Winner: Ezequiel Tovar looks poised to reward the Rockies for the contract extension
Ezequiel Tovar was one of the bright spots for a bad Rockies team last year. The gold glove level shortstop put together a number of highlight reel worth plays, always giving fans something to look forward to in a tough year. The offense was solid for Tovar last year, but you could see there was certainly room for improvement.
An improvement would be a significant understatement and disservice to what Tovar has been able to do this year. The shortstop has been a driving force, especially at the top of this lineup, slashing .333/.396/.542 with a 26.4% strikeout rate, while his walk rate has nearly doubled to 7.5%. He has two home runs and a stolen base through 13 games (24 home run pace). His wRC+ sits at 143.
Tovar was even better against the Diamondbacks (7 for 14 with 9 total bases, and 2 RBI). If he can continue these improvements and offensive production, we could be looking at the next great Rockies shortstop, now that the Rockies have locked Tovar up long term.