Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, February 10th, 2025
On Saturday the Miami Marlins announced via press release that they would be creating a team Hall of Fame to recognize “Marlins Legends.” Former players, coaches, managers, and members of the Marlins’ staff throughout their 32 seasons of existence have a new way to be recognized for their contributions to the team’s history.
As they enter their 33rd season, the Marlins’ inaugural team Hall of Fame class include members of their two World Series titles: players Luis Castillo and Jeff Conine, alongside managers Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon.
The Marlins are the third of Major League Baseball’s most recent expansion teams to create a team Hall of Fame to honor the achievements and contributions of members of their organizations.
The Arizona Diamondbacks—who began play in 1998—inducted MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson and long-time outfielder Luis Gonzalez into the inaugural class of their team Hall of Fame in July of 2024. The Tampa Bay Rays—who also began play in 1998—created their team Hall of Fame in 2023. Their inaugural class included the late Don Zimmer—a longtime coach and advisor with the Rays—as well as MLB Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and four-time Rays All-Star Carl Crawford.
The Colorado Rockies are now the only remaining expansion team without a team Hall of Fame.
The creation of a Rockies Hall of Fame—a hypothetical “purple jacket club” or something similar—is long overdue. Originally promised as a combination team Hall of Fame and Museum as part of the McGregor Square announcement in 2018, the concept has failed to materialize long after the Square was completed and opened in 2021.
Although the Rockies do have many displays and artifacts of team history on their club level, they are one of just two teams in Major League Baseball without a team Hall of Fame or Ring of Honor. The other team is surprisingly the Detroit Tigers.
It’s also worth noting that the iconic “Evolution of the Ball” art installation that was located outside of Coors Field’s Gate E has yet to return to the ballpark despite repeated promises since the completion of McGregor Square.
These broken promises are symptomatic of an organization that pays plenty of lip service to the nostalgia of days gone by, but refuses to truly celebrate the past of the Colorado Rockies. When the Rockies do celebrate their past, it’s usually focused around the 2007 “Rocktober” run, or around the individual accolades of fan favorite and Hall of Fame players Larry Walker and Todd Helton.
Even the Rockies’ 30th Anniversary celebrations in 2023 came off as lackluster, with only six planned game-day events and a handful of alumni appearances in what would eventually become the franchise’s first 100-loss season.
The Rockies enter 2025 coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons. In addition, 2025 is also the 30th anniversary of Coors Field. From almost opening with replacement players on the roster, to hosting two All-Star Games in 1998 and 2021, to the Rockies’ first home playoff game in 1995 and their first home World Series game in 2007, Coors Field has been home to many cherished Rockies moments.
This makes it all the more surprising that—at time of writing—there are no known plans to celebrate 30 years of one of the best ballparks in baseball. With the cursory promotional schedule now available, the Rockies have potentially only 12 give-away items, and no listed theme or promotional nights celebrating the cathedral at 20th and Blake.
Outside Coors Field “The Player” stands lonesome vigil at the home plate entrance, but there are no sculptures of actual Rockies player from the organization’s history at the ballpark. There’s no Todd Helton or Larry Walker. There’s no Don Baylor or Andrés Galarraga or Vinny Castilla. There is only the generic visage of an unnamed player to greet the throngs of fans at the gate.
Compare this to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The current home of the Texas Rangers not only has statues moved from their previous accommodations, they have also added statues of Nolan Ryan and Iván Rodriguez. A third new statue of recent Hall of Fame inductee Adrián Beltré is being unveiled this upcoming season. Globe Life Field opened only five years ago.
The Rockies continue to be mired in their losing ways with six consecutive losing seasons. With a seventh likely on the way and a tough division dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies need to look for ways to combat fan apathy and keep the dedicated fans invested.
While they must also show a dedication towards trying to win, showing a dedication to celebrating their history is also a must. At the very least, they need to do more to celebrate the history of baseball in downtown Denver more than the bare minimum they have showcased so far.
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Rangers Have Had “Internal Discussions” About Jon Gray As Closer | MLB Trade Rumors
Former Rockies starter Jon Gray is entering his fourth season as a member of the Texas Rangers after departing in free agency following the 2021 campaign. With relievers Kirby Yates, David Robertson, and Jose Leclerc departing in free agency, there is now a void in the Rangers’ late game bullpen plans. MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Rangers have had internal discussions about converting the big Gray Wolf to a reliever for a potential closing role.
What you need to know for Rockies Spring Training | MLB.com
In this excerpt from his newsletter, Thomas Harding breaks down the basics in a spring training primer. It includes players to watch, as well as broadcast dates for games that will be televised or on the radio.
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