Friday Rockies: As Todd goes gold, whose number will be retired next?

Colorado Rockies news and links for Friday, August 15, 2024

During the Rockies current six-year playoff drought, significant franchise highlights have been few and far between. Coors Field hosting the 2021 All-Star Game and Germán Márquez throwing a scoreless inning in it, Elias Díaz hitting the winning homer and being named the All-Star MVP in 2023 and Brenton Doyle winning a center field Gold Glove in 2023 all are high on the list.

But the top two spots are reserved for Larry Walker and Todd Helton’s entrances into Cooperstown. Not only were the honors deserved, but they also were groundbreaking in terms of proving that Rockies can be Hall of Famers and Coors Field isn’t a barrier to admission.

The Toddfather will be back at Coors Field this weekend to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction. Like Larry Walker’s golden No. 33, Todd Helton’s No. 17 will now be circled with a gold rim with the letters HOF under it.

The ceremony will take place on Saturday prior to the 6:10 p.m. game against the Padres. Peyton Manning will be on hand with his Tennessee, Helton’s HOF plaque will be on display and the first 30,000 fans get a Todd Bobblehead. On Friday night, fans will be treated to a Helton-themed drone show.

It’s the latest of many celebrations honoring a player the likes of which isn’t likely to be seen again in Colorado. Seventeen years with one team and Hall of Fame stats stamped all over the franchise record book will be hard to beat. Walker, the only Colorado NL MVP and three-time batting champion, also seems like a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Next to Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 and a tribute to former team president Kelli McGregor, the No. 17 and No. 33 stand as the only retired numbers. The Rockies have more numbers retired than their 1993 expansion buddy Miami Marlins (zero) and the same as 1998 expansion teams Tampa Bay (two: Wade Boggs’ No. 12 and Don Zimmer’s No. 66) and Arizona (two: Randy Johnson’s No. 51 and Luis Gonzalez’s No. 20).

That being said, hopefully, the Rockies will retire more numbers in the future. Maybe they will be a legendary Rockie or a future Hall of Famer, but what number will hang in right-center field next? Here are my top five picks.

Carlos González, No. 5

CarGo is a fit since no one has worn his No. 5 since he left Colorado in 2018. The three-time All-Star played 10 seasons in purple and won three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and one NL batting title. His swing deserves its own honor. He’s in the middle of most offensive categories on the Rockies career leaderboards, including No. 6 overall with a 23.8 b-WAR.

Nolan Arenado, No. 28

Even though it was an ugly breakup, Arenado’s performance during his eight-year tenure in Colorado was remarkable. He earned eight Gold Gloves, five All-Star nominations and four Silver Sluggers. He’s third behind only Helton and Walker with a 40.1 bWAR as a Rockie.

Troy Tulowitzki, No. 2

In nine and half seasons in Colorado, he played in five All-Star Games and earned a pair of Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger awards. He was a key member of the team’s only World Series appearance and his 39.5 bWAR ranks fourth in team history.

Charlie Blackmon, No. 19

Fourteen years in purple pinstripes is a rare thing. Throw in four All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers and an NL batting title and Chuck Nazty belongs in the conversation. He overlapped with Helton and became the bearded face of the franchise, re-writing the leadoff position’s ability to bring some power to the lineup when he was in his prime.

Germán Márquez, No. 48

It’s hard to think about this when Márquez has only pitched 24 innings in five games over the last two seasons, but he could be back in consideration if he’s able to stay healthy and return to form in 2025. In just six full seasons, he is the franchise strikeout king with 986 punchouts. He’s third in wins (65), fourth among pitchers in WAR (15.9) and fifth in ERA (4.42).

Perhaps Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle are on the trajectory for consideration someday. If you have other nominations past or present, share them in the comments.

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Q&A with Rockies Draft Picks Brody Brecht, Jared Thomas and Cole Messina | MLB Blogs

Kevin Henry has a great question-and-answer article with three Rockies prospects and eight to 10 articles on each.

Rockies’ Riley Pint: Optioned to Albuquerque | CBS Sports

After a week with the Rockies, Riley Pint is headed back to the Isotopes. In three appearances, he gave up six earned runs in 2 ²⁄₃ innings with six strikeouts and four walks.

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On the farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 4, Round Rock Express 3

Grant Lavigne hit a solo homer to break a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth to lift the Isotopes to a win on Thursday night. Nolan Jones hit an RBI double and came around to score on a passed ball in the eighth inning to set up the comeback. Hunter Stovall doubled and scored on a Greg Jones sac fly in the third. Carson Palmquist posted another outstanding start with eight strikeouts with two walks four hits and one run in six innings. Matt Koch threw a scoreless ninth for the save.

Double-A: Somerset Patriots 9, Hartford Yard Goats 3

Adael Amador hit a three-run homer to give the Yard Goats an early 3-0 lead, but Hartford couldn’t match the three homers the Patriots hit. Anderson Bido pitched a solid and scoreless first three innings for Hartford with six strikeouts while only surrendering one hit.

High-A: Spokane Indians 13, Vancouver Canadians 0

Kyle Karros hit his 14th homer, GJ Hill added a home run of his own and an RBI double, Juan Perez hit a two-run double, RBI triple and an RBI single on a four-hit night and Jesus Bulgarin had three hits, drove in two runs and scored three as the Indians totaled 17 hits in a blowout win. Michael Prosecky earned his second win after throwing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing three hits and three walks.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 6, Modesto Nuts 1

Five Fresno pitchers held the Nuts to three hits and one run while posting seven strikeouts. Stu Flesland III started the game with four scoreless innings and Tyler Hoffman got the win after pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh innings. Aidan Longwell hit a solo homer and Ben McCabe hit a two-run double in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, Braylen Wimmer and Andy Perez both singled and came around to score the insurance runs on a fileder’s choice and a Felix Tena RBI single.

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