Who stood out, what we learned from Rockies' 2024 season

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding's Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DENVER -- The Rockies' sixth straight losing season and second straight season of triple-digit losses is done. But the year ended with something different than the last few: internal expectation of a much better season next year.

Part of it is that many of the current Rockies haven’t experienced much of the losing. Twelve players made their debuts, and 12 players 24 years old or younger saw action in 2024. That’s to say nothing of the mainstay players in their second year.

There are significant warts to correct, but through experience gained this year and -- especially on the pitching staff -- health, the talent level is improving incrementally.

The Rockies have tried to tamp down any possible drama, but they have not made any announcement about the status of manager Bud Black after eight years at the helm. Black managed Colorado to the postseason in each of his first two years, and he has led the team through a decline and the burgeoning rebuild.

Defining moment

On April 30, right-hander Ryan Feltner took a shutout bid and a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth at Miami. But Feltner didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced. Reliever Justin Lawrence, who entered the year as one of the Rockies' ninth-inning options, gave up two hits and a walk and issued a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. The 7-6 loss ended with two runs against Jalen Beeks in the 10th.

The Rockies entered the year with a plan for holding leads, which would mean competing beyond expectations. Lawrence and Tyler Kinley would take the ninth inning while closer Daniel Bard worked back from an offseason knee injury and a sore right forearm. But Bard underwent right flexor tendon surgery before throwing a Major League pitch, while Lawrence and Kinley struggled through the early months.

No lead was safe. Colorado set an MLB record by blowing six leads of five or more runs in the ninth inning or later. To name a couple, there was a seven-run meltdown -- marked by a disputed check-swing -- in a home loss to the Dodgers and a four-run lead blown in the 11th inning of a loss at Oakland.

What we learned

It took a 59-103 performance in 2023 and 60-101 this year for the Rockies to fully absorb an unforeseen period of failure and high injury rates for drafted pitchers, plus two years of starting pitching at the Major League level. Health plus depth is a nice equation, and the Rockies hope to finally have it in 2025.

Individual younger players showed offensive improvement over the course of the season, but there was pain -- in the form of strikeouts and empty situational at-bats -- from having a lineup that regularly featured as many as five players with fewer than two complete seasons of service time. The bullpen also turned over to youth.

The Rockies are placing their hopes for 2025 on the starting rotation. That sounds odd, considering their starters' ERA was a Majors-worst 5.54. But just 110 games were started by Kyle Freeland, Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner, and the team knew going in that depth would be a problem. Fingers are crossed that Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela will be healthy, and a group of prospects should add talent and depth.

We learned that a less-than-dependable bullpen is not conducive to winning, although that problem was addressed later on.

Best development

Teams that saw the Rockies from early August onward were surprised at the velocity and secondary pitches of their young arms.

Victor Vodnik, who had an encouraging run as closer before dealing with right biceps inflammation, was with the club all year. Angel Chivilli yo-yoed between the Majors and Minors until coming up for good in July. Late in the year, Luis Peralta, Seth Halvorsen, Jaden Hill and Jeff Criswell gave the 'pen a different look. Kinley, who showed improved stuff when his arm was right, figures to be back, and the team will improve with the addition of veterans.

But the younger group offers front-end talent and potential flexibility, since all will have Minor League options next season.

Area for improvement

The offense has to improve. After leading the National League in strikeouts in 2023 with 1,543, the Rockies led the NL again at 1,617. There was an uptick in home runs, from 163 homers to 179. To make the tradeoff worthwhile, power providers Ryan McMahon, Ezequiel Tovar and Michael Toglia will have to reduce the strikeout rate the way Brenton Doyle (10 points, to 25 percent) has.

Improvement can come from personnel changes. The Rockies have stocked up on big guys with big swings. Nolan Jones, who had a major drop-off from 2023, Jordan Beck and Hunter Goodman, and some other prospects behind them fit that category too. But if the Draft and international signing program haven’t given the team everyday players who put the ball in play regularly, trades and free agency must do it.

On the rise

In his third year of alternately flashing potential and struggling, Toglia -- a long-levered switch-hitter -- began showing why the Rockies selected him in the first round in 2019.

Toglia hit four home runs in 49 appearances through his first 15 games this year, but his .106 batting average led him to be optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque for a little more than a month. Since his return, Toglia became a key hitter in the lineup. His final homer total was 25, and his OPS in 101 games after his return was .800. Toglia's strikeout rate has been high after his return, but his walk rate is solid. Considering he has made 90 straight (and counting) starts at first base, chances to improve will come.

Team MVP

Offensively, Tovar led the National League in doubles with 45 and ranked second in extra-base hits with 75, plus led the Rockies with 26 home runs -- all even with 200 strikeouts. The production could increase with experience and a slightly more judicious eye.

The next step could take him out of the category of "underappreciated."

While Tovar's leadership earned him the nod, Doyle's dramatic improvement made him a close contender for MVP. Doyle batted just .203 as a rookie last season, but his revamped offense (.260/.317/.446), increased power (23 homers, up from 10 last year), speed (30 steals) and continued standout defense indicate he can be a mainstay for the Rockies.