3 Position battles that will define Rockies spring training and who wins them

The starting right fielder job is wide open

The Rockies have an extremely talented outfield group, with budding superstar, Nolan Jones, manning the left field portion and Gold Glove centerfielder, Brenton Doyle, covering the largest portion of grass in all of baseball.

With Kris Bryant moving to first base, in an effort to keep him healthy, there is an opening for the starting right fielder. Sean Bouchard, the 27-year-old UCLA product is the favorite to take that spot, but there will certainly be a battle this spring, and it could become one of the most heated battles of any position in camp.

Sean Bouchard has destroyed minor league pitching, yet only has 140 major league plate appearances at the age of 27. It is pretty mind boggling if you ask me. In 43 plate appearances in 2023, Bouchard had an OPS+ of 165 with four home runs and a .316 batting average. Bouchard has shown his ability to hit for a high average and some solid power. Even in a small sample size, he has proven that he is deserving of a shot to showcase what he can do at the major league level.

The biggest contender for the starting right field job is someone we just talked about, Hunter Goodman. Goodman is one of the most prolific power hitters in the system, slugging 70 home runs over the last two years, proving that he is ready to take advantage of that thin Colorado air. He struggled in a limited sample size in 2023, hitting just .200 with a 31.17% strikeout rate. Goodman, without a doubt possesses true middle of the order thump but may need some time in Triple-A to get the strikeouts under control.

Final Prediction: Sean Bouchard earns the starting RF job

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