Brenton Doyle Is Picking up Where He Left Off

In 2024, Brenton Doyle was the Colorado Rockies most valuable player. His defense was never in question. After all, Rawlings doesn’t just give out Gold Gloves to anyone, and Doyle has two now.

Doyle leveled up, however, because of his improved offense. Remember: In 2023, he finished the season with .203/.250/.343 and 45 wRC+. In 2024, those numbers improved to .260/.317/.446 with a 96 wRC+. Yes, he more than doubled his wRC+.

The offensive improvement was the result of some intensive offseason work. As he told me last August,

I got with the hitting coaches, and in the offseason, I got with the hitting coach [Kevin Lachance] I worked with back home, and we really just try to work on making my swing as efficient as possible — a little less body movement, allow my eyes to be a little bit more quiet during my load and my swing and everything, and the results have been very pleasing.

The question, then, was whether Doyle would continue to build in 2025 on the foundation he laid in 2024.

(Here’s his cage routine as he describes part of his plan of improvement if you‘re interested.)

Right now, it’s early in the season, so the numbers are firmly small sample size and volatile, but it’s worth considering where Brenton Doyle as he settle into 2025.

How’s the Offense?

So far, it’s good.

In 56 plate appearances, Doyle has slashed .302/.339/.528 with a wRC+ of 128. That’s probably going to cool off, but getting off to a good start is always a positive sign.

So far, he has a 5.4% BB% (down from last season’s 7.6%) and a 17.9% K% (down from 25.4 in 2024). Those numbers will surely normalize as well. (It just seems unlikely that anyone playing half their games at Coors Field will continue to strikeout as such a low rate.)

Doyle has also hit three home runs (23 in 2024) and stolen one base (30 in 2024). These stats are meaningless, other than illustrating that Doyle has found his stroke and is beginning to hit — and three homers ties him with four other center fielders for most in MLB.

On Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers, Doyle had a homer and five RBI before the game ended. (See for yourself.)

In short, his offensive presence appears ready to build on what he accomplished last season.

The Defense Remains Sublime, Yes?

There have been some minor hitches, but he’s still an exceptional defender.

Currently Doyle has two DRS, which ranks him second behind a three-way tie for first with three DRS. (That would be Jake Meyers, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ceddanne Rafaela, if you’re interested.)

He already has 104.0 innings in center field and one error. (In 2024, he only had four errors in 1224.2 defensive innings.)

The numbers are not yet too worrisome, but one concern is the sheer number of innings Doyle is logging defensively. Playing all-out at Coors Field tends to age players quickly, so it’s good Bill Schmidt was determined to provide some backup for Doyle this offseason.

In other words, the Rockies currently have the best center fielder in organizational history — a point both Cory Sullivan and Ryan Spilborghs agree on. But they need to preserve his health.

So, What’s the “Complicated” Question?

The question is whether the Rockies should begin exploring trading Brenton Doyle given his value will never be greater than it is right now.

The Rockies have been clear that they see Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, and Michael Toglia as the building blocks of this team. Yet, they have not moved to extend Doyle or even buy out his arbitration years. That, coupled with his skills would make Doyle an attractive trade candidate.

How will the Rockies approach this question?

They have a plethora of outfielders with two looking as potential center fielders: Former first-round draft pick Benny Montgomery and 2023 draft pick Cole Carrigg. Granted, the Yard Goats’ season is younger than that of the Rockies, but so far, Carrigg has been burning it up.

Should Carrigg make quick work on Double-A Hartford and move to Albuquerque, it will be fair to wonder if he’s the next Rockies center fielder.

Look, I really like Brenton Doyle, and I would hate to see him play for another team, but it’s also time to be real. If the Rockies are sellers at the trade deadline — and surely they will be given both their record and the development of their young players — it will be worth watching whether Brenton Doyle finishes the season in Denver.

It’s Happening!

This week, we found out that the Grand Junction Jackalopes will fulfill a long-standing fan request.

I wrote about this back in 2017. The Jackalopes are really leaning into it, and I am very here for that.

What I’m Reading

• Troy Renck’s “Ryan McMahon’s Speech Shows Rockies Players Care. Too Bad Owner Doesn’t” (Denver Post) — One thing that’s different this year: Denver sports columnists are not holding back in their criticism of Bud Black and Dick Monfort, especially after the Denver Nuggets‘ coaching shakeup earlier this week. Will it matter? Stay tuned.

• Skyler Timmins‘ “What Does Jordan Beck Need to Do Now?” (Purple Row) — Zac Veen is up while Jordan Beck working through his issues at the plate in Albuquerque. Timmins goes through the mechanics of Beck’s swing and makes some suggestions.

• Renee Dechert’s “Brent Rooker on Athletics’ New Ballpark, Swing Changes and More” (SB Nation) — I try not to plug my own writing too much in this newsletter, but I did want to share this interview with Brent Rooker. I spoke to him last weekend when The Athletics visited Coors Field, and here’s what I learned.

• I’ve reactivated my Netflix account to watch “The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox.” I’ve got to that that so far, I really like it. See if this is your thing.

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it for this week.

The Rockies are 3-10 with many of their old problems (namely a lackluster offense) appearing unaddressed. How long will they continue like this? Who knows? I suppose that’s why they play baseball.

Apologies for being a day late — the end of the semester is always a bit unpredictable.

As always, thanks for reading.

Renee

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Rockies Pitch is a newsletter that focuses on Colorado Rockies baseball. Find me on Bluesky at @Renee.Dechert.com.