What Decisions Will the Rockies Make About Their Outfield?

Bill Schmidt has been clear since Rockies Fest: In this Colorado Rockies spring training camp, no one’s position is safe.

This week, some of the 2025 roster decisions began to come into focus.

• Drew Romo has been optioned to Albuquerque, so Hunter Goodman will be the backup catcher.

• Only Zach Agnos remains of the Rockies prospect pitchers, but he’s probably headed to Albuquerque soon as well simply because there’s so much talent in the bullpen. (Sorry, Jefry Yan.)

• Chase Dollander is still in camp, but it seems likely he’ll begin in Triple-A, too. (He’s close but not quite ready.)

The big question, however, remains in the outfield, and it’s worth examining what we know now.

I haven’t forgotten: Spring training numbers mean nothing. Still, right now, they’re the best data we’ve got in trying to determine the 2025 Rockies outfield as the season begins.

At this point, only one thing is clear: Brenton Doyle will be the starting center fielder. After that, things become less certain.

So What Do the Numbers Show?

Here’s what we’ve got, including the data from yesterday’s win over the Cleveland Guardians:

All numbers are courtesy of FanGraphs.

Below are some notable trends.

• Sam Hilliard has not had a good training camp — He leads all players in strikeouts and has an anemic slashline — he’s under .200 in all categories. Given that Hilliard is being considered for a bench role, these numbers call into question whether this is a good use of a roster spot.

• Brenton Doyle looks ready to pick up where he left off; Nolan Jones may be getting there — Jones has improved over the last few days, getting four hits and three RBIs in Wednesday’s game. Plus, the number at-bats he’s taken suggests a player intent on showing what he can do. He’s not there yet, but trending in the right direction. It seems likely he’ll break camp with the Rockies.

• Jordan Beck may be headed back to ABQ — The numbers are fine, but given the competition, they’re probably notenough. He’s second to Hilliard in Ks though he’s also got two home runs and five walks. I see Beck as a borderline case who starts in Triple-A.

• Zac Veen is close — I confess to having lost faith in Veen. (Just too many injuries.) But in this camp, he’s showing he belongs. Look at how good the numbers are, and he’s go fewer Ks and more walk than some of his teammates. Plus, he leads the Rockies in steals and is second in SLG. I expect him to begin in ABQ, but I also think he’ll be in Denver a lot sooner than anyone expected — maybe before Beck gets back.

• Sean Bouchard is making his case — Given the injuries he’s suffered over the last two years, it can be easy to overlook Bouchard, but perhaps we shouldn’t. His 11 hits ties him with Nick Martini in leading all other outfielders, his strikeouts are fine, and the slashline looks okay, too. Also, Ryan Spilborghs said on yesterday’s broadcast that he was supposed to have the day off, but Bud Black asked him to come in to take a single at-bat against a lefty pitcher. (Bouchard did not get a hit.) That suggests that Rockies are making decisions.

• Nick Martini is exceeding expectations — I’ve written about Martini, who really didn’t seem to have much to offer, but he has in this spring training. Seriously, those are solid numbers. It’s also worth noting what Bud Black said following Thursday’s win over the Guardians:

Kevin Henry: Martini, three for three, another good day for good day for him.

Bud Black: A good day for Martini, continues to swing the bat well, good at bats, controls the strike zone. I don't want to say it's been a pleasant surprise because he's shown some things in the big leagues, and he's showing them right now,

Thomas Harding: That type of at-bat is the thing that, obviously, you guys were looking for when you signed him, right?

Bud Black: Well, again, I think he's a veteran player. I think he knows what he can do, and he's doing it. He's not trying to do too much. There's some intensity to Nick. You know so far, he's been great on the team. He's meshed very well with the guys. So it's really good to see.

There’s no other way to read that than as an endorsement. And, to be fair, Martini has made a (small-sample-size) case for himself.

So to answer a question I posed earlier in the season, yes, Nick Martini is probably Jake Cave 2.0.

Who breaks camp with the Rockies?

Nolan Jones (LF), Brenton Doyle (CF), Nick Martini (RF) with Sean Bouchard as the fourth outfielder. (Remember that Kyle Farmer can play in the outfield, too.)

But I also think each of these players, save, Doyle, is on a short leash. If they’re not producing by, say, early May, look for Veen to get a call up followed by Beck (unless Beck outhits Veen in Triple-A).

But it’s the Rockies, so who knows?

Stay tuned.

• Thomas Harding’s “‘A Ton of Fun': Prospect Veen Showing Growth, But Still Letting It Fly” (MLB.com) — Yeah, Veen is absolutely close.

• Mark Kizla’s “Rockies Owner Dick Monfort Urges MLB to Adopt Salary Cap to Combat Dodgers' Runaway Spending” (The Gazette) — No matter how hard Kizla is on Monfort, he always gets a good conversation out of the Rockies owner. The focus will be his salary cap comments (and I get that), but Rockies fans should be more interested in what he said about being tired of losing.

• Skyler Timmins’ “Owen Miller Has Made a Case for the Rockies in Spring Training” (Purple Row) — It’s not just Nick Martini (thought I think Miller starts the season with the Isotopes).

Closing Thoughts

And that’s it for this week.

We should see the roster firm up this week, and soon enough, we’ll know if my prediction is right. (If the Rockies add Martini to their roster, the Purple Row board regulars will be furious; if he starts, they will probably revolt.)

As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to share this with a friend.

Renee

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