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DENVER -- Outfield prospect Jordan Beck¡¯s first impression with the Rockies was interrupted by an injury, but he could get a second chance in 2025.

Among other needs, the roster screams for an impact corner outfielder, as it has for some time. After the 2023 season, the Rockies re-signed still-productive Charlie Blackmon for one more year at $13 million to give prospects like Beck another development year.

Beck, 23, impressed the Rockies¡¯ staff in Spring Training and earned his shot by batting .307 with five home runs and 28 RBIs in his first 25 games at Triple-A Albuquerque. Beck, however, sustained a fractured left hand in his 23rd Major League game. Beck went through a lengthy absence and a Minor League rehab assignment, but lingering wrist pain prevented him from returning with his best swing. Beck finished with a .188 batting average, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 55 Major League games.

¡°I didn¡¯t play exactly as well as I wanted to at the end of the day,¡± said Beck, selected out of the University of Tennessee in the Competitive Balance Round A (38th overall) in 2022. ¡°There were a lot of learning points here.¡±

It¡¯s quite possible Beck will have a shot to show what he has learned.

With the Winter Meetings officially beginning this coming Monday, the Rockies could always trade some of their prospects for a proven corner outfielder. But there are reasons to look at Beck, 23, who is at the top of a group of outfield prospects around whom the team is building a future.

The Rockies have reduced their payroll since season¡¯s end. Some of it came naturally, with Blackmon retiring and reliever Daniel Bard becoming a free agent after being paid $9.5 million in a season he missed due to right elbow flexor tendon surgery. Non-tendering righty starting pitcher Cal Quantrill and regular second baseman Brendan Rodgers meant they escaped roughly $13 million in arbitration-fueled salaries.

But there are still payroll inefficiencies. The club owes former third baseman Nolan Arenado $5 million in 2025 and another $5 million in ¡¯26, whether the Cardinals keep him or trade him. The Rockies also head into the fourth year of crossing fingers that the injury bug subsides and Kris Bryant will provide a return on a contract that pays him $27 million annually for the next four seasons.

Add that to the team¡¯s new television revenue world, and there is a pull to go with youth and homegrown players. In addition to needing an impact corner bat, the lineup could use better on-base performance (which may have to be achieved through improvement of younger players), and there is a new opening at second base.

All this means opportunity for Beck -- and if not Beck, outfielders like him. Zac Veen (the Rockies¡¯ No. 3 prospect and No. 83 overall, per MLB Pipeline), Yanquiel Fernandez (Rockies¡¯ No. 4), Sterlin Thompson (No. 13) and Benny Montgomery (No. 16) all could be in the Albuquerque mix at the start of 2025.

Beck will enter having experienced the Majors.

¡°People always want to ask what the difference is between here and the Minor Leagues, and I¡¯m sure fastballs are 4-5 mph harder and sliders, instead of 85, are 90,¡± Beck said. ¡°There¡¯s a learning curve, for sure.

¡°But I¡¯m capable of handling it all.¡±

Beck will have to prove he can handle the Major League fastball. He will have to improve his Statcast numbers against heaters from what he showed in the 2024 snippet -- a .224 batting average and a .242 expected batting average. Rockies officials said on occasion that wrist pain, which emerged during the rehab assignment, affected his swing the rest of the season.

¡°I'm not going to say that I was thinking that the swing was behind, but I think as the year went on, you could tell it wasn¡¯t where it was before,¡± Beck said. ¡°I was better before. Maybe later on, it got a little worse. There were no lingering issues with the hand, but maybe there was a little lingering effect. I have no idea.

¡°I just have to feel like there¡¯s a lot to grow on, a lot to learn from. I just need to get better.¡±

The Rockies believe the real Beck can be seen in his Minor League numbers -- a .284/.380/.509 slash line with 36 home runs and 145 RBIs in 194 games across three seasons.

¡°Jordan is one of those dynamic guys,¡± Rockies Minor League hitting coordinator Nic Wilson said. ¡°We like to call him an ¡®and player.¡¯ You don¡¯t have to decide. It¡¯s not contact or power. There¡¯s no box you need to fit into. If there are line drives into the off gap, great, bro. If it lands in the 13th row, that¡¯s great, too. Both results are what we want.¡±

The first Major League experience may have been eye-opening. But most importantly, Beck saw who he wanted to become in Blackmon -- who had a slow start to his career because of injury but grew into a batting champ and a four-time All-Star.

¡°I don't think I'm going to recreate the wheel,¡± Beck said. ¡°I know what I can do and I¡¯ve proved what I can do and what I¡¯m capable of doing. I¡¯ve just got to do it on a more consistent level. At the end of the day, I have a 14-year career like Chuck -- show up and be consistent every day.¡±