23) Nolan Arenado’s 2014 season (Age 23 season)
Nolan Arenado was not quite “Nolan Arenado yet” and the Rockies still were a few years away from contention. Part of the reason why he is ranked so low for this season is that he was injured. He only played in 111 games and, offensively, he was good but not as good as he later became.
He had 18 home runs and 61 RBI with a slash line of .287/.328/.500 with an OPS+ of 115. He won a Gold Glove, despite missing more than 50 games, as he still had 12 Defensive Runs Saved and a 3.6 WAR.
Except for 2020, in every season since, Arenado was an All-Star and ranked in MVP voting, neither of which happened in 2014 for him, which is also part of the reason why this season is ranked lower than some of his others.
22) Kyle Freeland’s 2017 season (Age 24 season)
2017 was Kyle Freeland’s rookie season and the Denver native started his career solidly. He went 11-11 with a 4.10 ERA in 33 games (28 starts). In 156 innings, he had a 128 ERA+, a 4.57 FIP, a 3.4 WAR, and came in 7th in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
He faded as the season went on as in August and September, he went 0-4 with a 5.45 ERA and opponent’s hit .336/.408/.507. But he was still a big part of the first Rockies team to make the playoffs since 2009.