Colorado Rockies: Top 5 First Basemen in Franchise History

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DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 29: Mark Reynolds #12 of the Colorado Rockies hits a 2 RBI single in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on June 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies have had a couple of great first basemen in their franchise’s history but since those couple of first basemen played for the Rockies for a long time, it could be difficult to rank the top five in franchise history.

If you have been a fan of the Colorado Rockies for any length of time, you will likely know the best first baseman in Colorado Rockies history and likely, the top two. However, the players that are three, four, and five are a little bit harder to decide.

We are just considering their time as a Colorado Rockie but if it is too close to call, we will use their experience with other teams (if applicable). Let’s take a look.

Number 5: Ben Paulsen (0.4 bWAR, 0.3 fWAR, 3 seasons as a Rockie)

This one may be a bit of a surprise and to be honest, when I looked at the numbers, I was a bit surprised too.

Ben Paulsen only spent three years in the majors and all three were with the Rockies. In that short tenure (2014-2016), he only played more than 39 games in a season once (2015).

But in that season, he played in 116 games and he hit .277/.326/.462 slash line with 11 home runs and 49 RBI.

Number 4: Mark Reynolds (0.9 bWAR, 0.4 fWAR, 3 seasons as a Rockie)

Mark Reynolds had two tenures with the Rockies (2016-17, 2019) and the reason why he’s on this list because of his first two seasons.

In 2016 and 2017, he was the Rockies’ primary first baseman and hit to a 102 OPS+ and he was around league average defensively.

In 2017, he hit 30 home runs and 97 RBI, which is part of the reason why he nearly became an All-Star, as he was one of five people that were on the “Final Vote” for the last roster spot on the NL All-Star roster. He lost to the Dodgers’ Justin Turner.

When he returned in 2019, he played to a -1.1 bWAR and a 48 OPS+ in 78 games before being released in late July.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Morneau #33 of the Colorado Rockies bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning of a game at Coors Field on September 25, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Number 3: Justin Morneau (3.8 bWAR, 2.8 fWAR, 2 seasons as a Rockie)

Justin Morneau only played parts of two seasons with the Rockies but he only played more than 50 games in the first one (2014).

In that 2014 season, though, he played 135 games and hit 17 home runs and 82 RBI with a slash line of .319/.364/.496 and an OPS+ of 125. Like Reynolds, he was on the “Final Vote” to become an NL All-Star but he lost to Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

He played well in 2015 but he was out with a concussion (a recurring issue for him in his career) for more than three months so it wiped out most of his season.

Since Morneau is from Canada (about 17 miles away from Walker’s hometown), he ended up being the first and only the Rockie to wear the number 33 after Larry Walker left the Rockies (he received his permission to wear it, though). That number will be retired by the Rockies in 2020.

Number 2: Andres Galarraga (14.5 bWAR, 13.3 fWAR, 5 seasons as a Rockie)

Andres Galarraga was the Rockies’ first baseman and his five seasons with the Rockies were the most successful in his 19-year career.

Before he came to the Rockies, he played with the Cardinals in 1992. Their hitting coach was Don Baylor, who left after the season to join the Rockies as manager.

Baylor worked with Galarraga, who struggled in 1991 and 1992, and Galarraga became one of the best first basemen in baseball for the next decade.

While with the Rockies, Galarraga got MVP votes in all five seasons, including four times in the top 10, he was a two-time All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award. He also led the league in homers in 1996 and RBI in both 1996 and ’97. That’s part of the reason why he was one of the members of the Blake Street bombers.

After he left the Rockies, Galarraga went to the Atlanta Braves for the 1998 season. In 1999, Don Baylor was reunited with him there as he became the Braves hitting coach after he was fired by the Rockies.

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 30: Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies stands at first base in the ninth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on August 30, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies beat the Reds 9-6. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mention: Daniel Murphy (0.3 bWAR, -0.2 fWAR, 1 season as a Rockie)

Since the Rockies haven’t had many people play first base in their franchise’s history, Daniel Murphy nearly made the list.

However, due to injury, salary for his contract ($20 million), and below-average defense, Ben Paulsen just narrowly beat him out.

Number 1: Todd Helton (61.8 bWAR, 54.9 fWAR, 17 seasons as a Rockie)

There was never any doubt about this one. The Rockies have played 27 seasons and Todd Helton played first base for 17 of those.

He was a five-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, he came in 2nd in the Rookie of the Year Award voting (Kerry Wood won), and he garnered MVP votes in six different seasons.

His best season was the 2000 season, when he led the league in hits (216), doubles (59), RBI (147), batting average (.372), on-base percentage (.463), slugging percentage (.698), OPS (1.162), and total bases (405). However, he came in 5th in NL MVP voting.

He became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019 and in 2020, on his second ballot, he garnered 29 percent of the vote.

Next. The Rockies top 5 catchers in franchise history. dark

He is, without question, the best first baseman in Rockies’ history and perhaps, in the near future, a Baseball Hall of Famer.

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