Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, March 31st, 2025
The 2025 season for the Colorado Rockies is officially underway, and the first series of the season is now in the books. The Rockies took on the Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida in a three-game set. The results were . . . enlightening.
All three games were at least close—competitive, even. But, unsurprisingly, the Rockies lost the series and left Tampa with only one win.
Although there is still plenty of season left—159 games to be precise—there was a lot of information to be gleaned in the Rockies’ first series of the regular season (with the understanding that we are still in small-sample-size territory).
Strikeouts remain a problem
Perhaps unsurprisingly for the team that finished 2024 with the second-most strikeouts in the league, the Rockies have a problem with their free swinging.
The Rockies finished Opening Weekend with 31 strikeouts. This is good for tenth-most in the league. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers—who have played three and two more games, respectively—lead the league heading into today. The Rockies struck out at least nine times in all three games over the weekend with a high of 12 on Opening Day.
Every single Rockies batter—save for one—struck out at least once over the weekend. Michael Toglia currently leads the team with six while Hunter Goodman and Ryan McMahon each have four. Only three batters with more than one at-bat do not have multiple strikeouts: Mickey Moniak, Jacob Stallings, and Kyle Farmer.
The lone Rockies batter without a strikeout is new arrival Tyler Freeman, who had just one at-bat on Sunday before leaving the game due to injury.
Meanwhile, the Rockies drew just three walks—the fewest in the league—during their first series. Two batters were hit by a pitch.
The Rockies still lack power
The Rockies’ first home run of the season came from a surprising source late in Sunday’s series finale. Outfielder Mickey Moniak—who was signed to a one-year deal at the 11th hour last Thursday—hit a two-run home run in the 7th inning. It was the only home run the Rockies hit this weekend.
Moniak’s homer gave the Rockies the dubious honor of being the last team in the league to go yard this season. They are also one of just three teams—including the New York Mets and Houston Astros—to have only one home run so far.
The Rockies head to Philadelphia with the ninth-worst slugging percentage in baseball at .300, saved from being further down the list thanks to five of their 22 hits being doubles.
A Good Man
Rockies fans were treated to a surprise this weekend as Hunter Goodman—not Jacob Stallings—was the starting catcher in two of the three games. Now exclusively a catcher, Goodman looked sharp behind the plate and potentially on the verge of a breakout standing at it.
Goodman was one of the Rockies’ most valuable offensive players to open the season. He hit 4-for-12 with two doubles and an RBI. While he did strike out four times, his results from putting the ball into play make the strikeouts more bearable.
We’ve been asking the Rockies to give Goodman consistent playing time for a while in order to see what he can deliver as a big league player. Early results this season are definitely promising.
Not shaken by this Martini
It’s hard to say non-roster invitee Nick Martini didn’t earn a roster spot with a strong spring training. However, his being named to the Opening Day roster as the starting right fielder was a source of frustration for Rockies fans that were hoping for a younger player like Zac Veen to get the opportunity.
At the very least, Martini has made the most of his opportunity to start the season. He went 4-for-9 during the series—largely thanks to a 3-for-4 afternoon on Sunday—with an RBI and one of the Rockies’ only walks of the weekend.
Martini also contributed to the Rockies’ sterling defensive performance on Saturday. After a hard hit grounder got past a diving Kyle Farmer at second base and into right field, Martini uncorked a strong throw to catcher Hunter Goodman. Goodman proceeded to tag out a scampering Jonathan Aranda at home, crediting Martini with an outfield assist.
The pitching has its ups and downs
The Rockies had an interesting weekend when it came to pitching. The starters all got their jobs done against the Rays, starting with Kyle Freeland spinning an Opening Day gem. Freeland pitched six shutout innings and struck out seven batters on 67 pitches. His velocity and command of the strike zone both looked excellent. Ryan Feltner had a difficult first inning on Sunday as he gave up a two-run home run, but locked things down after that. In his final four innings of work he didn’t give up a run, made strong use of his changeup, and finished the day with five strikeouts.
Sandwiched in-between was the unique performance of Antonio Senzatela. The Rockies put on a defensive showcase to back up Senzatela as he allowed nine hits and two walks with no strikeouts over 4 1⁄3 innings of work without giving up a single earned run.
Senzatela’s performance was only the third time since 1922 that a pitcher gave up nine hits and recorded no strikeouts while keeping the opposing team off the board.
The bullpen had a mixed weekend of their own. Veteran Tyler Kinley struggled immensely in two appearances, recording just two outs and giving up four earned runs on six hits and two walks. He didn’t record a strikeout and ended the weekend with a 54.00 ERA. Victor Vodnik pitched a flawless eighth inning on Friday only to be brought back for the ninth and immediately giving up the game-losing home run on just one pitch.
On the other hand, Jake Bird worked 2 1⁄3 scoreless innings of relief on Sunday to finish up the game, and Seth “Gas” Halvorsen pitched the final 1 1⁄3 innings on Saturday for the Rockies’ first save of 2025.
The Rockies will take on the Philadelphia Philles in a three game set before heading to Denver for their home opener at the end of this week. They have a long 2025 campaign ahead of them. As we witnessed this weekend, the Rockies probably won’t be very good this year, but they will at least be interesting.
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On the Farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 2, Sacramento River Cats 1
The Isotopes won their first game of 2025 to avoid a sweep against the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants) on Sunday afternoon. Right-handed pitching prospect Chase Dollander made his Triple-A debut. He wasn’t exactly efficient—making it through four innings on 79 pitches—but avoided too much damage. He struck out five batters and gave up only one earned run on six hits and two walks. The Isotopes bullpen had an excellent afternoon with Dugan Darnell striking out three batters over two innings while Jefry Yan and Jaden Hill both spun scoreless innings of their own. Closer Zach Agnos earned his first Triple-A save with a flawless ninth inning where he struck out two batters.
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Feltner focusing on trust in his pitches with help from Stallings | MLB.com
Ryan Feltner’s first start of 2025 hit an early snag when he gave up two earned runs in the first inning and was struggling somewhat with his command. However, veteran catcher Jacob Stallings—known for his work with pitchers—helped Feltner calm down and trust in his abilities.
“I was like, ‘How are you doing?’” Stallings said. “‘How’s your head space?’ He was calm. I think this time last year, [Feltner’s head space] might have been pretty bad. I’m so proud of him. He threw the ball well. We came back, tied it and had a chance late.”
GM Bill Schmidt on Rockies’ Roster Changes: “We’re trying to Get Better” | Just Baseball
Patrick Lyons of Just Baseball dives into the comments of Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt, who has been uncharacteristically open about the bevvy of moves the Rockies made over the last week.
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