In the Rockies' perfect world, young, hard-throwing right-hander Anthony Molina will blossom into the next German Marquez. For now, however, the Rockies simply need Molina to provide quality depth to their pitching staff. Molina, 21, was selected by the Rockies Wednesday from Tampa Bay in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and will be added to the active 26-man roster.

Welcome to the 2023 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2023. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. Elias Díaz played in the most games of his career in 2023, playing in 141 games for the Colorado Rockies in his fourth season with the club. The 33-year-old catcher started the season off hot, slashing .342/.398/.500 in the month of April.

Leyland will go down as one of the best managers in MLB history. After several successful stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Florida Marlins, including a World Series title in 1997, Leyland left the Marlins after a disastrous 1998 season where the Marlins cut payroll and continued to pull the rug out from under Leyland.

Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag. Are the Rockies looking to sell off some outfield/corner infield prospects for MLB-ready pitching? General manager Bill Schmidt told me Monday that he's open to trading both established players and prospects in exchange for pitching.

When did you last see a baseball game at Coors Field in Denver , Colorado ? I've always been a baseball fan, and growing up in the shadow of Wrigley Field, I'm also a fan of ballparks. The Colorado Rockies opened MLB play in 1993. Fans will remember the team playing their first two seasons at Mile-High Stadium . Coors Field is located in lower downtown Denver. It's a fun stadium with modern amenities and a great view from almost anywhere in the ballpark, especially the purple seats. Get our free mobile app Denver is the Mile High City Denver State Capital Canva loading... A portion of the city of Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level earning it the nickname the " Mile High City

Todd Helton was talking Rockies baseball Tuesday afternoon. The club's iconic first baseman, who's on track toward election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame when votes are announced Jan. 23, remains passionate about the team he suited up for during his entire 17-year career. Despite the Rockies' 103-loss season in 2023 — “Really tough,” he said — Helton hopes the young prospects he's working with will embrace being a part of the Rockies. “Hopefully, they see the pride that I take in being a Colorado Rockie,” Helton said from the club's suite at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center.

The A's, Royals and Rockies entered Tuesday's draft lottery with the best odds for the first pick.

Shortstop José Iglesias agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the New York Mets and will report to big league spring training. An 11-year major league veteran, Iglesias was an All-Star in 2015 with Detroit, when he batted .300 with two homers, 23 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

Acquiring more starting pitching, finding bullpen depth, building a better bench and possibly adding a backup catcher top the Rockies' to-do list this offseason. “Eventually, given our young kids, and how soon our young kids are ready, they will dictate our (direction on offense),” Schmidt said, adding that his priority is to build a better bench for manager Bud Black. Last season, the Rockies' 163 home runs were tied for the fourth-fewest in baseball, and their .249 average and .310 on-base percentage were each the lowest in franchise history, while their .405 slugging was better than only the 2022 team (.398).

Welcome to the 2023 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2023. It's no secret that Justin Lawrence is a favorite here at Purple Row. Said nickname is Justin Lawrence approved. Justin Lawrence's career has been defined by a series of important mechanical adjustments.

During the MLB Winter Meetings, a wide range of MLB personnel speak with the media to answer questions about the season that has ended as well as the one that will begin in February. Yesterday, Colorado Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt had two availabilities, the first with the MLB Network and the second with Denver sports media. Highlights from these conversations give a sense of the Rockies' planning as they head into the 2024 season. The video clip below provides a sense of Schmidt's current focus.

The value of Brenton Doyle's defense might be, literally, indescribable. It's important to understand the context that, according to every number we have, Coors Field is an absolute nightmare for outfielders. Defensive metrics are far from perfect, but they all agree that Doyle isn't just on another level from every other Colorado Rockies outfielder… he's on another planet. Consider that the previous high for a Rockies outfielder in DRS was six.

The reality is this: Unless the Rockies can improve their starting pitching this winter, they face another long, hot, discouraging summer in 2024. General manager Bill Schmidt has already made one significant move, acquiring right-hander Cal Quantrill in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians last month. “I thought it was a great year, and it was a win for me — personally,” Lambert said toward the end of the season. From July 1 through Sept. 4, Lambert went 2-4 with a 3.60 ERA over nine starts while striking out 30 and walking 11.

This Week in Purple is the place to catch up on the news from our team at Purple Row. The 2024 Hall of Fame Ballot was released last week, so it's officially #HeltonHOF season! Will this be the year he finally gets enshrined next to Larry Walker in Cooperstown? For his Monday Rockpile, Kenneth looked at three low-risk, high-reward free agents for the Rockies to consider (as the title suggests): C Francisco Mejía, LHP Brailyn Marquez and RHP Josh Staumont.

Welcome to the 2023 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2023. Every time Jake Bird came out to pitch in 2023 — and reader, there were many, many innings when he came out to pitch — Black Sabbath's “Iron Man” began playing in my mind. After all, when it came to pitching, Bird was, without a doubt, the Iron Man in the Colorado Rockies bullpen. In 2023, his second season with the Rockies, Bird pitched 84 1⁄3 innings, tying him with the Detroit Tigers' Tyler Holton for the most innings by any MLB reliever.

In a slow offseason where the best part of being a Rockies fan is thinking about the future, it's fun to think about potential Rockies rosters in the years ahead. Thanks to Baseball America and Renee Dechert's Purple Row breakdowns of possible 2025 and 2027 lineups, I've been daydreaming about a team filled with players with serious home run potential, speed, and defensive beauty. As Renee said, “That Bryant contract is going to haunt the Rockies for a long time.”

While Rockies ownership faces challenges in building a competitive team and expanding the fan base, Dick Monfort has shown commitment to the region and has no plans for relocation. In contrast, John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, is relocating his team to Las Vegas following a dismal 50-112 season, the worst in the league.

Welcome to the 2023 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2023. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. When the Colorado Rockies acquired Randal Grichuk prior to the 2022 season, it was with the hope that he could provide an offensive boost and a reliable defensive glove. The world had other plans as Grichuk underwent surgery around Spring Training time to address a bilateral sports hernia.

It's posting season, which means some of the brightest stars from the baseball leagues in Japan and Korea are making the transition to Major League Baseball. Generally, the Colorado Rockies have not been very active in that market, but it's worth looking back on the history of some of the Asian players who came to Colorado and what they managed to accomplish. Near the trade deadline in 2006, the Rockies decided to gamble on a former MVP from the NPO in a trade with the New York Mets. Kazuo Matsui was thought to be the new star shortstop for the Mets when he signed a three-year deal in 2004 to come over to the United States but he struggled defensively and the offense never blossomed.

The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Tuesday, Nov. 28 that 2024 spring training tickets are now on sale.

I had really intended to write about FanGraphs' pre-season Steamer projections, but then I discovered that Baseball American had updated their Rockies materials. First, Baseball America has a new Top 10 Rockies prospects list , and they are clearly enthusiastic about Adael Amador. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Baseball America (@baseballamerica) Here's what the rest of the Rockies Top 10 list looks like: Adael Amador (SS) Chase Dollander (RHP) Yanquiel Fernandez (OF) Jordan Beck (OF) Sterlin Thompson (2B) Zac Veen (OF) Dylan Jorge (SS) Jordy Vargas (RHP) Drew Romo (C) Robert Calaz (OF) I've got a few quibbles (should Calaz be ranked this high?), but that's a subject for the comments.

The Detroit Tigers have signed utility man Ryan Vilade to a minor-league contract. The signing appeared on the team's transactions page this week. Vilade, who turns 25 in February, spent the 2023 season at the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. He played primarily center field but also logged plenty of innings at the corners in both the infield and outfield. Vilade hit .271 with a .752 OPS in 511 plate appearances in Indianpolis. He drew 64 walks and had a .370 on-base percentage. Vilade was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the second round in 2017 out of Stillwater (Okla.) High School and became one of the organization's top prospects (ranked No. 6 by Baseball America).

Cal Quantrill was designated for assignment this week and traded for catching prospect Kody Huff.

The former Dodgers ace was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in September and a decision on whether he faces charges has not been made.

The new ownership’s expertise “will greatly benefit ... our continued downtown revitalization,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said.