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DENVER -- Gold Glove shortstop Ezequiel Tovar spent much of his time at Rockies Fest at Coors Field on Saturday with his favorite fans.

¡°The biggest thing for me is being with the kids -- I think the kids are awesome,¡± Tovar said, with Edwin Perez of Rockies media relations interpreting. ¡°Growing up, I always watched baseball, loved the baseball players.

¡°The goal is for the fans to know me -- know the person that I am, not just on the field but off the field. And to be the humble guy, the transparent guy. I¡¯m not hiding who I am. I¡¯m someone that shows my personality.¡±

Tovar has a glittering, fan-friendly smile. If the quality of his first two full Major League seasons keeps growing, it¡¯s only a matter of time before fans young, old and beyond the Denver market are warmed by his personality and magnetic performance.

Tovar is still something of a Mountain Time Zone secret. But after his 75 extra-base hits in 2024 were good for second in the National League and most for a Rockies player since Charlie Blackmon¡¯s 81 and Trevor Story¡¯s 78 in 2019, and after managers and coaches voted him for his first Gold Glove, word is bound to get out soon. Tovar is a clear candidate for his first All-Star Game selection in ¡®25.

¡°That¡¯s something that every player wishes -- to get on that All-Star team, to have that goal,¡± Tovar said. ¡°As a player, you want to have high expectations.

¡°Not only All-Star, but you want to win a World Series.¡±

The path to the second goal is, put mildly, much rockier. Tovar¡¯s rise coincides with the first two seasons of triple-figure losses in Rockies history. The poor records were a result of the logical outgrowth of a team that went to the postseason in 2017 and ¡®18, then imploded in a series of ill-fated decisions and player defections.

The pattern for much of the franchise¡¯s history has been difficult periods of building a roster from within and working toward the contending periods that no one else sees coming. At just 23, Tovar has seen a career¡¯s worth of suffering. But signing a seven-year, $63.5 million contract last year was his statement that he would embrace the growing period on the way to heights that he expects to arrive.

¡°No one wants to lose, but you always have got to look for the positives,¡± Tovar said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to look for the things that we can be excited about, even during the year, things that we can improve and continue to improve.¡±

Tovar realizes it¡¯ll take more than his big bat and a smile.

Tovar, center fielder Brenton Doyle, who won a Gold Glove in 2023 and ¡®24, and third baseman Ryan McMahon, a four-time Gold Glove finalist, lead what could be the Majors¡¯ best overall defense, one with range and strong arms everywhere. But until the offense improves, the Rockies¡¯ ¡°D¡± will be seen as a footnote.

Tovar, who also led the NL with 45 doubles and added a healthy 26 home runs, must embrace the offensive challenge as much as other players. To be a lineup catalyst, Tovar must trim his strikeouts -- 166 in 153 games as a rookie in ¡®23 and 200 in 157 games last season.

Tovar¡¯s good and bad of last season made for the odd statistical pairing of high extra-base hits (75) and a low walk rate (3.3%). Former MLB Productions senior editorial director Roger Schlueter explored Tovar¡¯s fascinating season in Coffee & Box Scores.

¡°I can still improve in a lot of areas, not just one,¡± Tovar said. ¡°But if I had to focus on one thing, it¡¯s getting command of the strike zone -- understanding when to swing in that zone.¡±