Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, April 24th, 2025
Sports are a funny thing. At a young age, for one reason or another, we make a decision to follow a team or teams and let them do irreparable damage to our mental health for years to come. In my case, as someone who follows a wide array of athletic avocations, I have many opportunities to feel the joy and sorry that comes with fandom. Nary a day goes by that I don’t consume sports content in some capacity, no matter how out there. My allegiances, though, always come back to my two cities: Chicago and Denver.
These icons of their respective states are lucky to feature multiple teams, with all of them reaching varying levels of success in recent times. Unfortunately, if there’s one thing that these great towns have in common, it’s that they both feature baseball teams that find themselves residing in the basement of MLB.
I’ve written before about the many similarities I’ve observed between these two franchises, and I’m not the only one – the Denver Post recently made their own analyses on the subject. It’s understandable to do so. The White Sox finished the 2024 season as arguably the single worst team in MLB history, and yet, prior to this year’s campaign, the Rockies were actually projected to finish with a worse record this time around.
I scoffed at that idea back then, but it’s become worryingly more palatable now. See, at this point in the season last year (22 games in, as I write this while the Rockies and Royals hang out during their Wednesday night rain delay), the White Sox had just lost 7-0 to the Minnesota Twins and fallen to 3-19 on the season. The Rockies, before this now-postponed game with Kansas City begins, sit at 4-18, just a single win above that mark.
Colorado’s club doesn’t exactly find itself on the path to success. The White Sox finished last season with an MLB-low team slash line of .221/.278/.340. The Rockies so far? .214/.288/.342. Yeesh.
Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images
With the season just an eighth or so of the way done, there’s plenty of time for the Rockies to turn things around – and maybe new hitting coach Clint Hurdle can help right the ship in that regard. Still, it’s not a good look that Colorado finds itself currently hitting worse than the literal worst team ever.
Chicago also boasts one of the game’s best farm systems, with the hope that their current suffering will soon end when their elite prospects reach MLB readiness. The Rockies, meanwhile, sit in the lower half of prospect rankings, at least per MLB.com. That’s… not exactly inspiring.
The White Sox are likely to move another superstar to a contender (this time outfielder Luis Robert Jr.), this just the latest in a string of moves to replenish their farm system at the cost of MLB talent. That’s an act many have hoped Colorado would take part in in recent years, to no avail. That trading of stars will mean more losing seasons in the short term for Chicago, with hope that it will eventually lead to dubs down the line.
Are the Sox, then, in a better place than our Rockies? Eh, hard to say. They’re certainly not good, but they do seem, at this moment, better poised for future success. Colorado, meanwhile, almost objectively feature a more talented Major League squad, if only barely. Pick your poison, I suppose.
The White Sox are but one extreme barometer, though. What about the Miami Marlins, losers of 100 games last year? How do they fare when compared to our squad?
Well, they currently find themselves just two games under .500 as of Thursday morning. They feature talented arms such as Max Meyer and Sandy Alcantara, as well as slugger Matt Mervis, who’s clobbered seven home runs thus far this season (that’s half as many long balls as the Rockies have as a team). They weren’t projected to win many games this season, but after the Phillies and Braves found themselves starting off slow, the Fish somehow find themselves just a few games out of second place in the division.
Of course, no one expects Miami to reasonably compete this year. Still, they find themselves with what appears to be a clear path to a rebuild, if only they have the sight to see it. They’re not doing a complete 180 or anything, but the Marlins seem to be on the cusp of an upturn.
Now, it’s not like they’re infallible. Miami hasn’t exactly endeared itself to fans with all of their operational decisions recently, and the organization is not devoid of controversy. While the Rockies can be frustrating, they certainly aren’t involved in the kind of, uh, shady dealings that we’ve seen from the Fish.
(respectfully)
Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
So are the Marlins in a better place than the Rockies? Yeah, probably. They’re seemingly more willing to commit to a full rebuild, as recent trades and moves have shown. Colorado, meanwhile, has no intentions of leaning into reconstruction mode, despite pleas from fans to do just that. Even beyond future moves, the Miami’s current roster edges Colorado’s ever so slightly, if only because they’re a bit more consistent in their play.
These three teams – the Rockies, Marlins, and White Sox – are often considered the also-rans of MLB. When comparing all three, I’d argue that the White Sox have the future sight, the Marlins have the immediate talent, and the Rockies land somewhere in the middle. It’s tough to say which among them is in the best place. What we can definitively say is that they’re all going through similar pains in determining how to build a winning team.
Who will find the answer first?
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On the farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 18, Reno Aces 3
It was all about the offense for the ‘Topes, who routed the Aces in a huge win. Ryan Ritter, Austin Nola, Julio Carreras, and Yanquiel Fernández all recorded three-hit games, while Fernández and Ritter each knocked in four runs. Every Isotope got at least one knock in what was a lopsided affair.
Tanner Gordon tossed six three-run innings, while Albuquerque’s bullpen worked around a couple hits and two walks to shut down any hopes of a Reno comeback.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 4, Somerset Patriots 2
Three hits allowed? That’s great! Seven walks allowed? That’s less great! Either way, it was enough for the Yard Goats to reign supreme in their contest against the Patriots on Wednesday.
Connor Staine’s outing was a wild one as he allowed four free passes and one run in just 1 2⁄3 innings. Mason Green then filled in for a couple frames (he’s allowed just one run in 10 1⁄3 innings thus far!) before passing the baton to Carson Skipper, Brayan Castillo, and Matt Turner, who all kept Somerset’s lineup quiet.
Dylan Jorge and Kyle Karros each recorded two hits and a run, while Jose Torres smacked his third home run of the season in what was eventually a solid team win for Hartford. Karros is now hitting .365 through his first 15 games of the year.
High-A: Spokane Indians 10, Eugene Emeralds 5
Another big night for the bats of a Rockies affiliate! Spokane rode a six-run fifth frame to their win over the Emeralds, punctuated by Jesus Ordonez’s grand slam.
Alberto Pacheco allowed five runs in five innings, but that would be it for the Emeralds as Stu Flesland III threw three shutout frames before Alan Perdomo shut the door in the ninth.
Single-A: Fresno Grizzlies 9, San Jose Giants 5
A clean sweep for Rockies affiliates on Wednesday! You love to see it.
The Grizzlies scored just one run through the game’s first six innings, but four runs in the seventh frame followed by two in the eighth and ninth propelled Fresno to victory.
Top-five prospect Brody Brecht threw three scoreless innings and was backed up by solid bullpen work. Fresno’s offense was bolstered by Alan Espinal and Tommy Hopfe, who each recorded two hits, two runs, and two RBI.
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On the internet
Doyle, ‘itching to get back,’ returns to struggling Rockies | MLB.com
Have you missed Brenton Doyle? I know I have, and it sounds like he missed us too. Read about how excited the star outfielder is to rejoin his teammates and get back to work.
Royals’ Carlos Estévez Has 5-Word Response To 9th-Inning Meltdown Vs. Rockies | Sports Illustrated
The Rockies very nearly came from behind to win on Tuesday night, but eventually lost to the Royals in extra innings. They did, however, manage to knock Kansas City closer and former teammate Carlos Estévez from the game after scoring three runs. Check out how he responded to the explosive outing here.
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