Breaking down Rockies' opening-day roster ahead of first tilt with Diamondbacks | MLB Insider

In his MLB Insider, Denver Gazette beat writer Luke Zahlmann takes you around the Rockies and MLB:

The Rockies are facing the franchise’s biggest test in 2024.

Never before has the organization, which has also never won a division title in its 30-year history, entered a season on the heels of 100 losses. And they’ll be doing so after 103.

Members throughout the organization touted the number as a basement — a low they hope will never be seen again, just as it had never been seen before despite years of struggling rosters. With the end of spring training nearing, the group tasked with improving last year’s outcomes is coming into focus.

Here’s a breakdown of the Rockies, and what their future could hold.

Catchers: Elias Díaz, Jacob Stallings

Colorado’s problems are vast, but the catching position doesn’t project to be one in 2024.

The Rockies added veteran Jacob Stallings to take over backup duties for Austin Wynns (responsible for minus-0.2 wins above replacement in 2023). He holds the league’s record for consecutive games without a passed ball, but far too many have gotten past his bat in recent years.

Stallings was with the Marlins the last two seasons and hit .223 and .191 in each campaign. He has a 9-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in spring training, and figures to bring a much-needed, experienced approach to the plate and clubhouse. Just don’t expect an All-Star MVP to emerge like Elias Díaz.

The starter for Colorado became its first to accomplish the feat but fell off quickly after the Midsummer Classic. He hit .321 in the season’s first two months before strikeouts took over.

He carried a 23.6-percent strikeout rate in August before a 28.4-percent mark in the final month. And with the whiffs, his home runs fell from nine in the season’s first half to five in the second.

Stallings’ arrival may give more rest time for Díaz — he finished fourth in games played (141) among major-league catchers — and help him better results. If nothing else, the former Pittsburgh Pirate teammates will be a shoulder to lean on for one another.

Infield: 1B/DH Kris Bryant, 2B Brendan Rodgers, 3B Ryan McMahon, SS Ezequiel Tovar

Defense is the calling card of Colorado’s infield, even if the organization wishes it was the other side.

Tovar, fresh off signing an extension, is the leader after being a finalist for the Gold Glove at shortstop in 2023. And he did so as a rookie.

Beside him is 2022 Gold Glove winner Brendan Rodgers, and three-time Gold Glove finalist at third, Ryan McMahon. The team is projected to have one of the league’s five-best infield units defensively, but it failed to make up for the offensive deficiencies in 2023.

McMahon set the franchise’s single-season strikeout record (198); Tovar had a rookie-record-tying 37 doubles but was second in strikeouts (166) and Rodgers missed most of the season with a shoulder injury suffered in spring training. Bryant’s addition to the group came after his battles with injuries and presents a wildcard in the group.

At its peak potential, the unit can be counted on for near-unanimous Gold Glove defense, and a presence in the middle of the lineup. At its floor, the strikeout-heavy group can place an even heavier burden on Nolan Jones and Charlie Blackmon to produce at the plate.

Outfield: LF Nolan Jones, CF Brenton Doyle, RF/DH Charlie Blackmon

Led by a franchise pillar in Blackmon, the Rockies boast likely their most exciting group in the outfield.

Choruses of The Outfield’s “Your Love,” will once again play as Blackmon leads off, but Jones and Brenton Doyle beside him offer a look into Colorado’s future.

Jones became the first Rockies’ rookie to accumulate a 20-home run, 20-steal season as a rookie, and serves as the franchise’s offensive face of the future. Blackmon will hold the mantle in 2024 after a one-year extension, but any projected success beyond this year will fall on Jones’ shoulders.

Doyle offers possibly the roster’s biggest wild card.

His strikeout rate (35 percent) was the highest single-season mark in franchise history among hitters with at least 400 plate appearances. But he won a Gold Glove as a rookie and presents the highest defensive ceiling of any center fielder in franchise history.

The Rockies made a concerted effort in spring training to run, and Doyle had a team-high 22 steals in 126 games in 2023. His ability to get on base would only help the movement and his long-term staying power in the Colorado outfield.

Designated hitter: 1B/DH Elehuris Montero

The designated hitter spot will be a shared one, but  Montero figures to open the season there.

As one of the key pieces received for Nolan Arenado, Montero has fallen short of expectations in his Colorado career. The power has been there in spurts thanks to 17 home runs in 138 games, but his 171 strikeouts in the same span are conversely alarming.

Fielding is also an issue for Montero and forced him to move from third base to first. Even there, his struggles have made the designated hitter spot one of his last remaining avenues to contribute, and his last chance to avoid waivers without any minor-league options remaining.

Spring training results, though sometimes misleading, signal his strikeout issues haven’t been resolved. A stint in the Dominican Winter League preceded an exhibition slate with 18 strikeouts and just three walks in 59 at-bats.

Bryant and Blackmon will see regular time in the spot. The switch will come as a concerted effort to keep the veterans healthy, and Montero will see time at first base, too, because of it.

Bench: OF/1B Michael Toglia, OF/1B Jake Cave, IF Alan Trejo

Toglia was the story of Rockies’ spring training and was rewarded with a roster spot over Sean Bouchard because of it.

The switch-hitter offers the Rockies flexibility, both with hitting handedness and his ability to play in the outfield — a skill Elehuris Montero, who will be the club’s designated hitter, does not. Jake Cave offers Colorado another player at the same position and a departure from Greg Jones who was added in a trade for pitcher Joe Rock last week.

Jones offers more versatility and can play center field and shortstop if needed. The Rockies brought in Cave because he strikes out at half the rate, without much added production to show for it.

Colorado is hoping the winner of the Doyle backup spot can produce, or else another high-usage season awaits the youngster.

Starting rotation: LHP Kyle Freeland, RHP Cal Quantrill, LHP Austin Gomber, RHP Ryan Feltner, RHP Dakota Hudson

Rotation stalwart Freeland has looked “better than ever” according to manager Bud Black, and he’ll be tasked with leading a rotation filled with question marks.

The Rockies added Quantrill in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians and have high expectations for the five-year starter. He carried a 5.24 earned run average in 2023 but had marks of 2.89 and 3.38 in previous seasons.

Colorado is counting on a bounceback.

“When we acquired Cal, you’re hoping he can get back to 2022 with 180 innings,” general manager Bill Schmidt said after the trade. “He was healthy at the end of (last) year, so that gives you optimism.”

Dakota Hudson was another addition and posted a 4.20 ERA in five spring training starts. His 4.98 ERA with the Cardinals in 2023 doesn’t inspire confidence, but a former top-prospect billing and 2.63-ERA rookie season do.

The Rockies are counting on increased health, too, after seeing each member of their 2023 rotation hit the injured list during the year. A lot of “ifs” stand to be answered for Colorado, and aiding the club’s bullpen will be imperative after the unit was overworked a season ago.

Bullpen: LHP Jalen Beeks, RHP Peter Lambert, RHP Nick Mears, RHP Anthony Molina, RHP Jake Bird, RHP Victor Vodnik, RHP Tyler Kinley, RHP Justin Lawrence

The Rockies’ bullpen mirrors their rotation: full of question marks.

Beeks is the team’s lone leftie as Lucas Gilbreath continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery and Evan Justice hones in his high-velocity arsenal with the Isotopes. Ty Blach is also an option but was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque after Lambert won the team’s long-relief role, and failed to grab a rotation spot.

Lawrence and Kinley will split closing duties in most instances, but the former will get more after handling the role for a portion of 2023. Daniel Bard’s eventual return from a knee scope could change that, too.

Bird is one of the bullpen’s few sure things after leading the majors in relief innings (84⅓). The Rockies hope his first-half ERA (3.42) continues, rather than his second-half mark (5.82) which was, in part, because of his high usage.

What I'm hearing: 

-- Tovar’s extension was a swift one and a product of Colorado’s confidence in the 22-year-old Venezuelan.

Schmidt spoke with media on Tuesday and said the seven-year, $63.5 extension came together in the last week. Both sides, Tovar’s agency and the Rockies, had a desire for the deal, and terms came together quickly.

“We believe in him,” Schmidt said. “What he has a chance to be down the road, and what he is currently. He has the chance to be a very good player.

“It’s somebody we envision building around.”

Schmidt credited 2023 International Scout of the Year Rolando Fernandez for his initial report on then-15-year-old Tovar. He was a Gold Glove finalist as a rookie in 2023 and hit .253 in 153 games.

Colorado thinks he’s just getting started.

What I'm seeing: 

-- Charlie Condon is a dawg, and Georgia likes it that way.

The Bulldogs’ first baseman, a redshirt sophomore and former preferred walk-on hit three home runs in one day against Alabama last week and hit three in one game earlier in the year against Michigan State.

Condon helped Georgia to a three-game sweep over the Crimson Tide, and his three long balls came in a Saturday doubleheader.

In two seasons with Georgia, Condon has hit 42 home runs in 81 games to rise to fourth in MLB.com’s 2024 MLB Draft rankings.

-- Shohei Ohtani’s two-way exploits have taken the league by storm, and Florida’s Jac Caglianone is hoping to follow in his footsteps.

The left-handed Gators pitcher also plays first base and mans the designated hitter spot regularly. He spent 2023 finding a rhythm on the mound again after Tommy John surgery and sports a 1.65 ERA across five starts in 2024.

At the plate, Caglianone has hit 11 home runs with a .394 average in 23 games so far. The versatility has him ranked No. 5 in MLB.com’s draft rankings, and the 6-foot-5 leftie could rise even higher as the year goes.

Ohtani may be just the start of a baseball revolution

Minor League Minute

-- Baltimore top prospect Jackson Holliday and Texas’ Wyatt Langford shined in spring training but were met with different opening-day-roster fates.

Holliday was sent back to the minors after hitting .311 in 45 at-bats with the Orioles. Langford was conversely awarded with a major-league spot after hitting .365 with six home runs in 63 at-bats.

“Because of how fast Jackson's moved and his lack of professional experience — I think he's only played like 18 games in Triple-A, in particular — he hasn't faced a ton of major league-quality, or even Triple-A-quality, left-handed pitching," Orioles general manager Mike Elias told reporters. "That's something that's going to be thrust in his face when he's in the American League East, whether that's as a starter or the reliever they bring in to match up against him in the seventh inning."

The top prospect figures to have a short wait for a promotion, and presents a potential superstar for Baltimore which led the AL in wins last season.

During the wait, Langford figures to produce plenty of highlights in a loaded, defending-champion lineup.

Rockies 6, Brewers 1

What happened: The Rockies ended their spring training schedule with an opening-day lineup, and thanks to runs in four consecutive innings, saw the final effort pay off with a win.

On the mound: Ryan Feltner made his final start a clean one. He struck out six across four scoreless innings and allowed four hits. He didn’t allow more than one earned run in any of his final three starts. Matt Koch, Victor Vodnik, Riley Pint and Seth Halvorsen each contributed a scoreless frame, too.

At the plate: Nolan Jones made an early, and midway impact. He started Colorado’s scoring with a third-inning sacrifice fly before lofting a run-scoring single into Milwaukee’s outfield later on as part of a 1-for-2 day. Ezequiel Tovar also made multiple contributions and drove in a run with a fourth-inning double. Colorado saw 11 hitters contribute to its 14 total hits in the win.

What’s next: Colorado Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, NR) at Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Zac Gallen, NR) at 8:10 p.m. on Thursday for opening day at Chase Field (Rockies.tv).