3 Rockies Who Deserve More Playing Time, 1 Who Deserves Less

Elehuris Montero has the potential to breakout soon

Elehuris Montero was a frustrating watch in the 2023 season. He had some obvious and gaping holes in his game, as a seemingly boom or bust hitter who swung and missed at concerningly high rates. The defense was just as concerning with his -6 outs above average according to Baseball Savant between the two corner infield spots, and in 2024, Montero has seen himself exclusively played at first base or designated hitter. The defense may never be a strength, but at 6’3, 235 pounds the Rockies could dream of some serious power upside with shades of prime Miguel Sano.

He finished 2023 with a wild 111-15 strikeout to walk ratio in his 85 games played, an alarming split. However, Montero has made impressive adjustments coming into the 2024 season, having much more competitive at bats resulting in only four strikeouts in his first eight games thus far, including three walks. Yes, he is only hitting .172 right now, but he is just 25 years old, the at bats are better, and he appears to have a legitimate approach at the plate, showcased in his two-strike RBI single against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. He has also been victim to bad luck, where a number of his hard-hit balls have found their way into defender’s gloves. For a sub-.200 hitter, Montero’s Baseball Savant page is surprisingly red, boasting impressive whiff, K, hard-hit, and exit velocity rates.

The Rockies need to stick it out with Montero and see if he can keep this newfound approach in an everyday capacity, because the advanced metrics and the eye test suggest that he is due for positive regression.