3 Rockies hitters who have helped themselves this spring, 1 who hasn't

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With spring comes a lot of surprises, both good and bad. The Rockies have had a surprisingly good spring this year and look to be a pretty exciting team, though uncompetitive.

We are just days away from Opening Day where we will get to see this team come together. We should get to see a team full of a few veterans that will look to lead the team and quite a few youngsters looking to make a name for themselves in the league.

This spring we were hoping to see a few guys step up and prove that they are going to become key fixtures for this team. Today, we take a look at three hitters who have really helped themselves this spring, while we examine how one player has really hurt their themselves so far.

Brendan Rodgers, facing a tough season, has shown this could be a huge year

Rodgers may very well be entering a make-or-break year for the Rockies. The second baseman, and former top pick, is only under contract through next year, and the team has top prospect, Adael Amador, banging down the door to join the youth movement.

Rodgers is fighting for his spot with the Rockies and has done a great job of it heading into 2024. He has gotten off to a great start this spring, with 16 hits in 15 games, slashing .390/.432/.463. Rodgers only has three extra base hits, but that should even out, given his power output in the past as well as returning to Coors Field. Rodgers, in a make-or-break year, has really helped himself out this spring and with a solid year could leave the Rockies with a very good problem to have.

Ryan McMahon has shown an ability to cut back on the strikeouts

One of the staples in the Rockies franchise, and one of a few holdovers from the last Rockies playoff team, Ryan McMahon has frustrated a lot of fans. After a couple of years, putting up 2.5-3.0 fWAR seasons, he was worth just 1.2 wins last year. His strikeout rate skyrocketed to nearly 32% last year and his wRC+ had dropped 7-8 points versus the previous two years.

Fans are really hoping one of their favorite players can bounce back after receiving a nice extension, just two years ago. He is showing signs of that this spring, hitting .372/.438/.558. He has just one home run but has four extra base-hits in 43 at-bats. He looks a lot more comfortable at the plate; perhaps the most impressively is his significant change in the strikeout department. This spring, his strikeout rate is all the way down to 20.83%. I know it's spring, but "Mac" has shown that he can cut that strikeout rate down, even if it does creep back up into the mid-to-high 20's, McMahon could be staring down a big bounce back year.

Brenton Doyle, in a potential breakout year, has really helped himself this spring

Doyle was one of the most entertaining players on the Rockies team last year. The speedy centerfielder regularly put-up highlight players, throwing a 100+ mile per hour assist, or making a crazy catch in the expansive Coors Field. There weren't a whole lot of offensive highlights from the young centerfielder, but Rockies fans could deal with that due to the elite defense.

This offseason fans talked a lot about what Doyle could become if he could just be a little better offensively. Doyle did hit double digit home runs (10) but struck out a whopping 35% of the time). He was able to steal 22 bases, but his lackluster .203 average didn't really let Doyle capitalize on that speed.

This spring, Doyle has made some changes to his swing and is showing that he could be poised to really take off this year. Doyle is hitting an impressive .304/.347/.326, and though he only has one extra base hit, he is fourth on the team in hits and tied for second in stolen bases.

Doyle won't be a 20-home run guy, or someone that slugs in the mid-400's, but there is no reason that with his speed, he couldn't hit .260+ or better and steal 30 bases regularly. Doyle has really helped himself this spring, with a lot of fans hoping that he can support his elite defense with a solid offensive profile.

Sean Bouchard, looking to make a name for himself, has really hurt himself this spring

Bouchard came into this spring as the expected everyday right fielder. The 27-year-old had a little cup of coffee in 2023, and he really impressed. He showed some serious promise slashing .316/.372/.684 with four home runs in just 21 games. With all of that success, one of the biggest issues with Bouchard was his 32.56% strikeout rate.

There didn't seem to be a ton of competition coming into spring with a lot of the outfield upside in the Rockies system, being a couple of years away from debuting. That has changed drastically after seeing some of the competition so far. A couple of players have taken off this spring, while Bouchard has struggled. Michael Toglia has dominated this spring and shown that he is ready for a real breakout season, as a former first round pick. Elehuris Montero has hit some tape measure home runs, while cutting back on his strikeout rate significantly.

Bouchard's spring hasn't been the same, with a strikeout rate of nearly 30% and a batting average of just .225, he hasn't really taken control of the job and forced Bud Black to name him the starting right fielder. He may very well get the opening day nod, but his spring has really hurt his leash, as Michael Toglia has cut that gap down quite a bit.

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