With the Rockies’ season set to begin Friday on the road against Tampa Bay, here is The Denver Post’s projection for Colorado’s opening day 26-man roster, from the no-brainers to the bubble picks. Due to Austin Gomber’s shoulder injury, Colorado will open the season with a four-man rotation and nine-man bullpen.
Infielders
3B Ryan McMahon: RyMac made his first All-Star team last year, but bombed in the second half with a .188 average. He’s hit at least 20 homers four seasons in a row. He’s a four-time Gold Glove finalist but needs to cut down on his strikeouts significantly.
2B/SS/3B Kyle Farmer: Colorado signed the versatile Farmer to a one-year deal. He’s a career .250 hitter who will provide solid defense at three infield spots, and the opening day second baseman. Had three strong seasons from ’21-’23 before a down year with the Twins.
2B/3B/1B Owen Miller: With would-be starting second baseman Thairo Estrada out with a broken right wrist suffered late in spring training, Farmer will be the starter at second, and Miller behind him. Or, the Rockies could look externally for an option to back up Farmer.
SS Ezequiel Tovar: After winning his first Gold Glove last year and just missing out on his first All-Star nod, the Rockies expect another leap out of Tovar. The Venezuelan has the talent to top his .269 average last year, especially if he cuts down on his club-record 200 strikeouts.
1B Michael Toglia: With a sure-handed glove at first base, Colorado expects Toglia to be an anchor in a defensively elite infield. If the 2019 first-round pick can cut down on strikeouts (147 last year), the evolving power is there, as evidenced by 25 homers in ’24.
Designated hitter
1B/OF Kris Bryant: When he’s not the DH, Bryant will mostly serve as Toglia’s backup at first. After three ugly, injury-riddled seasons in LoDo, Bryant must prove his back can stay healthy. With just 17 homers overall with the club, Colorado needs more power from him.
Outfielders
CF Brenton Doyle: He’s proven himself as one of the best center fielders in the game with consecutive Gold Gloves. After sniffing the All-Star game last year, Doyle could make the Midsummer Classic in ’25 if he keeps growing as a hitter.
RF/LF Zac Veen: The first-round pick from 2020 has dealt with injuries over the past couple of years, and needs consistent at-bats to start to realize his potential. But he played well enough in spring training to warrant a shot, even as he’ll need time to settle into the bigs.
INF/OF Tyler Freeman: The Rockies traded Nolan Jones back to Cleveland in exchange for Freeman, who can play center, shortstop, second and third. Freeman doesn’t have the power Jones does, with 11 homers in 206 career games, but is defensively versatile.
LF/RF Sean Bouchard: After a decent performance in part-time showings across ’22 and ’23, Bouchard struggled to hit last season, batting .187 in 31 games. But he draws lots of walks, and he showed well enough in spring training to merit a spot as a fourth outfielder.
RF/LF Nick Martini: Signed as a free agent on a minor league deal before spring training, Martini provides a veteran bat off the bench. He spent 2022 in Korea, then the last two seasons with the Reds on a part-time basis. He’s athletic and gets on base at a decent clip.
Catchers
Jacob Stallings: After a solid ’24 in which Stallings played better than incumbent starter Elias Diaz, the Rockies re-signed him to a one-year deal. He’s developed a good rapport with the pitchers, and set career highs last year in average (.263) and OPS (.810).
Hunter Goodman: The versatile Goodman can also play corner outfield, first base and DH. He showed flashes offensively last season despite a .190 average, as he hit 13 homers in 70 games. Colorado hopes Goodman can cut down on K’s and hit for even more power.
Starting Rotation
LHP Kyle Freeland: The Thomas Jefferson High alum struggled at times in ’24, and suffered an elbow strain. He finished with a 5.24 ERA but pitched much better in mid-summer. The hope is Freeland can anchor the rotation and keep the Rockies in most games he pitches.
RHP Ryan Feltner: Feltner was Colorado’s best starter in the second half, posting a 3.00 ERA in 11 starts. Part of that was because he started trusting his curveball more amid his six-pitch mix. If last September is any indication (1.78 ERA), he’s on the right track.
RHP Antonio Senzatela: In three September starts after returning from Tommy John surgery, Senzatela had a 6.57 ERA. The hope is “Senza” can return to being a decent middle- or back-rotation starter, as he was when he posted a 3.44 ERA in 2020.
RHP German Marquez: Since the All-Star Game in 2021, Marquez’s stock has plummeted. He had Tommy John in ’23, missing most of that season, and ’24, when he returned to pitch one game before a stress reaction shut him down. The Rockies need “Easy Cheese” to return.
Bullpen
LHP Scott Alexander: The Rockies added the southpaw to the bullpen on a one-year deal in February. The 11th-year veteran has a 3.20 ERA in 328 games (13 starts) with four teams. He was effective last season with the A’s, putting up a 2.56 ERA in 45 appearances.
RHP Jake Bird: After emerging as a workhorse in ’23 by appearing in 70 games, Bird was limited to 35 appearances last year with elbow and groin injuries. He posted a 4.50 ERA and lefties lit him up with a .304 average, but he finished strong with a 2.31 ERA in the final month.
RHP Seth Halvorsen: The 2023 seventh-round pick made a quick rise through the minors that culminated in his debut late last season. He impressed in a small sample size with a 1.46 ERA in 12 games. He can crank up the fastball to triple-digits and there’s lots of K in there.
RHP Tyler Kinley: After being virtually untouchable in ’22 with a 0.75 ERA in 25 games, Kinley got hurt and hasn’t been able to rediscover that shutdown consistency. He posted a 6.06 ERA in a brief ’23, then a 6.19 ERA in 67 games last year. Colorado hopes his stability returns.
LHP Luis Peralta: Acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh for Jalen Beeks last July, Peralta dazzled in his late-season debut with a 0.73 ERA in 15 games. His rookie status is still intact, and he has a mid-90s fastball with a curveball. A southpaw with extremely high potential.
RHP Angel Chivilli: The Dominican debuted last year with a 4.55 ERA in 30 games. He was especially effective away from Coors Field, limiting hitters to a .119 average while posting a 1.38 ERA in 13 games. If he can bring that to LoDo, he could be a force.
RHP Jimmy Herget: Claimed off waivers from the Cubs in the offseason, Herget enters his seventh year in the bigs. He has a 3.54 ERA in 129 games. A shoulder issue limited him to just eight games with Atlanta last year, but healthy again, he could provide stability.
RHP Bradley Blalock: Because southpaw starter Austin Gomber is likely to start the season on the injured list due to a shoulder issue, Blalock will be tabbed as the long reliever out of the bullpen. He struggled in his brief tenure with Colorado in ’24 (6.07 ERA in six starts).
RHP Victor Vodnik: After being acquired in a deadline trade with the Braves in 2023, Vodnik’s made a good impression in Colorado. The hard-throwing righty had a 4.28 ERA in 64 games in ’24, showing growth. Vodnik, Halvorsen and Kinley are Colorado’s possible closers.