Good morning, Purple Row!
The Colorado Rockies were off on Monday, so everyone is rested and ready as the final week of the 2026 MLB season begins to unfold.
Tonight, the Rockies will welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Coors Field in what promises to be a wild week for the D-backs and Padres as each contends for the final Wild Card spot. The Padres will play four games against the Dodgers before welcoming the Snakes to Petco Park for the final series of the season.
And the Rockies will be able to act
as a spoiler in this race, as well, as the White Sox quest for their playoff spot.
It’s a lot!
Now to the news of the day.
Rockies news & links
- The Rockies Have an Ezequiel Tovar Problem on Their Hands | Just Baseball — Eric Treuden considers the Rockies options in dealing with Tovar’s contract. As he writes, “As this season enters its final days, Tovar has just 11 home runs with 42 RBI, a 52 wRC+, and -0.6 fWAR. He has MLB’s lowest wRC+ (next lowest is Jarren Duran, who is 14 points higher than Tovar) and his fWAR is only higher than Salvador Perez, who’s at -1.3. To put it simply, things aren’t looking pretty.”
- Ranking Kevin McGonigle, Sal Stewart and Every MLB Team’s Best Rookie in 2026 | Bleacher Report — Yes, TJ Rumfield makes the list. But he’s 12th? C’mon, Bleacher Report. What are we doing here? Rumfield should be part of the National League Rookie of the Year conversation, not relegated to the middle of the pack.
- Zags in the MLB: Colorado Rockies lean on GU alums during 2026 season | Gonzaga Bulletin — I always enjoy reading publications that covered athletes at earlier points in their careers. This time, Ingrid Donahue focuses on Gabriel Hughes and TJ Rumfield and their first full MLB seasons.
- 10 Sleeper NL Hitting Prospects To Watch In 2027 | Baseball America ($) — Geoff Pontes has placed Rockies IF Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP) to his list. He writes, “Dalis’ underlying data is impressive. He posted a 14.4% in-zone whiff rate and above-average power metrics for a 20-year-old while also logging a 104.6 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, 44.2% hard-hit rate and 23% barrel rate. He’s still learning to pull the ball in the air, but his hard-hit launch angle of 12.1 degrees is very workable.” He added the Dalis will need to work on plate discipline, but improvement in this area would move him up a prospect ranking lists.
Around MLB
- Untying the tiebreaker scenarios, one more time | FanGraphs — For those considering all the playoff possibilities, Jay Jaffe has you covered. (There is a lot going on in the American League.)
- Tigers ballpark to be named Fifth Third Park starting in 2027 | Detroit Free Press — That’s right: Comerica Park is no more. To the broadcasters who get to say consecutive “th”s for the next season, good luck.
- Michelle: A tribute | Dave Barry’s Substack — Yes, it’s that Dave Barry, and here he’s writing about his wife, Michelle Kaufman, who got fired in the media bloodletting last week. Just read it.
Remembering some guys
- Giants pitcher Anthony Molina might be exactly what the team needed | The Athletic ($ — gift link) — This falls squarely into “Remembering Some Guys” territory, but it’s great to see Molina hitting his stride, as Grant Brisbee suggests. He argues for successful development (ignoring his time with the Rockies) that Molina saw with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves in addition to a new arm angle. Whether Molina continues to be successful next season will be a story to watch.
This week on the internet
True story.
Kevin Henry and I were in the dugout when Rockies public relations staff filmed this video.
Take a look.
Two PR staff filmed the exchange with their iPhones. Add in a bit of editing, and you’ve got a fun exchange between players.
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