Who should be the next Rockies leadoff hitter? Part 2: Rookies

The Rockies need a leadoff hitter. One that gets on base and can try to be a catalyst for a struggling offense that needs to score more runs. This article is the second of a two-part series looking at who could be the Rockies next leadoff hitter in 2023. Part 1 looked at the veterans, and this week is looking at rookies in their first or second year, or prospects yet to debut.

According to the Purple Row community, there is a clear choice in who should be the Rockies 2023 leadoff hitter among team veterans from a poll in last week’s article: Yonathan Daza. With 204 people voting, Daza earned 126 votes for 62% with everyone else in the distant rearview mirror at Brendan Rodgers (9%), Charlie Blackmon (7%), a different veteran or rookie (7%), and Ryan McMahon and Randal Grichuk each coming in at 2%. There is also a sizeable 10% of the vote that still wants the Rockies to go out and sign a traditional leadoff hitter.

Daza is a pretty solid choice with a high on-base percentage and he could do wonders for the offense if he can stay healthy and hit as well as he did in early 2022. If he doesn’t, or if the Rockies use a variety of lineups and leadoff hitters, who are some of the rookies and prospects who deserve a spot in the role?

While we are awaiting MLB Pipeline’s 2023 preseason farm system rankings, which usually come out in late March, the Rockies are trending in the right direction with a huge jump from No. 28 to No. 9 last season. A huge reason for that is having four top-100 prospects, led by outfielder Zach Veen (No. 23), shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (No. 27), shortstop Adael Amador (No. 61), and catcher Drew Romo (No. 63).

After witnessing four consecutive losing seasons, Rockies fans are finding comfort in looking to the future as the front office has retooled the farm system to try to contend for the future. That means there could be a lot of prospects in the lineup this season. Could any solve the Rockies leadoff stagnation? Here’s a look at some of their options.

Ezequiel Tovar

As the latest possible Rockies star shortstop following in the footsteps of Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story, Ezequiel Tovar’s time has come. A stud with the glove and with potential for some power, he’s not the traditional leadoff hitter, but he could be an interesting option for the Rockies. He hit one homer, one double, five singles, and walked twice with nine strikeouts in 33 at-bats over nine games in his brief 2022 MLB debut. In 66 games with Hartford in 2022, he stole 17 bases and he stole 24 in Spokane and Fresno in 104 games in 2021. He’s aggressive at the plate, which could lead to higher strikeouts, but he’s also still getting used to the big leagues. Only 21 years of age, Tovar is still gaining strength and making adjustments, but he’s gotten better and padded his stats at every level he played at. It seems like the job of starting shortstop is his to lose going into 2023. He’s got a lot of potential, but lea
doff could be a lot to throw on his already overloaded plate. He hit seventh or eighth in his nine games in 2022, but could work up to leadoff hitter.

Sean Bouchard

Sean Bouchard was possibly the most impressive prospect to make his debut in 2022, especially in an area that counts a lot in leadoff consideration: on-base percentage. In 74 at-bats, the Rockies ninth-round pick in 2017 posted a .454 OBP with a .297 batting average and .954 OPS. He walked 21 times compared to 25 strikeouts in 27 games. In five years in the minors, he averaged a .354 OBP, so that number might come back to earth a bit, but Bouchard gets on base. He hit 20 homers with Triple-A Albuquerque in 69 games, while also stealing 12 bases. In his time with the Rockies last season, he hit in every spot but leadoff, getting most of his at-bats in spots No. 6-9. But 2023 is a new year with new possibilities. The problem for Bouchard is a crowded outfield, but if he can get in the lineup, maybe he should leadoff.

Alan Trejo

Alan Trejo feels like a stretch to be in the rookie/prospect group, but he’s only played in 63 games since debuting on April 10, 2021. He will be battling Tovar in Spring Training for the shortstop spot, but is likely to continue as one of the Rockies infield utility men. He doesn’t have the speed to match the former occupant of that job, Garrett Hampson, and in his games with the Rockies so far, he’s batted in every spot but leadoff. He improved his numbers in 2022, raising his OBP from .260 in 2021 to .312 in 2022, while also bumping up his batting average up from .217 to .271. In 118 at-bats, he hit four homers and stole one base, but only had five walks compared to 31 strikeouts. He could be worth a shot, but maybe more of a backup plan if others aren’t working.

Nolan Jones

The Rockies acquired Nolan Jones in a trade with Cleveland in November. The 24-year-old infielder was a second-round pick in 2016 and made his MLB debut on July 8 last season. In 86 at-bats, he hit .244/.309/.372 with two homers, eight walks, and 31 strikeouts. Jones played third base in the minors and is listed on the Rockies infielder list, but he played all his games with the Guardians in right field. He could bring some of the infield/outfield utility-man vibes that Hampson did, but again, without the speed. Jones probably isn’t the best candidate for leadoff hitter he faces a common theme in this list: limited playing time.

Brenton Doyle

Brenton Doyle is more of a five-tool player built for the middle of the lineup with power, but he’s also got speed. Drafted in the fourth round in 2019, Doyle (the Rockies No. 23 prospect in the system) was placed on the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule-5 Draft. In three years in MiLB, he stole 61 bases and hit 50 homers. In 123 games with Hartford in 2022, he hit 23 homers and stole 23 bases, with 23 walks compared to 158 strikeouts. He only played nine games in Albuquerque and then struggled in the Arizona Fall League. The 24-year-old projects to be a solid outfielder in all aspects, but he might need a bit more time in Triple-A before he’s ready for his MLB debut. A center fielder, he could see time if the Rockies struggle with injuries, but right now, the outfield is just too crowded.

Julio Carreras

Like Doyle, infielders Warming Bernabel (No. 8) and Julio Carreras (No. 29) were added to the 40-man roster before the Rule-5 draft. Bernabel doesn’t project to arrive in the big leagues until 2024, but Carreras could make his debut in 2023. If he does, he faces a crowded infield and unknown playing time. Carreras has speed with 61 stolen bases in four years in MiLB with a .349 OBP. He ended 2022 in Hartford and needs a little more time before he’s ready for the show.

Zac Veen

What if he’s just the lefty leadoff hitter the Rockies have been waiting for? He’s not a center fielder, but the Rockies 2020 first-round draft pick (No. 9 overall) has a lot of skills that could make him a good Colorado leadoff hitter: above-average speed, aggressiveness on the basepaths, good approach at the plate, a high on-base percentage, and the ability to hit for power. Talented on defense, he could slot in at right or left field and he’s projected to make his MLB debut in 2023, even if it might not be until late in the season. Veen often hit in the No. 2 spot or other places in the lineup, but he did occasionally hit leadoff for the Double-A Yard Goats and High-A Indians in 2022. In two years of MiLB play, he’s stolen 91 bases, hit 27 homers, and hit 50 doubles. Veen, 21, will add pop and excitement to anywhere in the lineup, but leadoff could be a good fit.

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Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon: “I still have a lot of baseball ahead of me” | Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders caught up with Blackmon to report on how he’s feeling entering the last year of his contract with the Rockies. He’s recovered from the knee surgery that ended his 2022 season early, training, and balancing baseball with life as he and his wife, Ashley, welcomed another Blackmon to the crew, son Wyatt, in October. He’s not thinking about the end yet, but he is getting excited about hitting under the new shift-reducing rules in 2023.

Best farm systems in baseball? MLB execs weigh in |MLB.com

MLB Pipeline has been releasing its Executive Prospect Polls, made up of a wide range of front office officials including general managers, farm directors, scouting directors, and analytic specialists, this week. On Wednesday, it released its results for best farm system, best draft team, best team in the international market, most underrated, and more. The Rockies only registered votes in two categories: hordes prospects the most at 9% and best develops hitters at 6%. It’s interesting to look at these and how many categories the Dodgers, Orioles, Astros, and Cardinals score very high.

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