Bryant tops list of 3 hot topics as Rockies prepare for camp

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Kris Bryant was signed to smooth the Rockies’ transition to a younger lineup. Now as Spring Training approaches for his fourth season with Colorado, the Rockies hope Bryant takes care of a simple basic -- being part of the lineup.

Workouts begin on Thursday for pitchers and catchers and on Feb. 18 for the full squad. And although Bryant has played in just 159 games over his three seasons since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract, his plight tops the list of thoughts as the team prepares at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

For the Rockies to make progress after six straight losing seasons, the previous two with 100-plus losses, much will have to go right. But with improving prospect talent, there may be “B” answers should the preferred result not occur.

Here are three major storylines:

1. Can Bryant be the presence the Rockies intended?

Over the last two seasons, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has risen to the verge of stardom, center fielder Brenton Doyle has won two Gold Gloves and improved his offense and various other players have had their moments. Third baseman Ryan McMahon has had strong stretches but also slumps within the same season, and outfielder Nolan Jones was a rising star in 2023 but a fallen figure during an injury- and slump-filled 2024.

These and other ebbs and flows are typical of a team with lower service-time players and mid-career vets.

The only way for a team like this to succeed is for its expected star to be a star. It’s not just that Bryant has been hurt. It’s that his contract took such a chunk of the payroll that the team has been unable to spend around the edges. Instead, it has suffered with youth.

“For us to go offensively, you need everybody,” manager Bud Black said. “But there are certain players who have talent that need to do what they're capable of doing. Kris has been hampered by injuries. He's been hampered by a number of things physically that have kept him from being Kris Bryant. So we need him to do that.”

At the end of last season, Bryant, his agent, the Rockies’ athletic training and strength and conditioning staffs, Black and general manager Bill Schmidt devised a plan to put Bryant back together, and keep him that way.

Bryant’s offseason workouts, mostly from his home in Las Vegas but with open communication with the club, emphasized core strength and flexibility. To help him maintain his offseason gains, the club is looking to use him in the outfield mostly on the road and as designated hitter in the challenging Denver environment.

“It’s health,” Schmidt said. “That’s something you can’t control.

“He still has the tools. We’ve just got to find a way to keep him on the field to play. Kris can still be a productive player for us.”

What does that mean for Spring Training? The Rockies will have to be careful with his workload, but not to the point that he enters the season less-than-sharp.

Doyle and Jones -- impact defenders who can become stars if they develop with the bat -- mark the beginning of what the Rockies believe is a strong outfield future. Injuries marred Jordan Beck’s first Major League season, but there are tools. Prospects Zac Veen (Rockies No. 3), Yanquiel Fernandez (No. 4) and Benny Montgomery (No. 16) could debut this year.

But Bryant becoming the player the Rockies expected would make the ups and downs that younger outfielders experience less of a burden to the lineup.

2. Can the starters stay healthy, and can new prospects push their way into the Majors?

Lefty Kyle Freeland and righties Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela entered full seasons together in 2017 and were part of rotations for teams that made the postseason in ‘17 and ‘18. The Rockies didn’t hold the lineup from those teams together -- with second baseman DJ LeMahieu and shortstop Trevor Story each leaving as free agents and third baseman Nolan Arenado being traded to the Cardinals.

The Rockies attempted to combat the lineup losses by signing Márquez, Freeland and Senzatela to multi-year contracts. But all have experienced injuries. Last year, Márquez and Senzatela pitched minimally after undergoing Tommy John right elbow surgeries the previous year, and Freeland missed time with a left elbow scare.

Righty Ryan Feltner’s strong second half indicated that he might be ready to reach his promise. Lefty Austin Gomber was able to finish a season healthy for the first time since he arrived from the Cardinals in the 2021 Arenado trade. So the Rockies enter ‘25 confident in five experienced starters.

But the difference between the Rockies this year and in the recent past is the talent level of prospects.

Righty Chase Dollander, the 2023 first-round Draft pick and MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 overall prospect, will be given a chance to grab a job this spring, or pitch his way to the Majors sooner than later. Lefty Carson Palmquist (Rockies No. 14), after a strong Double-A and Triple-A season last year, appears close to a debut, and lefty Sean Sullivan (No. 10) is making quick progress. Righty Gabriel Hughes (No. 22) could be a fast riser, as well, if he proves he is healthy after Tommy John right elbow surgery in 2023.

3. Can a hard-throwing bullpen be the secret to a surprise?

The Rockies’ problems were many last season. But during the early part of the year, they were in many of the games in the middle innings before the bullpen collapsed, at times spectacularly.

During the second half, however, the bullpen completed a transition to hard-throwing, younger pitchers. Rookie Victor Vodnik grabbed the closer job by midseason, and late-season callup Seth Halvorsen turned heads at the end of the year. Righty Angel Chivilli and lefty Luis Peralta (No. 30) went from the Minor Leagues in the first half to pitchers in important innings in the second half.

Righties Jaden Hill (No. 20), who saw time at season’s end, and Zach Agnos (No. 28), who is considered to have an outside shot at making the team in camp, add competition. The team will also hope veterans Tyler Kinley, Justin Lawrence, Jake Bird and Lucas Gilbreath can have consistent health and production this spring and carry that into the season.

But if some of those early-season bullpen struggles turn into successes, there could be improvement in the record.