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. 49, Yanquiel Fernández (-0.9 rWAR)
Rockies fans rejoiced on
June 30, when the Colorado Rockies announced they were promoting outfielder Yanquiel Fernández after DFAing Sam Hilliard.
It was a promotion they had been waiting for as they hoped to see if Fernáandez, just 22, could rake at Coors Field.
As a refresher, in 2019, Fernández, then 16, was part of the international draft class out of Cuba.
After struggling in 2024 — he has a tendency to chase — things fell into place for the slugger this season. Prior to being promoted, Fernández hit .284/.347/.502 with 13 home runs through his first 64 games in Albuquerque. His numbers were especially torrid in June when he mashed five homers and managed to get a hit in 13 of 17 games.
However, following his MLB promotion, Fernández, like many of the Rockies prospects, struggled to adjust. In 147 plate appearances, Fernández slugged four home runs and slashed .225/.265/.343 (62 OPS+).
Looking back at his season, Fernández described it as a learning experience.
“I’ve learned a lot in my time up here,” he said through interpreter Edwin Perez.
“I’ve learned a lot from the guys here. They have helped me on this journey, and they taught me what the day-to-day has been like, and just helped me in general. So I think that it’s just been, overall, a great learning experience.”
For Fernández, moving through the Rockies farm system has been about making adjustments.
“If you’re able to kind of adjust yourself at an early age,” Fernández said, “I think it helps you get up here quicker. And so for me, I think if I had the maturity that I have now, I think I would have been up with this team even sooner.”
For Fernández, it’s easy to point to the highlight of his rookie season.
“I think for me, overall, being able to perform and that home run in front of Yordan Álvarez in Houston. He’s one of my favorite players. So I know everyone knows that that’s a special moment for me, especially given how much he means to me.”
Interim manager Warren Schaeffer was impressed with Fernández’s debut season, also pointing to the season as a learning opportunity for the rookie.
“Being here, he showed hit ability, and he showed learning,” Schaeffer said. “He showed an extremely hard work ethic off the field that nobody sees.”
In addition, Schaeffer pointed out the challenges for a young player who’s only receiving sporadic playing time.
“It’s tough for a player like that, who’s played his whole career every day in the minor leagues, to come up here and go stretches without playing,” Schaeffer said.
“He shows that he can hit the ball over the field. He’s just shown that he’s earned the playing time that he’s got and that he has a bright future.”
Schaeffer also noted Fernández’s improving defense.
“He’s a good defender,” Schaeffer said. “He just needs to be able to move better. He needs to be able to cover more ground. He knows this. He needs just range, range in general. He needs to be able to get some more balls. When he gets to the balls, he makes all the plays and he makes the throws. It’s just a matter of getting there.”
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