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Where does Ezequiel Tovar rank among Rockies' rookies greats at shortstop?
Ezequiel Tovar has had a rookie season worth comparing to the best rookie seasons by a shortstop in Rockies' history. Let's see where his year fits in.
We've already gushed over Nolan Jones' rookie season, and rightfully so, as he is having a great first campaign at the plate and in the field. Let's not forget about the Rockies' 21-year-old shortstop, Ezequiel Tovar, as he is also having an excellent rookie year.
While it's unlikely that Tovar will win Rookie of the Year, his season has been good enough that it warrants comparison to some of the best rookie seasons in franchise history.
Where does he fit in among the Rockies' all-time shortstop rookie seasons? Let's find out.
1. Ezequiel Tovar
While there are still a few weeks to go in the 2023 season, we can already unequivocally say that Tovar has had a top tier rookie season. But wait, where is Clint Barmes? Didn't he have a good rookie year, too? Yes, he did, but with Tovar having only slightly lower bWAR and being consistent over a larger swatch of games, we'll call his the 3rd best above Barmes.
2023 has been impressive for Tovar to say the least, especially defensively.
Offensively he's been below average when it comes to his 80 OPS+ and .257/.291/.415 slash line. As of September 22, he has hit 15 home runs and knocked in 73 runs while tallying 141 hits and scoring 76 runs, all of which are very respectable for his first year. He does strike out far too much and does not walk enough, but that should improve as he gets more experience at the plate.
Back to his defense, though, which is where he really shines. Not only is Tovar one of the best shortstop rookie defenders in the league, he's one of the best defenders at any position in the league, period.
Using their Defensive Runs Above Average rating, FanGraphs has him with the 2nd best overall defense in Major League baseball, behind only Dansby Swanson.
Player | DEF | Salary average annual value 😉 |
|---|---|---|
Dansby Swanson | 20.5 | $25,285,714 |
Ezequiel Tovar | 18.2 | $722,000 |
And while Baseball Reference has him at a lower t11th place in dWAR, having a top defensive year as a rookie is still incredible. If we filter that down to only rookies, he's t2nd for rookie dWAR behind New York Yankee Anthony Volpe.
Perhaps you require video evidence that his defense his good?
Ezequiel Tovar flashing that 70-grade defense for the @Rockies. pic.twitter.com/BOHjUlO9GB
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 12, 2023
All in all, Tovar has had a great rookie season and comes in at #3 in our list. I can't wait to see what he does next year.
2. Trevor Story
Trevor Story comes in second on our list with his 2016 campaign.
Story had a wonderful all-around rookie season, lead by a great year at the plate with a 122 OPS+ and .909 OPS. His 27 home runs and 2.0 dWAR led all rookies that year and was 14th in the entire league.
Story could not have been hotter to start his MLB career, homering in his first 3 games, becoming the first player since 1900 to do so. Story's start and rookie season were something to behold.
3. Troy Tulowitzki
And finally we come to Troy Tulowitzki's 2007 rookie year, which is unquestionably the best in Rockies' history.
Tulo came in 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting, narrowly missing out on taking home the award to Ryan Braun. Tulowitzki could have just as easily won, and if you look at his 6.8 bWAR versus Braun's 2.0 maybe should have won, but Braun had more home runs and better slugging, which voters drool over and likely nabbed him the hardware.
Regardless, Tulowitzki's year was spectacular. He hit .291/.359/.479 with a 109 OPS+, 24 home runs, 99 RBI, 104 runs, 177 hits, and led the league by posting a outrageous 3.9 dWAR, which was a full 1.1 higher than 2nd place Robinson Canó. He did everything.
And who can forget his unassisted triple play, one of his many highlights that year?
On this day back in 2007, #Rockies rookie Troy Tulowitzki turns the 13th unassisted triple play in MLB history. pic.twitter.com/YNF2Rxqi6T
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 29, 2023
There you have it. Tovar, Story, and Tulo. Our top 3 shortstop rookies in Rockies' history. All unique in their own way, but all great seasons. That's a list that would make anybody proud to be part of.