The Rockies made several additions to the first base department in late January. The club adds Edouard Julien in the trade with the twins, then he picked up TJ Rumfield in a deal with the Yankees. Even after bringing in two first base picks in one day, president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta didn’t close the door on more acquisitions at the position.
Colorado first basemen ranked 29th in OPS last season. Michael Toglia He “led” with a .592 mark in 329 plate appearances. The former first-round pick opened the season as an everyday starter. Toglia struck out about 40% of the time in two months and found himself back in Triple-A before the end of May.
Warming Bernabel it seems like a possible answer after an absurd start to his career. The 23-year-old has collected 14 hits, including three home runs, in his first seven games. It went downhill fast from there. Bernabel finished the year with a 78 wRC+ and was delisted in December.
No other Colorado bat has reached 60 plate appearances in a start. A hodgepodge of Kyle Farmer, Orlando Arcia, Keston Hiuraagain Blaine Crim filled in after Toglia was sent down. Crim is the only one of the group still on the list (more on him in a bit). Here’s a list of the Rockies’ options instead of…
Troy Johnston
The claim to be withdrawn by the leading candidate to hold a primary role, which can say something about the battle for positions. Johnston was traded to the Marlins in early November. The move came soon enough DePodesta has been announced as the new CEO, so it’s unclear who exactly killed him.
Johnston was solid in his entry into the big leagues, posting a wRC+ of 109+ in 121 plate appearances last season. Although he tends to be older at each level, the 28-year-old also has a strong minor league record. Johnston slashed .307/.399/.549 in 134 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. He posted 23 home runs and 48 steals in Triple-A over the past two years.
Blaine Crim
Crim, 28, should at least be a right-handed complement to Johnston to start the season. He went 0-for-11 with the Rangers last year, but found some success with Colorado after clearing waivers. Crim has hit five home runs in 15 games with the Rockies. Power production also came with a 36.1% strike rate.
Crim took the same route to Johnston. He put up solid minor league numbers over multiple seasons, but he was older than the competition. Crim hit .284 with 18 home runs over 83 games at Triple-A last year before leaving the Rangers organization. He wasn’t as productive against the Colorado kids, though.
TJ Rumfield
Julien is likely to be ticketed for the second base job, but some of the aforementioned trade acquisitions could impact this race. Colorado sent help Angel Chivilli to New York in exchange for Rumfield. The 25-year-old slashed .285/.378/.447 at Triple-A in 2025. He posted a wRC+ of 116 or better in both positions at the minor league level.
Rumfield has already totaled 252 games in Triple-A, so he doesn’t have much left to prove. He is in MLB camp as an undrafted free agent. A decent spring can go a long way in challenging for a roster spot.
Charlie Condon
The third overall pick in the 2024 draft may have this job one day, but it may not be as soon as Rockies fans would like. The 22-year-old made it to Double-A in his first full professional season. He put up a 132 wRC+ at the level, so it’s hard to argue with the production, although some time spent in Triple-A is probably close.
Condon had an .820 OPS in three minor league stops last season, but the 70-grade power hasn’t appeared yet. He finished with 14 runs in 433 games last year.
Free agent signing
DePodesta hasn’t released any additions, and a number of veterans are still available. Assuming the lefty Johnston has a team role, that’s telling Rowdy Tellez. Wilmer Flores, Rhys Hoskinsagain Donovan Solano there are right hand options available at a reasonable price. The suspect is 41 years old Justin Turner You probably won’t sign up for a part-time job on a rebuilding team.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
