Something that Colorado Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said at Rockies Fest has stayed with me. I’m paraphrasing, but he told fans to expect to see players in spring training games playing positions they have not generally been associated with.
We’ve discussed this notion of “optionality” quite a bit. (See here and here.) And we’ve seen it in action this year as Ryan Ritter leaves the dirt for the grassy plain of left field.
As a fan, I’m all for it.
One needn’t watch many Dodger
games to understand the value of players like Mookie Betts and Max Muncy who comfortably move to whatever hole needs plugging in any given game.
As a writer at Purple Row, however, it creates a quandary.
You see, “The State of the Position” is a series that evaluates positional preparedness and depth based on the players in those positions. After all, the Rockies have traditionally been a fairly “position-locked” organization. A player became a positional specialist and spent their career at that spot.
But the DePodesta/Byrnes Rockies are becoming a considerably more fluid bunch, which means I’m put in the position of speculating where I think a player will play and how good I think he’ll be there.
I’m happy to give it give it the old college try, but bear in mind that just as the Rockies are rebuilding, some of the pieces we write at Purple Row will require some rethinking until the plan becomes clearer.
The locks
Despite all my meandering in the previous section, the four primary outfielders seem clear:
- Jake McCarthy (LF)
- Brenton Doyle (CF)
- Jordan Beck (RF)
- Mickey Moniak (CF & RF)
Doyle’s elite defense is unquestioned. Look, Rawlings doesn’t give Gold Gloves out to just anyone, and Doyle has two of them on his mantle at home. It’s clear that 2025 was not the year he wanted, due both to injuries and personal matters. But those breath-taking Doyle robberies never get old.
McCarthy, then, will assume Beck’s spot in left — manager Warren Schaeffer has been clear about this. Due to his speed and athleticism, McCarthy is suited to covering the ground out there, and in every interview, he’s made clear that he’s confident of his ability to be effective at Coors.
That said, Beck’s defense remains a work in progress. The athleticism is unquestioned, but he’s still learning the job. He told me late last season that he worked with the Rockies body mechanics person on his defense, and it was helpful. How it plays in 2026 remains to be seen, but he’s probably got the starting job in left.
That leaves Mickey Moniak as the fourth outfielder. Moniak’s miserable defense received attention last season, and he will probably see fewer defensive innings than he did last year. But he should be viewed as the fourth outfielder.
Or should he?
Utility outfielders
Here’s where things get complicated.
The Rockies have a number of players who could easily spend significant time in the outfield:
- Tyler Freeman
- Willi Castro
- Ryan Ritter
- Troy Johnston
How much time will they spend in the outfield? We have no idea. Frankly, Schaeffer probably has no idea. Rather, these players should be seen as outfield options who can fit in — think of it as Garanimals roster construction — should the need arrive.
We know that Freeman has struggled in the outfield. Actually, he’s struggled in RF. He said last season that playing center is much easier because of the angles. Willi Castro is a very capable outfielder, though he’s never done that at Coors Field. And Ryan Ritter’s outfield skill remains to be seen, as does whether Johnston breaks camp with the Rockies.
But it’s easy to see — already — how much more versatile these outfield options are.
Remember back on August 25, 2021, when the Rockies ran out of outfielders and played Kyle Freeland in the outfield in the 10th inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs?
Yeah, that’s not happening again.
The farm
The Rockies outfield smorgasbord has been a topic of conversation for a while. This year should see some of those questions answered. For example, Yanquiel Fernández is no longer with the Rockies.
Now to the players who appear to be on the cusp:
- Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP)
- Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP)
- Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP)
- Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP)
- Jared Thomas (No. 5 PuRP)
- Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP)
- Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP)
Veen, Condon, Carrigg, and Thomas appear closest to MLB ready.
But even then, Condon and Carrigg come as versatile players with positional optionality. Is Condon in the outfield or at first? Is Carrigg the Rockies version of Mookie Betts? There’s too much we don’t know — in a good way.
One thing worth noting, however, is that this year is probably it for former first-round draft pick Benny Montgomery, who has yet to get to Triple-A Albuquerque and has struggled to stay healthy. If he’s not on the field and making progress, he may be seeing his last days with the Rockies.
Closing thoughts
This year’s outfield promises to be especially interesting as fans search for the answers to a number of questions: Which players will move between the infield and the outfield? Will Schaeffer’s emphasis on using data and body mechanics translate to improved defense? Will Brenton Doyle be back in his 2024 form — and will he finish the season with the Rockies given all the rumors about other teams being interesting in him.
(Early prediction: I do not think we will see him in purple come August.)
But the exciting thing is that if Doyle is, in fact, traded, there are other players prepared to slide into center — or any number of positions.
The outfield is a position of depth for the Rockies. Now we wait to see how the new configurations work.
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
