Sean Keeler: Say it ain’t so, NoJo! For all the guff we give Bill Schmidt and the Rockies front office, one of the more pleasant scout-’em-and-steal-’em scenarios in recent years has been the acquisition of outfielder/barrel-on-ball machine Nolan Jones — which felt like an outright theft from the Cleveland Guardians last season, am I right? Sadly, Rockies karma never sleeps, so naturally, the guy fouls a pitch off his right knee over the weekend. It sounds as if it’s just a serious bruise, saints be praised. But the Rockies also didn’t waste any time covering their corner outfield bases just in case — trading for another left-handed-hitting AL Central alum in ex-Twins prospect Jake Cave on Sunday. All of which got me thinking (which is dangerous, I’ll grant you): What if NoJo, who hit 20 bombs, stole 20 bases and became one of the great-under-the radar finds in baseball last summer, can’t go for any extended length of time this season? Who’s your “Plan B” projected Rockies Most Valuable Player for 2024 then?
Troy Renck: “Most valuable” remains subjective and becomes more difficult when a team stinks. But baseball is a series of solo performances in a concert. It is, in many ways, an individual sport. And no sport makes it easier to define a player through numbers. It is for this reason I land on Ezequiel Tovar as the team’s best player. For starters, he’s a steady shortstop, which provides unique value. Secondly, he boasts power and a new longterm contract. He is the future face of the franchise. And the 21-year-old should prove it this year by hitting .280 with 20 home runs and a summer of glove at Coors Field.
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Keeler: The ceiling for this team is pretty much as high as Ezequiel Tovar can lift it — but that’s a lot of pressure to put on a 21-year-old shortstop, even for a kid with that much sheer talent across the board. I mean, if we’re talking MVPs, it should be Kris Bryant every year, right? But then again, it should’ve been KB in ’23. And the season before that. Even if the guy’s heart is in it, his body and health are too dang capricious to assume even 100 games played, when it’s all said and done. I think that Charlie Blackmon’s still got enough left in the tank and that second baseman Brendan Rodgers has another gear. Kyle Freeland is a bulldog, and it stinks that German Marquez is a half-season pitcher as a best-case scenario. But if it’s my nickel, I’m hitching my backup wagon to a guy as certain as a drunken fan escaping Coors Field security along the first-base line: Ryan McMahon.
Renck: Ryan McMahon is intriguing. He always is. But he typically endures a six-week offensive abyss that makes his overall numbers disappointing. He is smoother than left-out butter at third base. He plays every day. He is reliable. But that does not make him most valuable. His own GM called him an “average player,” declaring they need more from McMahon. He hit .240 with 23 home runs last season. Can he reach .270 with 30 home runs? Then you’ve got something.
Keeler: With me and RyMac, it’s easy — stone-cold consistency. Get this: Since 2021, the Rockies third baseman has appeared in 151, then 153, then 152 games. He’s hit 23, then 20, then 23 homers. He’s knocked in 86, then 67, then 70 runs. He’s walked 59, then 60, then 68 times. He’s posted OPS figures of .779, then .741, then .753. He’s totaled single-season WAR figures, per Baseball Reference, of 3.9, then 3.1, then 2.9. Can me boring if you like, my man. But I call McMahon Mr. Dependable.
Renck: I don’t see it with McMahon. I love that you are thinking outside the batter’s box, but it doesn’t mean you are right. If Tovar feels the pressure of his new deal and backslides — he would not be the first player to experience a sophomore slump — then I go back to Rodgers, Jones or Freeland. It should be Kris Bryant. But I don’t see it. Not after all the injuries. I am also not worried about Jones’ knee until I have to be. He is an athletic marvel and could post a 30-home run, 100-RBI season. Rodgers has All-Star potential. However, if he has a strong first half, I would trade him for pitching. If the Rockies are to avoid 100 losses, it starts with their arms. While Tovar, Jones and McMahon all are strong candidates for MVP, Freeland rebounding like Dennis Rodman would provide more optimism about not only this season, but also the future.
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