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Rockies 2024 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: A surprising infielder makes the club
With the first game of Spring Training of 2024 in the books, we take a look at our first Opening Day roster projection
With spring training underway and the Rockies coming into 2024 with a lot of different view of the roster than in 2023, fans are excited about the youth movement. Fans may not be excited about the thought of the Rockies potentially losing 100 games again, but for the Rockies to really change this team, they needed a rebuild; they needed to hit the reset button and take two steps back in hopes of taking three, four or five steps forward in the future.
A lot of young talent will be on display this spring as the Rockies have avoided something that they seemed to continuously do, prospect block. They will give the reigns to a number of players that will be looking to earn they position on this roster.
The roster will change a lot throughout this 2024 season, but let's take a look at who will get to break camp as a member of the Rockies 2024 Opening Day roster.
Rockies 2024 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: A surprising infielder makes the club
Rockies Starting Rotation
- Kyle Freeland
- Cal Quantrill
- Austin Gomber
- Dakota Hudson
- Ryan Feltner
Bud Black has stated that the one through three spots in the rotation are solidified with Freeland, Quantrill and Gomber, setting up a battle for two rotation spots this spring. Ryan Feltner, Dakota Hudson, Peter Lambert and Noah Davis are set to square off for the final two spots. I give the nod to the veteran as well as the righty that showed a lot of promise last year.
Rockies Bullpen
- Justin Lawrence
- Tyler Kinley
- Jalen Beeks
- Jake Bird
- Nick Mears
- Anthony Molina
- Peter Lambert
- Gavin Hollowell
The back of the bullpen is set as guys like Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley will get a lot of high leverage opportunities, battling it out for the title of the "closer". The rest of the bullpen seems fairly predictable, with Peter Lambert staying in the bullpen as a sort of swingman (similar to his 2023 role). The final spot could come down to one of a few different arms, but with veterans Daniel Bard and Lucas Gilbreath likely to start the year on the IL, I like what I saw out of Hallowell last year, earning him the final bullpen spot.
Rockies Infield
- (C) Elias Diaz
- (1B) Kris Bryant
- (2B) Brendan Rodgers
- (3B) Ryan McMahon
- (SS) Ezequiel Tovar
Perhaps the least surprising of all here, the infield for the Rockies is all set (barring any injuries). Kris Bryant is a new addition here, in an effort to keep him healthy. Bryant might rotate through right field a little bit, but the Rockies would be smart to keep him stationed at first base. The middle infield has a ton of potential both offensively and defensively. If Rodgers can stay healthy and Tovar can take some steps forward offensively, this could be a really solid middle infield. McMahon will be looking to bounce back, after a down season that saw his strikeout rate skyrocket over 31%.
Rockies Outfield
- (LF) Nolan Jones
- (CF) Brenton Doyle
- (RF) Sean Bouchard
- (DH) Charlie Blackmon
Without a doubt, the most exciting group on this list, the Rockies outfield is loaded with potential. No surprise in left field and center field, returning a budding superstar in Nolan Jones and gold glover Brenton Doyle. Sean Bouchard's proven offensive and potential will earn him the starting right field job, where he will look to add some middle of the order impact to a team lacking a veteran thumper.
Rockies Bench
- (C) Jacob Stallings
- (1B/C/RF) Hunter Goodman
- (1B/3B) Elehuris Montero
- (IF) Coco Montes
Stallings will be the backup catcher here while Goodman could be an emergency catcher. Goodman, however, will get a lot of run in the corner outfield spots, while getting some looks at first base. This could be a breakout year for Goodman after hitting 70 home runs in the minor leagues the last two years. Montero will have a solid spring, earning him the job over fellow corner infielder and former top prospect, Michael Toglia. The surprise here is Coco Montes, who I predict will get the final roster spot due in part to his ability to play all three infield positions. Montes slashed .317.400/.551 with 22 home runs and 11 stolen bases in Triple-A last year.
Projected to start on IL
- (RP) Daniel Bard
- (RP) Lucas Gilbreath
- (SP) German Marquez
- (SP) Antonio Senzatela
Fans received good news when Bard's injury timeline was shortened by a couple of weeks. Gilbreath is recovering from Tommy John surgery, sitting out all of 2023 and should start the season on the IL, making his debut further into the season. While Senzatela will miss all of 2023 (except maybe a couple of minor league appearances later in the year), German Marquez is expected back sometime shortly after the trade deadline.
Key Rockies starting 2024 in minor leagues
- (1B/3B) Michael Toglia
- (OF) Bradley Zimmer
- (RP) Ty Blach
- (C) Drew Romo
- (IF) Aaron Schunk
- (IF) Coco Montes
- (3B) Warming Bernabel
- (IF) Julio Carreras
Not a lot of surprises here, except for maybe Toglia getting beat out by Montero, but thats more of a preference thing right now. This spring will go a long ways in showing which corner infielder deserves that roster spot. A couple of dark horse candidates to take a roster spot from someone like Coco Montes is Aaron Schunk or Alan Trejo (though Trejo is the only one that has played shortstop and struggled last year). Prospects Drew Romo and Julio Carreras are both guys that could see some time this year as well.
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