Rockies 2024 Opening Day roster projection 2.0: An electric high leverage arm surprises

We are nearly two weeks into spring training, giving us our first good look at some of the players we were exciting to see this spring. Like every other team, a majority of the roster should be set, but there are still a few position battles that we will examine as the spring moves on. We took a look at our first iteration of our roster projections after the first weekend of baseball. Now that we have a little more baseball to take a look at, we adjust and take another look at our second version of our 2024 opening day roster projection.

Rockies 2024 Opening Day roster projection 2.0: An electric high leverage arm makes the team

Rockies Starting Rotation

• Kyle Freeland
• Cal Quantrill
• Austin Gomber
• Dakota Hudson
• Ryan Feltner

No change here as I am pretty confident that the starting rotation will be as listed heading into the 2024 season. Hudson is a veteran that has shown he can be a decent pitcher (also with no options left) and a solid investment of $1.5 million.

Ryan Feltner takes the last spot in the rotation, though he will soon prove he is much more valuable than the number five starter in the rotation. Feltner's stuff is just too loud to ignore, and it will result in him taking the final rotation spot. Feltner's first start wasn't super impressive, but the velocity looked really good, and he should build upon that start and look to showcase his upper-90's fastball and plus changeup.

Rockies Bullpen

• Justin Lawrence
• Tyler Kinley
• Jalen Beeks
• Jake Bird
• Nick Mears
• Anthony Molina
• Peter Lambert
• Jaden Hill

The only change here is the final spot in the Rockies bullpen. In a bullpen that could surprise a lot of people, they really lack a lot of high-upside strikeout potential. This is where Jaden Hill comes in and takes a spot. Jaden Hill has impressed this spring with an upper-90's fastball that will most definitely touch 100 mph, midseason with some warm weather. He has also flashed an above average changeup and an improving slider. Hill has only made 16 appearances, and the highest level being High-A Spokane, but his stuff is too loud to ignore, and he should be in this bullpen.

Rockies Infield

• (C) Elias Diaz
• (1B) Kris Bryant
• (2B) Brendan Rodgers
• (3B) Ryan McMahon
• (SS) Ezequiel Tovar

Pretty ho-hum here as the Rockies infield is set, barring any significant injuries this spring. The Rockies have a lot of potential here with big time bounce back candidates in Kris Bryant and Ryan McMahon. They also hope to get a healthy year, where Brendan Rodgers can break out and show his true potential. Ezequiel Tovar proved he is an elite defender and will look to prove he can become one of the next great Rockies shortstops this year.

Rockies Outfield

• (LF) Nolan Jones
• (CF) Brenton Doyle
• (RF) Sean Bouchard
• (DH) Charlie Blackmon

This outfield group could prove to be one of the most exciting groups on the Rockies squad; it may also be one of the bigger storylines to watch this spring as Michael Toglia could fight for the right field job. As it currently stands, I am going to give it to Bouchard, who looked really solid in his limited time last year.

Nolan Jones is poised to make a big jump and join that superstar class, becoming the next Rockies great. Brenton Doyle has looked really good this spring, making some changes to his swing, and if he can hit .240-.250, with his speed he could steal 30+ bases and will be a perennial gold glover.