Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.
Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.
Although I’m not expecting much from the Rockies this season, I do feel like there is a lot of young talent on this roster. So, out of the young guys who got significant playing time last year (Brenton Doyle, Michael Toglia, Ezequiel Tovar, Nolan Jones) and the young prospects who didn’t see a lot of MLB time (Jordan Beck, Drew Romo, etc.), who do you expect the biggest jump from and who will break out? Thanks, Patrick!
— Zach, Fort Collins
Zach, that is the multi-million-dollar question of this camp.
I will assume you’re asking about position players instead of pitching prospects such as Chase Dollander, Carson Palmquist and Zach Agnos.
Before spending time at spring training, I would have said Jordan Beck would be the breakout player. He still might be, but Zac Veen is the player who’s sparked my interest. Epic bat flip aside, he brings energy and fire to the team. He still makes some mistakes — he thought he’d hit a homer the other day and stopped to admire his handiwork before realizing it was a double — but he’s maturing. I hope the Rockies don’t try to rein him in too much. Let him color outside the lines once in a while.
I also think it’s a good sign that young players like Michael Toglia, Beck and Veen are a little ticked off that most people are writing off the Rockies already. They think they’re going to surprise a lot of pundits. We’ll see.
Patrick, I’m excited about Chase Dollander. I can’t remember a time we’ve ever had a pitching prospect so highly rated (I don’t think Ubaldo Jimenez ever had this kind of hype before reaching the majors). Do you think we’ll see Dollander on the opening day roster, and what do you think his ceiling will be?
— Colton, Parker
Colton, I’m excited, too. So are the Rockies. When Dollander made his Cactus League debut on Monday, it was clear that he’s special. His fastball jumps at hitters and his off-speed pitches are already polished.
So, yes, barring injury or a significant setback, I expect him to be in the rotation when the regular season begins. Why waste his talent in the minors if he’s ready to pitch and learn at the big-league level?
Plus, the Rockies are not watering down their expectations regarding Dollander, and that speaks volumes.
In some ways, Dollander reminds me of Jimenez, but Dollander’s delivery is simpler and more repeatable.
If you recall, there was a lot of hype around Jon Gray when the Rockies took him with the third pick in 2013, but he arrived as a powerful fastball-slider pitcher with much to learn. Dollander is far ahead of Gray at a similar stage of their careers.
Dollander has the talent to be the best starting pitcher in Rockies history. But there are so many variables — health, pitching at altitude, dealing with setbacks that are sure to come — that it’s far too early to say he’s going to be a true ace.
Will the Rockies ever consider trading from a surplus of prospects to progress more quickly in their rebuild? Right now they have Nolan Jones, Zac Veen, Yanquiel Fernandez, Jordan Beck, Benny Montgomery and others (including Charlie Condon) competing for two spots. It seems like an organization more confident in its player development and evaluation would pick one guy it really likes to hold onto and send the other four off for a high-impact, established slugger who can stick around for the other spot. Instead, the Rockies treat prospects like throwing spaghetti at a wall — they hope one player will be good, but prove to the league that the other guys won’t stick so that they no longer have any trade value. Do you see the Rockies ever proactively using prospect depth? Or will they continue to let them wash out at the major league level?
— Isaac Bowen, Fort Collins
Isaac, the short answer is yes. General manager Bill Schmidt has told me that he’s open to trading prospects if the right deal comes along and the timing is right.
While I understand your frustration with many of the Rockies’ moves (or non-moves) over the years, I don’t agree with your premise about the current crop of prospects. I think the smart move is to develop the young players this season to determine what they have. Then, in 2026, when the Rockies’ playoff window might open, they could trade prospects for an impactful, difference-making veteran.
If the Rockies shock baseball by playing .500 or better this season, trading a top prospect this summer would be wise.
When should we expect the Rockies TV schedule to be announced? Is it gonna be the same as last season?
— Daniel, Louisville
Daniel, from everything I’ve been told, the Rockies will again be televised by Rockies.TV and most of their games will be shown. Here is a link to my story from last year about how fans can watch Rockies games.
Who leads the Rockies in saves this season?
— Greg, Syracuse, N.Y.
Wow, Greg, that’s a tricky question. As I wrote recently, the Rockies would like one of their hard-throwing young right-handers, either Seth Halvorsen or Victor Vodnik, to win the job. But there is a lot of competition and youth in the bullpen. That will mean a lot of growing pains, forcing manager Bud Black to mix and match the back end of his bullpen for much of the season.
Ideally, one pitcher owns the closer’s job and leads the team in saves. I’m going with Vodnik.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.