Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 45, Sterlin Thompson (-0.3 rWAR)
2026 was simultaneously a breakout season and a disappointing one
for Sterlin Thompson.
The 2022 31st overall draft pick had spent the previous three seasons slowly working his way up through the minor leagues one level at a time. In 2025 he spent the entire season at Triple-A Albuquerque where he hit well (118 wRC+) but not so well that he earned a call up the Major Leagues given his defensive limitations.
This season, Thompson put up the best numbers of his professional career in 92 games at Triple-A… but failed to have those results translate in a month long stay on the Major League roster.
Early season dominance
Thompson started off the year absolutely raking in his return to Triple-A. By mid-May, he had hit .344/.491/.496 with four home runs and eight stolen bases in 38 games for the Isotopes.
The Rockies front office, as evidenced by an early June conversation with Paul DePodesta, were looking for indicators that Thompson’s process at the plate had improved beyond just PCL inflated surface stats.
Thompson made sure the front office could not ignore his performance in the early goings of 2026.
Through his first 38 games both Thompson’s walk rate and strikeout rate had improved from where they had been the year prior. His walk rate in particular had jumped from 10% in 2025 all the way up to 18% in the first couple months of 2026. Thompson’s plate discipline had gone from solid to elite and it elevated his entire offensive profile.
This was enough for DePodesta and company to give Thompson the call to the big leagues on May 15th.
A month in the big leagues
On May 15, Thompson made his Major League debut as a pinch-hitter against Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kelly induced a one-pitch groundout to first in what would be indicative of Thompson’s short first stint with the Rockies big league club.
Four days after his debut, Thompson would be temporarily sent back down to the minors when Tyler Freeman returned from the paternity list.
That demotion was only a temporary setback, however, as he was clearly at the top of the minor league depth chart for the front office. Three days after being optioned to Triple-A, Thompson was once again called up to the Rockies after an injury to Mickey Moniak opened up a roster spot.
Late May was a very busy time for the 24-year-old outfielder.
Thompson’s second stint in the Major Leagues lasted a full month and allowed him an extended chance to settle into life as a big leaguer.
Having spent the early part of his minor league career being tried out at all of second base, third base, and the outfield corners it was an open question whether Thompson would be able to find a position where his glove would not be a liability. He managed to hold his own in the field with the Rockies and recorded only -1 Out Above Average in 86 innings split between left and right field.
At the plate, however, Thompson struggled to make an impact against big league pitching.
In total, Thompson hit for a .232/.312/.377 slash line in 27 games for the Rockies. Most concerning was that the plate discipline which had gotten him the call-up seemed to evaporate as soon as he arrived in the Majors. His 18% Triple-A walk rate fell to just 6.5% for the Major League club, and his strikeout rate jumped up to 27.3%.
Under the hood, however, it wasn’t hopeless for Thompson’s bat. His power numbers ticked upwards in June with a great 50% hard-hit rate on the month, which translated to a slugging percentage that spiked from .185 in May up to .500 in June.
This was elevated, in no small part, by his two home run game on June 17:
Ultimately, Thompson was not able to fully capitalize on that power due to a 52% ground ball rate paired with just a 16% line drive rate. Essentially, when Thompson was making contact, he was hitting it hard but on the ground.
This inability to get the ball off the ground mixed with his aforementioned plate discipline regression motivated the front office to option Thompson to Triple-A again on June 22 when Mickey Moniak returned from his stay on the injured list.
PCL All-Star
For some players, a return to the minor leagues can discourage and demotivate them. Thompson, however, picked up right where he left off with the Isotopes. Thompson’s OPS climbed in each of the final three months of the season at Triple-A from .912 in July all the way up to 1.194 in September.
As 2026 came to a close, Thompson was named one of the Pacific Coast League’s All-Stars for the season after hitting a combined .329/.475/.530 for a 153 wRC+ in 92 games.
Looking Forward
It would be easy to write off 2026 as proof that Thompson has been surpassed on the Rockies outfield depth chart. Players like Cole Carrigg and Zac Veen managed to make a larger splash and then stick with the Major League team longer than he did.
Thompson has, however, done enough at the Triple-A level to remain firmly in the Rockies’ crowded outfield conversation heading into 2027. Going into spring training, he will simply need to prove that he can elevate the ball and maintain, against Major League pitching, the plate discipline strides he showed off in Triple-A all season.
If he’s able to do those two things, he would force his way back onto the Major League roster, at least in a depth or platoon role, next season. If he isn’t, however, the future will be very uncertain for him as he already has nothing left to prove at Triple-A.
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