Rebuild. Renovation. Renewal. Redevelopment.
Call it whatever you wish; the Rockies are working from the ground up to become relevant again.
But after six consecutive losing campaigns capped by back-to-back 100-loss seasons, there are glimmers of hope at 20th and Blake. And it starts with a youth movement that hints at a potential breakthrough in 2025.
To be even more specific, it starts with the triad of shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, center fielder Brenton Doyle and first baseman Michael Toglia.
“That’s three pretty good players to start with,” said Doyle, the 26-year-old two-time Gold Glove winner.
All three turned a corner in 2024.
Toglia found the power bat that was promised when he was drafted out of UCLA in 2019. Tovar turned his glove golden and bat productive in a promising sophomore season. And nobody in the National League played better than Doyle during a red-hot July that revealed a complete player waiting to break out.
Take their development a step or two further, and they can be the cornerstones of a Rockies rebound at Coors Field.
“I have always admired the Rockies’ ability to develop position players,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Guys like Charlie Blackmon, (Trevor) Story, Nolan Arenado, D.J. (LeMahieu) and CarGo (Carlos Gonzalez). I think this is their next wave of great young players.
“It’s not just potential. Those three, especially Tovar and Doyle, have shown the ability to go out and compete at a high level.”
Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt is reluctant to single out three players as the key to Colorado’s planned redemption, but he understands the importance of Doyle, Tovar and Toglia. With those three as the foundation, a path to competitiveness in the rough-and-tumble NL West is finally materializing.
“There are others — young starters and relievers,” he said. “If we get the 2023 version of (left fielder) Nolan Jones, he fits right in there. But those three guys, in terms of the age group, those guys do stand out.”
Brenton Doyle, The Athlete
Doyle, a muscular 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, doesn’t sprint across the most enormous outfield in the majors; he glides.
“He’s a pleasure to watch,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “And he’s a key for (the Rockies). It’s important to have a good center fielder, even in a pitcher’s park like ours (Petco Park). But at a park like Coors Field, having a good center fielder is vital. He does it all. He’s got instincts and takes the right routes and angles. He’s got a strong arm. He’s the real deal.”
Last year, Doyle became the first outfielder in National League history to win a Gold Glove in his first two major league seasons. In 2023, he became the first NL rookie outfielder to win the award.
Ryan Spilborghs, a former Rockies outfielder who now works on the team’s television crew, says Doyle is already the best defensive center fielder in franchise history.
“What sets Doyle apart is that he flies,” Spilborghs said. “He covers more ground than anyone before him with the Rockies by running great routes. That makes him extremely efficient going after the baseball, like a Pro Bowl wide receiver.
“He also plays shallow, which allows him to get the soft contact hits in front of him, which is the true separator at Coors.”
According to Baseball Savant, Doyle ranks among baseball’s best in sprint speed (94th percentile), range (98%) and arm strength (99%).
But Doyle wasn’t close to being a complete player, let alone a franchise cornerstone, until he improved his offense. As a rookie in 2023, he slashed .203/.250/.343 and hit 10 home runs. His 34.9% strikeout rate was the highest in the majors (minimum 400 plate appearances).
Doyle responded by retooling his swing during the offseason. Last season, he slashed .260/.317/.446 and reduced his strikeout rate to 25.4%. He hit 23 homers, 24 doubles, and 30 bases, becoming one of four players in Rockies history to equal or surpass those numbers in a season, joining Larry Walker (1997), Dante Bichette (’96), and Ellis Burks (’96).
“I’m very proud of Brenton,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It’s not easy to make changes at this level. Guys’ skills have got them this far, so sometimes they think they don’t need to change. But Brenton embraced it and worked at it. It’s made him a better offensive player.”
At no point was that transformation more evident than during a sizzling July that saw him hit .333 with a 1.94 OPS, 11 homers, seven doubles, one triple and 27 RBIs in 24 games. Doyle was named National League Player of the Month, becoming the Rockies’ first player-of-the-month winner since C.J. Cron in August 2021.
“He’s a difference-maker,” Shildt said. “And he’s going to keep getting better with the bat.”
The Rockies certainly hope so.
Doyle will hit leadoff, as franchise icon Charlie Blackmon did so well in 2017-18, the last time the Rockies made the playoffs. Blackmon hit 37 homers and drove in 103 runs from the top of the order in 2017. Doyle wants to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, who retired after the 2024 season, with his name prominent throughout the franchise’s record book.
“I think that’s good for my career, and I know how well ‘Chuck’ did there (leading off),” Doyle said. “I’ve talked to him about it. Leadoff is a very crucial position in the lineup and I think it’s going to be fun to hit there.”
Blackmon played his entire career in Colorado. Doyle would like to become a franchise icon, too. The Rockies have had internal discussions about signing him to a long-term contract and bypassing arbitration, but nothing has materialized yet.
“I would love to be a foundation piece for this organization,” Doyle said. “When I got drafted in 2019, I knew I was a homegrown player. To be here long-term with some security would be awesome.”
Ezequiel Tovar, The Old Soul
Tovar, of course, already has that long-term security.
The native of Maracay, Venezuela, began playing pro baseball at age 16. He married his wife, Laura, when he was 20. He became a father to his son, Luciano, when he was 21. And he signed a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension last March at age 22.
Tovar shrugged when asked about his adult approach to life and baseball.
“That’s how I was raised,” he said through interpreter Edwin Perez. “As a (major league player), we have a lot of responsibility, so we have to be mature.”
Rolando Fernandez, Colorado’s vice president of international scouting and development, was impressed when he first saw Tovar at 14.
“When he was young, Ezequiel showed a lot of baseball IQ and instincts,” Fernandez said. “And he was very professional for such a young kid. When we scouted him, we knew he was mature beyond his years. But in reality, we didn’t know how advanced he was.”
They know now.
Tovar won his first Gold Glove last season, becoming the youngest shortstop to win the award in National League history. He led the NL with 45 doubles, hit a team-high 26 homers and ranked second in the league with 75 extra-base hits.
“I think he’s one of the most — no, make that the most underrated player in the league,” Doyle said. “He doesn’t get a lot of attention, but the sky is the limit for that kid.”
But those in the know know Tovar.
“He’s a born hitter,” Lovullo said. “He can pick the ball at short as well as anybody. He’s an anchor that I’m sure the Rockies are counting on for a long time.”
Tovar’s nine defensive runs saved ranked fourth among MLB shortstops last season, and his 11.2 UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) was the third-highest among all qualified position players. He ranked second among MLB shortstops with a .988 fielding percentage.
“He’s just so steady, that’s the thing that stands out to me,” Black said. “There are shortstops who might be naturally flashier, but ultimately, every manager, coach and teammate knows that when a play has to be made, it has to be made. That’s what ‘Tovie’ does.”
But Black quickly added: “There’s a wow play in there, too.”
The tall and lanky Troy Tulowitzki made the jump throw from the hole between short and third better than any shortstop in Rockies history. Quick-footed Trevor Story was adept at vacuuming up the baseball and making a spinning throw to first. Black said Tovar is spectacular when charging an infield grounder.
“Those are tough plays because you’re on the run, and if the ball doesn’t take a big hop — thigh-high, shin-high — it’s tough,” Black said. “When the ball stays down, that’s a tough play. It takes an athlete to make it. Tovar makes that play as well as anybody I’ve ever seen.”
Tovar said that doesn’t come by happenstance.
“You have to have instinct, but it’s something I always practice,” he said. “You do the extraordinary plays in practice, over and over, so that it doesn’t surprise you in a game.”
Yet, for all that Tovar has already accomplished, his game has a significant flaw. He strikes out too much and doesn’t get on base enough. Last season, he became the first Rockies hitter to strike out 200 times. Yes, that came in a league-high 655 at-bats, but he walked only 23 times. His 62.3% swing rate was the highest in the majors.
Tovar knows he needs to be more selective. After a Cactus League game in February, he quickly said: “I got a walk today.”
If Tovar isn’t already a franchise cornerstone, he’s on his way to becoming one.
“He has to eliminate the chase, and I think he’ll do that,” Schmidt said. “He can be a very special player.”
Michael Toglia, The Golden Slugger
Rockies Hall of Fame first baseman Todd Helton is the ultimate foundational player. He played all 17 seasons of his career in Colorado. Since Helton retired in 2013, fans have asked, “Who’s the next Helton?”
The ultra-confident Toglia has an answer.
“I don’t want to have his career; I want to have my own,” the 26-year-old said. “I want it to be something that I build, not chasing his career.”
It’s taken time for Toglia to blossom.
Last season, he was on the Opening Day roster for the first time but was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on April 24. At the time, he led the Rockies with four home runs during their 6-18 start. But he was slashing .106/.143/.362 with a strikeout rate of 40.8% (20 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances).
His perseverance and self-belief paid off. Following his final recall to the majors on June 6, he slashed .232/.331/.470 in 100 games, tying for 10th in the NL in home runs (21) during that span and tying for third in walks (53).
And he posted up, starting 90 consecutive team games at first base through the end of the season, tied for the third-longest stretch in franchise history and the longest since Andrés Galarraga’s 90-game stretch from Aug. 6, 1999, to April 15, 1997.
“Staying resilient was a big thing for me,” he said. “Keeping that belief in myself, knowing I didn’t have to make a huge change to succeed at this level. Knowing that what got me here, what got me drafted, was enough. I have put in the work over the last five years, and I knew I could succeed.”
There was never a question that the 6-5, 230-pound Toglia was an elite defender.
“He can win a Gold Glove,” said Helton, a three-time winner. “You can see that. And he definitely has the potential to be an everyday first baseman for many years.”
As the GM’s special assistant, Helton has worked one-on-one with Toglia. He sees the hurdles that still need to be cleared.
“Every time I see him, I forget how big he is. He’s a big ol’ boy,” Helton said. “With that, he’s got so much power, but he needs to hit better. He needs to find a way to get on base more. He needs to find ways to move a runner. He needs to find a way to put the bat on the ball more and cut down on strikeouts.”
Overall, Toglia slashed .218/.311/.456 with 25 homers, three triples, 14 doubles, and 55 RBIs in 116 games. But he struck out at a 32.1% clip and hit just .156 with runners in scoring position.
Asked what he needs to do to cut down the K’s, Toglia was blunt: “Strike out less. That’s all it is. Put the ball in play more.”
Toglia had a 41.5 chase contact percentage, according to Baseball Savant. That’s well below the MLB average of 57.8%. (Chase contact measures the percentage of pitches outside the strike zone that a batter makes contact with).
On the plus side, Toglia gave the Rockies much-needed power on the road, hitting 17 homers away from Coors Field.
Toglia expects an overall improvement in 2025.
“I would say my preparation has gotten better,” Toglia said. “There’s a maturity there, and watching guys like Chuck (Blackmon) and studying his process and how he attacked a pitcher and did scouting reports helped me. After watching that over the last couple of years, I think I have a grasp of what (he was) doing.”
Toglia has yet to establish himself like Doyle and Tovar, but Black believes Toglia has the tools to become a cornerstone.
“No doubt he can become one because he’s an everyday player,” Black said. “He plays defense, he hits for power, he’s durable. He just needs improvement in incremental ways offensively.”
Five notable numbers for Rockies’ three positional pillars: Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, Michael Toglia
For the Rockies to turn the corner in 2025, they’ll need strong seasons out of three key positional players: center fielder Brenton Doyle, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and first baseman Michael Toglia. A look at five notable numbers for each player heading into the season.
Brenton Doyle
31: Dating back to 2023, Doyle’s outs above average are the most among all MLB outfielders.
2: Consecutive Gold Glove Awards; a third straight in ’25 would make him the active positional leader.
35: Doyle’s K percentage as a rookie. He cut that to 25.4 in ’24. Another substantial drop would be big.
52: Stolen bases through two seasons, including a team-high 30 last season using elite sprint speed.
19: Doyle’s whiff percentage in ’24, which ranked in the bottom fifth of baseball for all hitters.
Ezequiel Tovar
200: Strikeouts by Tovar in 2024, a Rockies record. Less Ks is imperative in ’25.
5: All-time shortstops, including Tovar, to have 45-plus doubles in a season before age 23.
26: Homers in ’24, a team best, as he flashed power reminiscent of Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story.
38.5: Launch angle sweet spot percentage by Tovar, among top 13% in MLB, hence his ’24 power surge.
.988: Fielding percentage over the past two seasons, which is second among all shortstops in that span.
Michael Toglia
32.1: The first baseman’s strikeout percentage in 2024, which ranked in the bottom 4% of baseball.
11.8: Toglia’s walk percentage in ’24, which ranked in the top 8% of baseball.
25: Homers last season; Toglia emerged as a much-needed power threat in his first full year as starter.
17.3: Barrel rate last season, up from 5.5% in ’23, and which ranked him in top 2% of baseball.
116: Games played by Toglia in ’24 after just 76 across his first two seasons; he solidified his job at first base.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.