huff, SS/OF Greg Jones while sending prospect pitcher Joe Rock to Tampa, and CF Jake Cave from Philadelphia to try and add some more lefty power. They also signed OF Bradley Zimmer and brought back Sam Hilliard. Zimmer had himself a solid spring hitting .378 with six extra base hits and a .985 OPS, however, he was released after the Jake Cave trade. Hilliard on the other hand struggled having only five hits in 29 at bats. Four of those hits were doubles though, and with Hilliard being younger than Zimmer, they decided to option Hilliard to Triple-A.

The young hitting core is looking to take their game to the next level this season, and give a glimpse of what’s to come. Players like Brenton Doyle and Elehuris Montero are looking for stats increases, while Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant look to stay healthy through the season. Blackmon and Bryant combined for 148 combined missed games in 2023, and with Chuck on possibly his last contract, and Bryant on a hot seat, a healthy season would do them both some good.

Nolan Jones and Ryan McMahon will be raking from the left side of the plate this year after combing for 43 home runs last year. On the field, McMahon brought his error total down from 17, to 13 on his way to another Gold Glove nominee, and Jones led the league with 19 outfield assists, which was the most in a season since 2012, when Jeff Francoeur also had 19. Both Alan Trejo and Michael Toglia will be filling bench spots to start the season, while Sean Bouchard will start with the Isotopes after hitting .205 this spring.

As for the start of the regular season, the Rockies current ace Kyle Freeland will be making his 3rd Opening Day start to tie German Marquez for most in club history. He will be going up against the defending NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks and Cy Young candidate, Zac Gallen. That is no easy task, but through 19 innings this spring, Freeland only gave up five runs on 16 hits and ended with a 2.37 ERA and a 2-0 record. Could we be seeing the return of 2018 K-Free? Is the bullpen also able to hold a lower ERA this year with a returning Kinley and the eventual return of Lucas Gilbreath? Will the final bullpen spot filler Victor Vodnik be able to sustain the callup before needing more AAA time? We’ll have to find out if the pitching can take a step in the right direction this year.

There is a lot to look forward to with this Rockies team, and it all starts with the first pitch from Chase Field at 8:10 Mountain Time streaming live on Rockies.TV. Now, it’s time to enjoy some baseball, and let’s play ball!