Coming off a historically bad season (43-119), the Colorado Rockies enter 2026 in the midst of an organizational overhaul. The new front office is led by President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes, as the shift toward a modern data driven rebuild.
The hope is the front office can build around the core of emerging players who showed flashes of brilliance despite the struggles of 2025. Last season was rock bottom for the franchise as the tide for the second most losses in modern MLB history. At this point the only place to go is up as it can’t get much worse than it was last season.
Lineup:
The lineup is built around young players who the front office is hoping take more steps toward developing further this season. Hunter Goodman is the centerpiece as he’s coming of a silver slugger season where he hit 31 home runs. He is the primary power threat in the lineup. Short stop Ezequiel Tovar is looking for a reset after an injury plague 2025. If healthy his gold glove caliber defense and gap to gap power make him a franchise player.
Charlie Condon, the Rockies 2024 1st round pick is expected to transition into a regular roll this season and provide a much-needed boost in the middle of the order. Brenton Doyle remains one of the premier defensive center fielders in the league; however, he must prove he can maintain the offensive prowess he showed last season.
Rotation:
The Rockies primary challenge remains the same: they must find arms that can survive the elements of Coors Field; which due to the elevation allows baseballs to travel 5 to 10% further and reduces the effectiveness of breaking balls. The 2026 rotation is a mix of veteran bridge starters and higher upside younger players. Kyle Freeland is the anchor of the staff and is looking to bounce back from a league high 17 losses last season. Jose Quintana was brought in to help stabilize a group that posted a 5.97 ERA last year. Chase Dollander is considered one of the future stars of the team and enters this season with refined mechanics.
Bullpen:
This is one group that could develop into the strength of the team. The back end contains too hard throwing right handers in Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen. Vodnik is projected to be the closer and was arguably the team’s best pitcher last season. Halvorsen is expected to be the primary set up man and is coming back from an elbow injury that made him miss the end of 2025. The middle relief contains Brennan Bernardino who will act as a much-needed left hander. Jimmy Herget brings a unique delivery and veteran experience to help bridge the gap between the rotation and the closer.
Projected Lineup
- Brenton Doyle – CF
- Ezequiel Tovar – SS
- Hunter Goodman – C
- Mickey Moniak – DH
- Charlie Condon – RF
- Willi Castro – 3B
- Ryan Ritter – 1B
- Jordan Beck – LF
- Kyle Karros – 2B
Projected Rotation
- Kyle Freeland
- Michael Lorenzen
- Jose Quintana
- Chase Dollander
- Tomoyuki Sugano
Projected Bulllpen
Victor Vodnik – Closer
Seth Halvorsen – Setup
Brennan Bernardino
Jimmy Herget
Antonio Senzatela
RJ Petit
Manager: Warren Schaeffer (1st Season)
Projection: 65-97 (5th in the NL West)
Written By: Brian Finnigan
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