The Colorado Rockies’ grim outfield defense

No one questions that playing outfield at Coors can be a daunting task.

After all, this is the biggest outfield in Major League Baseball — by a lot. As Manny Randhawa explains, “Coors Field has an outfield that measures 117,800 square feet – that’s the largest in MLB by 2,600 square feet, and it’s 9,000 square feet larger than the average park’s outfield.”

The architects did this in an attempt to offset the effects that elevation would have on an offense. On one hand, this makes perfect sense. On the other, it presents real challenges to outfield defenders.

For the last two years, Gold Glover Brenton Doyle has offset much of that, playing some of the best defense in the history of the Rockies organization. However, injuries and off-the-field issues affected the first half of his season. (Skyler Timmins has pointed out that since the All-Star break, Doyle has experienced a renaissance, a fact reflected in his improving numbers on both sides of the plate.)

Last week, I wrote about Mickey Moniak and what he’s brought to the organization. (Stellar outfield defense has not been part of the package, FWIW.) At this point, it’s worth looking at what the outfield as a whole has accomplished in 2025 with an eye to 2026. After all, the Rockies have a crop of young outfielders emerging, and the data from 2025 should provide a sense of adjustments the Rockies will need to make going forward.

(And don’t forget: In the not-too-distant future, the Rockies will need to make some 40-man roster decisions, which will surely involve their crowded outfield roster.)

A few notes are worth mentioning.

First, I have limited this discussion to players still with the team — with one notable exception. That means Nick Martini, Sam Hilliard, and Sean Bouchard have been omitted from this discussion. However, I have included Zac Veen given that he (presumably) has a future in the Rockies’ outfield. Second, it’s worth noting that some of these players, namely Veen, are very much in small-sample-size territory, so their numbers should be viewed as such.

Courtesy of FanGraphs, here’s a first look at defensive stats. For comparison’s sake, I’ll start with the 2024 season with special emphasis on Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck (though I realize Beck’s season was hampered by an injury).

What stands out here? First, Doyle again established how good he was on defense; second, Beck‘s numbers indicate a player learning Coors Field. Now consider 2025:

What stands out from this data? A couple of things.

First, Beck has played more innings in the outfield than any other Rockie (980 as of Wednesday). This is probably the result of a couple of factors, namely health. Behind him Doyle’s 937.2 followed by Mickey Moniak’s 756.0 innings.

And now to the advanced metrics.

Spoiler; The numbers here are not good.

Only one player has a positive DRS — Zac Veen’s 1 accrued in his 85.0 innings. After that, things go downhill quickly. Doyle has accumulated -6 DRS in center; Beck has -1 in left; Yanquiel Fernández has struggled in the outfield; Tyler Freeman has racked up -9 in right; and Mickey Moniak’s combined DRS in all three outfield positions is -18.

Consider, then, Outs Above Average. Only Doyle has a positive score, a modest three, which is a considerable decrease from his 14 OAA in 2024.

Look, then, to FRV. Here only Doyle has a positive scores, but it is not remarkable. Moniak’s FRV is the lowest at -9.

What does it mean?

It’s no secret that the Rockies have had the worst rotation in MLB. Part of their problems stem from a moribund offense that cannot provide sufficient run support.

However, adding to their woes is a marginal (at best) defense. (As a case in point, contrast the Rockies defense with that of the Toronto Blue Jays. Their exceptional defense frustrated the Rockies offensive efforts and provided support for the pitching staff.)

What should the Rockies do?

Some of this is simply beyond their control, but they need to hope that Doyle remains healthy in 2026. He is the linchpin of the Rockies outfield.

Second, they need to make a decision whether Moniak and Freman are part of the Rockies’ future. If that is the case, then the Rockies should help these players develop in this area. Freeman has said that playing right field is more challenging than center because the angle of the ball’s flight is more difficult to discern than it is in center. Some of this should improve with practice, but he also needs support in improving this part of his game.

Third, the Rockies need to consider what they have on the farm. In their limited playing time, both Fernández and Veen have shown themselves to be solid defenders. Plus, Sterlin Thompson, Cole Carrigg, and Jared Thomas are fast making their way to the majors. (What will happen to Benny Montgomery remains to be seen.)

This offseason, Rockies need to conduct a careful inventory of their outfield options as they plan to go forward.

As the Rockies move into the next stage of their rebuild — assuming that’s what they do — an improved outfield defense will be essential.

What I’m Reading

• MLB 2025: All of the ways the Colorado Rockies have lost games | ESPN.com — I don’t have to tell you how grim this is, but it’s bad. (Also, I was rather surprised by how many of these losses I had forgotten.)
• Goodman's year keeps getting better as his knowledge expands | MLB.com — It’s been a year of learning for an increasingly young Colorado Rockies squad, and that is especially true for Hunter Goodman. As Thomas Harding writes, “Pockets of solid Rockies offense are intermittent, although they’ve shown more often since the All-Star break. When it happens, Goodman – the team’s only All-Star – often is featured.”
• Fantasy football fever hits Rockies with Freeland, Moniak divulging draft strategy | Denver Gazette — It’s fantasy football season everywhere, and it’s no different at 20th and Blake were the Rockies have their own fantasy league going. Kevin Henry has the details.

Closing thoughts

And that’s it for another week as the Rockies’ 2025 season very quickly winds down.

This weekend, the Rockies will continue what has been a disappointing home stand, and given how close the Padres are to the Dodgers, I do not expect any let-up this weekend. Then the Rockies head out on a brutal West Coast road trip.

How many more losses await them? We’ll know soon enough.

As always, thanks for reading —

Renee

Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball.

Find me on Bluesky at @ReneeDechert.com or send an email to Renee@RockiesPitch.com.