Doyle sets sights on Rockies' leadoff spot in 2025

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DENVER -- In 2025, center fielder Brenton Doyle will be looking to do for the Rockies what he did for his own offensive swing and approach last season: Jump-start it.

Doyle’s .260 batting average was a 57-point improvement over his rookie year of 2023, and his 23 home runs and 30 stolen bases indicated that he can be a much-needed catalyst for the leadoff position.

For the past two seasons, the Rockies experimented with various hitters while trying to smooth the transition from veteran Charlie Blackmon, but no one else grabbed the job. Blackmon, in the final season of a 14-year career spent exclusively with the Rockies, posted a solid .768 OPS in 105 games at the top of the order. But the Rockies’ .701 OPS overall from the leadoff spot ranked 21st in the Majors.

Doyle, 26, batted just .120 in a smattering of games -- 14, including 13 starts -- at the top. But his tool set and his success lower in the order suggests he has a shot at emulating Blackmon, who was one of the game’s premier No. 1 hitters during his prime. The Rockies will solidify their plans during Spring Training, but club officials indicated during the Winter Meetings that the team wants to look at Doyle in the top spot.

And Doyle, who already has won two National League Gold Glove Awards for his defense in center, would like to make the leadoff spot his.

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“I’m not a stranger to being a leadoff hitter -- I hit leadoff quite a bit in my career coming up in the Minor Leagues,” Doyle said. “Being a leadoff hitter, to me, says they have confidence in you to get the most at-bats in a game, and try to create some momentum early in the game, as well.

“I try not to treat it much differently than if I was hitting in the three-, four- or five-spot in the lineup. If you try to change your approach too much in the leadoff position, it can come back and bite you a little bit.”

The stronger offensive season from Doyle was the result of some changes from his rookie year, when he struck out 35 percent of the time. He cut the K rate to 25.4 last season.

“I had some mechanical fixes that helped my swing become more efficient,” Doyle said. “I started getting to some of the pitches that [during] my rookie year I was late on or didn’t have the correct path. Then I started game planning a little bit better.”

Doyle hopes to be at the forefront in the club improving its performance on the bases.

The Rockies have a lineup of big players, drafted largely on power potential. Doyle, himself, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 220. But Doyle and Nolan Jones -- who stole 20 bases as a rookie in 2023 but dropped to five in a '24 filled with injuries and slumps -- have histories of stealing bases.

First baseman Michael Toglia, who stole 10 bases last season, is a solid Major League average runner despite being a big player. And shortstop Ezequiel Tovar stole 11 as a rookie in 2023 and has been encouraged to be more aggressive. The lineup also should feel a boost from new second baseman Thairo Estrada, who stole 44 bases from 2022-23 before managing just two steals in an injury-filled '24 with the Giants.

The Rockies’ poor record the past two seasons has had a chilling effect on aggressiveness on the bases. They’ve trailed quite often while ending the last two seasons with triple figures in losses. Not even a team full of track stars can afford to take risks when the scoreboard says otherwise.

But if situations are right, increased base-stealing goes hand-in-hand within greater aggressiveness with the ball in play. It’s the type of game that suits Doyle.

“We’ve had some flashes of potential to steal more bags,” Doyle said. “If we can get some more guys committed to taking extra bases, we can put pressure on defenses and score more runs. It’s going to be a big topic during Spring Training.”