Rockies Still Searching for Answer at First Base

The Rockies Will Rely on Three Players to Win the First Base Job

The fate of the first baseman position for the new season will be in the hands of one of three Blaine Crim, Tony Johnston or Edouard Julien.

Crim has had an unbelievable baseball journey. He spent four seasons in college for Mississippi, six seasons in the minors, and three seasons playing internationally before finally making his big league debut in 2025.

The 28-year-old Alabama native only played 20 games last season (15 with the Rockies, 5 with the Texas Rangers. In 61 at-bats with the Rockies, Crim slashed .241/.295/.556 with an .851 OPS. In addition, he collected five home runs and 12 RBIs. 

First base is Crim's primary position, but also experienced playing third base and left field. Therefore, he’s flexible and brings versatility. In yesterday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Crim had three plate appearances but didn’t produce a hit or run. 

Johnson, also 28, will get his opportunity this spring to see if he can be the first baseman. 

Aside from first, he can also play right and left field in case the Rockies need his services if there’s an injured player. Johnston played three college seasons for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he slashed .312/.386/.515 with 114 hits in 109 games. 

After college, he spent six seasons in the minors and two seasons internationally. In his 2025 rookie season with the Miami Marlins, the same team that drafted him in 2019, Johnston batted .277 with 4 home runs, 13 RBIs, and 12 runs in 112 plate appearances. 

Johnston can hit and has immense mental strength; he knows how to execute and is a selective hitter. He’s battled through broken hand injuries and doesn’t show any signs of giving up. Johnston just needs to put it all together so he can finally settle for one team to play for. 

Julien is the youngest of the three. Julien is a 26-year-old infielder who can play second and first base. Although he’s more suited to play second, Julien wouldn’t mind stepping up to play first if he needs to. 

The Canadian native enters his fourth season in the big leagues. The previous three seasons came with the Minnesota Twins. One of his main weaknesses is his strikeout. Julien has struck out 291 times in his first three seasons in the big leagues so far. That’s not a good look. 

Aside from strikeouts, in his first season with the Twins, he hit .263 with 16 home runs and 37 RBIs in 109 games. Last season, he struggled. Julien finished the season with a -0.8 wins above replacement and batted .220 with just three home runs. 

Julien is wearing a Rockies uniform now. The Rockies are currently facing the Rangers. He’s going to have to prove to the coaches that he’s ready to leap and worked in his weaknesses.