Maybe it’s Blake Street Bomber nostalgia.
Maybe it’s missing power hitters like Todd Helton, Carlos Gozález, prime Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story.
Maybe it’s just wanting to have a fun, competitive baseball team again.
But after each season, especially as Arenado and Story left town, I feel like it’s become my after-season tradition to reflect on Colorado’s dismal home run totals.
The Rockies made a huge leap from No. 26 in MLB in team home runs in 2023 with 163 to No. 15 in 2024 with 179.
While it still wasn’t great for a team that plays half its games in thin air, it was better. With Ezequiel Tovar, Michael Toglia, Brenton Doyle and Ryan McMahon all reaching the 20s in long balls, I assumed the Rockies power surge would continue to climb.
Boy, was I wrong.
After trending in a better direction in 2024, Colorado dropped back to No. 25 at 160.
No one who hit at least 20 homers in 2024 did it again for the Rockies in 2025.
McMahon did finish the season with 20 homers, but he only hit 16 in Colorado before being traded to the Yankees. Doyle dropped off and struggled early on, finishing with 16 homers. Toglia yo-yoed back and forth from Triple-A Albuquerque and the Rockies, hitting only 11 (and then was DFA’d this week). Tovar missed a large chunk of the season due to injury and only hit nine.
Luckily, Hunter Goodman stepped up and became the first player to pass the 30-home run mark since Arenado’s 41 in 2019. Mickey Moniak provided a pleasant and surprising boost to homer numbers with 24. While both were impressive and Goodman’s HR rate seems sustainable, Moniak had a career and outlier year. Only time will tell if Moniak can repeat the performance in 2026.
Overall, the homer problem was a microcosm of the entire 2025 season in Colorado: What the Rockies struggled with in the past got significantly worse in 2025. Considering the Brenton Doyle trade rumors, Tovar’s third-year regression and injuries and an uncertain roster and coaching staff four months before the 2026 season starts, who knows what the Rockies home run potential will be next season.
The one bright note is that the front office is changing. While it could take a while to know if the changes are for the better or not, at least new president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, represents change.
After a 2025 season that dashed my hopes, in his introductory press conference, DePodesta helped give me reason to hope again — even if it’s just a little hope that I know could take years to manifest.
As GM of the Dodgers from 2004-05 and holding various front office roles for the Padres from 2006-2010, DePodesta went against the Rockies during a seven-year stretch when the organization went to the postseason twice and won its only National League Pennant. The offense featured heavy hitters like Matt Holiday, Troy Tulowitzki, Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe and Helton, the future Hall of Famer. It was inspiring to hear DePodesta talk about it.
“As an opposing team here a number of times through those years, we’d look at the schedule in March, and you’d circle these dates, and you dread them,” DePodesta said of coming to Coors Field. “You’d think, ‘Geez, we’ve got to go in there for three days.’ No lead is safe. We don’t know how we’re going to get through this with our pitching. We’re going to need to be thinking about how we’re going to set up our pitching for the series after this. That’s what I want this to be like.”
In 2007, the year of the famous Rocktober run, the Rockies hit 171 home runs, which tied them for No. 13. In 2009, when they returned to the postseason, they were No. 9 at 190 bombs. Even though the times have changed, the home run leaders are often the best teams. Just look at the top three in 2025: the Yankees (274), Dodgers (244) and Mariners (238).
In 2025, the Rockies ranked fourth in most strikeouts at home (705) and tied for 17th in homers (86, which is 54% of their total homers). Opposing pitchers are not scared of the Rockies. In fact, they look forward to facing them, especially considering that 32 different pitchers set career strikeout records against Colorado last season (combining home and away games).
Can you even imagine intimidating pitchers or making Coors Field a place where pitchers are scared to come and pitch?
It would mean the Rockies would have a significantly better record and be more fun to watch. Whether it’s signing homer-hitting free agents, trading for power hitters or drafting more heavy hitters, the Rockies need to return to making home runs a feature of their offense.
Hunter Goodman recaps his 2025 Rockies season | MLB Radio
From forming a better routine, feeling more comfortable and hutning pitches, check out a condensed version of Hunter Goodman’s MLB Radio interview.
Keep your eye on this Rockies prospect in 2026 | MLB.com
Manny Randhawa profiles Sterlin Thompson, the Rockies compensation pick in 2022 after Trevor Story headed to Boston, who has been developing impressively in the Colorado farm system. Being able to play first, second, third, left field and right field, Thompson is a contact hitter who provides the versatility the Rockies love. Signs point to Thompson making his MLB debut sooner rather than later.
In February, it will be five years since the Rockies traded Nolan Arenado. In 2026, the Rockies will pay him $5 million again not to play for them, capping off over $36 million in money they agreed to pay him to play in St. Louis. Regardless of the time, Rockies fans will be interested to see what happens with Arenado next season.
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