The Rockies believe the pain of the last two summers will begin to bear fruit in 2025.
Less than three weeks before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to officially report to Rockies spring training in Scottsdale, the club says it has a chance to take a step forward this summer following consecutive 100-loss seasons.
“We’re closer,” Rockies manager Bud Black said at Rockies Fest at Coors Field. “Some young players are going to get an opportunity at some point in the year. There’s some talent coming, as we’ve been talking about the last couple of years.
“… You look across the landscape of professional sports, teams emerge. The Kansas City Royals emerged last year, with a huge jump, and who had the Washington Commanders playing Sunday with a win to get in the Super Bowl?”
Most critics and sportsbooks are again projecting the Rockies to be as bad as they were in 2023 (club-record 103 losses) and 2024 (101 losses). Competing for a spot in the playoffs, which Colorado last made in 2018, is still considered a longshot.
Colorado’s inactivity on the hot stove is fueling concerns of a repeat 100-loss campaign. The Rockies’ lone major league free agent signings so far this offseason are bringing back catcher Jacob Stallings, and getting infielders Thairo Estrada and Kyle Farmer on the open market. They also claimed right-handed reliever Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Cubs.
But Black, GM Bill Schmidt and others within the organization believe that if the team’s primary players stay healthy, the Rockies can be better than expected in 2025.
“There’s reason to be optimistic,” third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “We’re trending toward the end of the growth period.
Colorado Rockies third base Ryan McMahon (24) talks during the Colorado Rockies Fest Q&A session at Coors Field in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)“… We’ve had a bunch of young guys go through a couple of tours in the league, and usually in that third year, you take another big jump. Getting German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela back will be big, and we’ve got some guys waiting down in the bushes, and when they get here it’s not going to take long for them to make an impact.”
Senzatela missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Marquez missed half the summer for the same reason before coming back at midseason, only to be shut down after one start due to a stress reaction in his right elbow.
Black said Marquez and Senzatela are fully healthy heading into spring training. Those two right-handers will be central in Colorado’s rotation along with the three other projected starters — right-hander Ryan Feltner and southpaws Austin Gomber and Kyle Freeland.
Colorado also has some promising pitchers knocking on the door of a debut. That includes the team’s top prospect, right-hander Chase Dollander, as well as southpaws Carson Palmquist and Sean Sullivan, all three of whom will be in spring training as non-roster invites.
“If something does happen (to one of our starting pitchers), we do have some young kids who are ready to step up, and that hasn’t been the case the last couple of years,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt said the club may sign more free agents in the coming weeks, potentially to add to the bullpen.
The GM and Black also are still holding out hope that Kris Bryant can be a productive contributor to the lineup following three injury-marred seasons in LoDo in which the 2016 National League MVP has failed to live up to his seven-year, $182 million contract.
Colorado Rockies Assistant Director of In-Game Entertainment Brady O’Neill, right, asks Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (23) a question while playing Rockies Family Feud during the Colorado Rockies Fest at Coors Field in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)Black also addressed some of the positional battles to come in spring training in corner outfield and at catcher, where Stallings, Hunter Goodman and Drew Romo will all compete for time. The Rockies are set with starters at several positions, including third base (McMahon), shortstop (Ezequiel Tovar), second (likely Estrada) and center field (Brenton Doyle).
Black said a key to Colorado outperforming low expectations in 2025 is getting breakout performances from still-unproven prospects such as Romo and corner outfielder Jordan Beck, whose rookie season was derailed by a broken hand.
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Pitchers and catchers report to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 13, while Colorado’s first full-squad workout is Feb. 18 and the Cactus League opener is Feb. 21. The Rockies’ season opener is March 28 in Tampa Bay, and the home opener is April 4 against the Athletics.
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