Aug 18, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Warming Bernabel (25) reacts a walk off RBI single in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Rockies Rookie Making Major Impact During Otherwise Tumultuous Season

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 9:00 PM ET

There has not been much to get excited about when it comes to the Colorado Rockies performance during the 2025 MLB regular season.

They are on pace to make some history, but nothing any franchise wants to be tied to. Their run differential this season is minus-326 and counting. At 36-89, the Rockies are 35 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West race and 30.5 games behind the New York Mets, who are holding the final wild card spot.

The .288 winning percentage they have is just above the pace set by the Chicago White Sox last year at .253. In 2024, the American League Central squad set the single-season record for losses with 121. At points this year, Colorado looked like they would shatter that mark with how poorly they were performing on the field.

But, the team has been playing at a much higher level the last few months. In June, the Rockies had a .385 winning percentage. July was nearly identical with a .375. Thus far in August, they are putting it all together even more, one game under the .500 mark at 8-9.

Colorado is currently riding a season-long tying four-game winning streak. They have been victorious in six out of their last last seven contests, looking like a competent team for once. One of the major contributors to that success has been rookie Warming Bernabel.

Warming Bernabel Has Been Rockies Best Rookie

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Signed as an international free agent in 2018 for $900,000, he steadily worked his way through the Rockies minor league system. At 23 years old, he was tearing up Triple-A Albuquerque this season. When Colorado traded Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees, it opened up a spot on the big league roster for the Dominican Republic native.

Bernabel got off to an incredibly hot start in his career, making some history with his production at the plate. He was an extra-base machine in his first seven games, recording 14 hits overall to get his career off on the right foot. That torrid production was eventually going to slow, but he is more than holding his own in the Major Leagues.

Through his first 86 plate appearances, he has an impressive .301/.326/.542 slash line with an OPS+ of 128. He has hit four home runs, six doubles and one triple, driving in 13 runs. Providing an impact defensively as well, with plus-1 Fielding Run Value and plus-1 Outs Above Average in his short time in the bigs.

His skills at the plate have been incredibly impressive for a player as young as he is. Bernabel looks like he could be a long-term building block for a franchise that is in desperate need of foundational pieces.

He has been the top rookie for Colorado, but there others such as Kyle Karros, Ryan Ritter, Seth Halvorsen and Juan Meija who are also making positive impacts on the field.