Welcome to the 2025 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2025. 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. 24, Keston Hiura (0.0 rWAR)
The quest to find the future Colorado Rockies first baseman featured a carousel of seven starters in 2025. In the end, 2017 MLB Draft first-round pick Keston Hiura very short ride — when he played in eight games over 13 days — proved unsuccessful.
Hiura, who the Rockies signed to a minor league deal in January with an invite to spring training, played well in Triple-A Albuquerque, but continued his career-long trend of struggling in the Majors.. In 100 games with the Isotopes, Hiura hit .272/.369/.507 with an OPS of .876, 21 homers, 21 doubles, 62 runs scored, 67 RBI, 47 walks and 123 strikeouts in 383 plate appearances. One of Hiura’s 21 homers in Triple-A included this 479-foot blast against the Space Cowboys on May 27.
Two days earlier, he hit two homers in the same inning against the Reno Aces.
It’s no wonder that the Rockies made the decision to call him up. After Michael Toglia faced challenges at the plate, especially in the strikeout department, the Rockies first-round pick from 2019 was optioned to Triple-A on May 31. With Kyle Farmer lacking the defensive skills to play first, the Rockies called up Hiura, who made his first start on June 1.
In his Rockies debut against the Marlins, he went 0-for-2, striking out in his first appearance. He was hit by a pitch in his next plate appearance and came around to score on a Tyler Freeman homer. He hit a double and scored a run in his next game. Despite going 2-for-9, Heston was a part of the Rockies first sweep of the season when the Rockies beat Miami in all four games on the road.
Hiura hit an RBI single against the Giants on June 11 before going 0-for-2 in what would be his final game with the Rockies on June 13 vs. the Braves.
In eight games for the Rockies, Hiura hit .222/.333/.287 with an OPS of .611 with three singles, one double, three runs scored, one RBI, no walks and seven strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. The Rockies recalled Toglia aand designated Hiura for assignment on June 18. On June 20, Hiura was outrighted to Triple-A. Playing the rest of the season in Albuquerque, Hiura again put up impressive numbers.
His tenure in the organization turned out to end when the season did as he elected free agency and remains unsigned. Rockies Prospect Warming Bernabel and long-time Minor Leaguer Blaine Crim, who the Rockies picked up on Aug. 3 after he was cut by the Rangers, finished the season at first, finding more success than Hiura.
Huira, a former Brewer and Angel, who also played a short while in the Tigers organization, clearly has power and potential, but that performance has yet to translate to the Majors. While the search for Colorado’s future first baseman continues, Hiura’s turn at the helm ended quickly without a splash.
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