The 6 Biggest Takeaways From the Rockies’ 2025 season

Ryan McMahon was offloaded to the New York Yankees for prospects on July 25 as a way to improve the future of the franchise and save the club upwards of $36 million over the coming seasons.

McMahon had been taken by Colorado in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Mater Dei HS in California. The 30-year-old one-time All-Star had been a finalist for the NL Gold Glove Award at third base every year since taking over for Arenado in 2021.

Three days after the Rockies ended their abysmal season, Schmidt stepped down from his post as general manager. Before running the organization for the last five losing campaigns — he was actually the interim GM in 2021 from May 3 to October 1 — Schmidt was integral to the foundation of Colorado. As vice president of scouting, he was in charge of drafting the likes of Arenado, Kyle Freeland, Trevor Story, and Blackmon. 

Germán Márquez, the team’s last pitcher to be selected for the All-Star Game, is likely done donning the purple pinstripes. A free agent this offseason, Márquez is all but sure to leave the only organization he’s ever known.

Acquired in a trade as a minor leaguer, the 30-year-old has spent all 10 seasons in the majors with the club, setting the high-water mark for most strikeouts (1,069) in team history.

Even Antonio Senzatela, poised to return for his 10th season in Denver in the final year of his $50.5 million extension, has lost his role in the starting rotation and is ticketed for a place in the 2026 bullpen, according to interim manager Warren Schaeffer. 

They’ve Got A Goodman

It was Jacob Stallings whose name was first on Colorado’s call sheet as the primary backstop on February 13 for the start of Spring Training at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona. By the end of the regular season on September 28, it was Hunter Goodman whose name was No. 1 on the all-time list of greatest single-seasons for a Rockies catcher.

Once he bested Drew Romo for the second catching spot on the roster, Goodman parlayed his strong March into an even stronger first-half, earning a nod on the NL squad for the All-Star Game. 

He didn’t slow down during the dog days of summer, nor the final weeks of the 162-game marathon when everyone surrounding Colorado was more focused on discussing next year and beyond. The 25-year-old set franchise records for a catcher in hits (150), doubles (28), home runs (31), extra-base hits (64), and RBI (91).

The season for the University of Memphis product was special even beyond the short history of the 1993 expansion franchise. In the Modern Era, Goodman became the sixth catcher in his age-25 season or younger with at least 30 HR and 90 RBI. He is also just the second primary catcher with at least 25 doubles, five triples, and 30 homers in the same season.

Not bad for a guy whose 104 games behind the plate in 2025 exceeded his total of 103 games wearing the tools of ignorance as a professional over his four years as a professional.

There Aren’t Enough Pieces Yet

Colorado felt poised to take a step forward entering the year after losing a combined 204 games the previous two seasons. Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia were ticketed for stardom on a roster that hasn’t seen more than one participant in the Midsummer Classic since 2019.

Tovar missed 63 games on the injured list with a pair of injuries (hip contusion and left oblique strain) after missing only 14 contests the previous two seasons. Doyle appeared in 138 games but was less productive offensively and defensively following a stint on the bereavement list in April. Toglia struck out 39.2% of the time and finished last among the 1,470 players in terms of Wins Above Replacement (-2.2), according to FanGraphs.

There were strong contributions from Jordan Beck (16 HR, 19 SB), Mickey Moniak (24 HR), and Tyler Freeman (.281 batting average). However, a metric like WAR that evaluates a player’s value suggests the three combined to be below average at -1.0 when also taking into consideration their defense and others around the league at their position.

Freeland managed to post a sub-5.00 ERA while all eight others in the rotation with at least seven starts had a 6.00 ERA or higher. Top pitching prospect Chase Dollander made his debut and showed an ability to pitch on the road (3.46 ERA) as he learned about the cruelty of Coors Field (9.98 ERA).

Colorado had a franchise-record 13 players make their major-league debut this season. By the final game of the season in San Francisco on September 28, the club finished with an average age of 26.0 on the active roster, the youngest in the big leagues.

The club added five minor leaguers at the trade deadline for McMahon, Tyler Kinley and Jake Bird. One of those prospects, LHP Griffin Herring, was outstanding with High-A Spokane over seven starts, posting a 2.40 ERA and striking out 47 in 30 innings. The 22-year-old from LSU was named a finalist for the MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year Award thanks to a 1.89 ERA over 23 starts in 2025.

Ethan Holliday fell to Colorado with the fourth overall pick out of Stillwater HS in Oklahoma. The Baseball America High School Player of the Year and the National Prep Baseball Player of the Year is the son of Rockies’ great Matt Holliday and brother of Baltimore Orioles’ Jackson Holliday.

Maybe There’s A Bullpen

A 5.12 ERA for the relief corps may not inspire a ton of confidence, especially considering only seven seasons in Rockies history have ever been higher, but the bullpen was largely made of those with less than two years of service time.

Seth Halvorsen saved 11 games before missing much of the final two months of the season with a right elbow strain. Since his debut late in 2024, the 25-year-old has not allowed an earned run in 76% of his 54 appearances out of the pen.

Victor Vodnik saved 10 games and had a 3.02 ERA in 52 games. Jaden Hill (3.38 ERA in 28 games) and Juan Mejia (3.96 ERA in 55 games) impressed during their rookie campaigns. Zach Agnos posted a 1.50 ERA (18.0 IP, 3 ER) in his first 18.0 innings with Colorado, and Angel Chivilli had a 2.31 ERA (23.1 IP, 6 ER) in long relief outings lasting at least 2.1 frames.

Waiver claim Jimmy Herget ended up as the best new face in the bullpen. The seven-year veteran had a 2.48 ERA in his age-31 season. He’ll be back, too, as he’s under club control for the next two seasons. 

Coors Field Is a Cash Cow

Colorado experienced a dip in attendance when compared to 2024. However, when you look at the per game average over their 80 home dates, attendance actually increased for Denver’s basement dwellers.

You would probably expect a team careening toward more losses than ever to have an overwhelming issue with getting fans to plunk down hard-earned cash to view their product. However, that’s not how it works with the baseball cathedral known at Coors Field.

It’s also not how it works with a high-migration magnet like Denver. Many of those attending games at the ballpark on 20th and Blake originate from places with old-school baseball allegiances to the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets and Yankees.

If they don’t actually call the Centennial State home, chances are it’s cheap enough for fans of opposing teams to land at DIA for a three-day weekend and have it be cheaper than seeing a single game in their home stadium.

Coors Field has been recession-proof for a while now. Three consecutive 100-loss seasons and attendance that consistently ranks in the middle of MLB’s 30 teams further underlines that point. 

Had the powers that be recognized that cash cow back in 2021 when everything truly began to fall apart, perhaps a coordinated plan of attack could have led to a Houston Astros or Chicago Cubs kind of tanking for a much greater purpose.

Alas, Colorado learned the hard way in 2025 and will only now begin the rebuilding process back to relevancy.