Hello and welcome to 2026!
Before we get on with a new year, we’d like to take one last look at 2025. Per annual tradition, we recap the year by examining our favorite articles (here’s our list from 2024).
I’ve asked our writers to submit a few of their favorite articles they’ve written this year, as well as a few favorites written by others on the site. The main idea behind this is an opportunity for them to put their best work back out into the world. One of the joys of this exercise is that the resulting list nicely recaps the season.
The downside is that this site covers the Colorado Rockies, and we’re recapping the worst season in franchise history.
But it was a season we struggled through together. So thank you, our readers, for supporting the site by clicking on these articles, reading them, sharing them, and especially engaging in the comments. I hope these articles remind you that things of extreme quality can arise from the toughest of situations.
If not, surely they’ll remind you that there’s (hopefully) nowhere to go but up for this team.
January
We’re used to giving the Nuggets and Avalanche credit around here. It’s odd to give it to the Broncos, but we try not to be stingy with praise OR lessons we could learn from the success of other Denver sports franchises.
The Rockies need to get more from their first round picks – Evan Lang | January 27
Are the Rockies a “draft and develop” team? That question drove a lot of Evan’s work looking into the recent draft record of the Rockies.
Former Rockies make for interesting manager options – Mac Wilcox | January 30
We ended up with only six weeks of Bud Black in the 2025 season. But in the doldrums of January Mac allowed himself to dream about what some managers we might see.
February
Comparing NL West starting rotations from the last six seasons – Skyler Timmins | February 5
Go back to the 2018 Wild Card team. Look at the rotation and Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez, and Antonio Senzatela remain. The rotation has not been what anyone might call good. How does it compare to the track record for their division rivals? Still not good.
March
I have taken on the State of the Position: Ownership article for a while now because I enjoy the chance to look at the Rockies from a more meta level. The meta-level analysis of the Rockies going into the 2025 season was that the rot was deep. We had no idea.
April
Chase Dollander reflects on his debut week: “It’s me against execution” – Sam Bradfield | April 15
Sam has become an expert at the post-debut interview, and her conversation with Chase Dollander was no exception.
What necessitates a coaching change? A look at Rockies history – Skyler Timmins | April 16
After Bud Black survived the offseason, we figured he was going to have a long leash on the season. Somehow he lasted another month after Skyler wrote this article suggesting he wasn’t long for the Rockies bench.
Learn to “grow” in Clint Hurdle’s new book – Skyler Timmins | April 17
Just in time for his return to the organization, Clint Hurdle came out with a book. And so, he received a book review from the vaunted mover of books, Purple Row. But seriously, if you have some gift cards and are looking for a fun read, you just might enjoy Hurdle’s book as much as Skyler did.
Rockies players react to the new City Connect jerseys – Sam Bradfield | April 18
I’m on record not liking the new City Connects (you can’t convince me that they improved on the original), though I have gotten accustomed to them. More than a few players agreed with me on their love of the license plate jerseys, but many were enthusiastic about the change. This will be worth revisiting in the spring.
May
Trouble with the Fastball – Skyler Timmins | May 7
Come for the Trouble with the Curve references. Stay for the analysis of trends demonstrating the Rockies struggles for the season.
June
The Colorado Rockies are historically bad, but where is Dick Monfort? – Evan Lang | June 2
The Monforts got a lot of attention on this site (anything to distract us from the baseball! Wakka wakka!). Unfortunately, unlike other struggling franchises, Rockies fans didn’t hear much from him. Evan dug into the significance and optics of that.
Ryan Rolison’s long journey to the Rockies – Renee Dechert | June 3
It took Ryan Rolison seven years to make the show after being drafted in the 2018 first-round. Getting to hear from him about the process was fantastic.
The Savannah Bananas made their vaunted debut at Coors Field this summer (see below). To prepare for their visit, and after seeing the Bananas in-person in Anaheim, Sam looked at the idiosyncrasies of Banana Ball and looked at the Rockies season in comparison. Digging into the details was surely a trying experience, but Sam did it for YOU. The results are, well, what they are. Look, it was a tough season.
Colorado Rockies voices are clamoring for change – Evan Lang | June 9
It was a hard summer. A month after Bud Black lost his position, the appetite for more change was irrefutable.
The Colorado Rockies must begin rebuilding their reputation around the league – Evan Lang | June 16
No, but really. The summer was hard. After The Athletic released their 2025 player survey, the Rockies took quite a beating. The White Sox and Athletics came under some heat, but some of the anecdotal responses stung. As more losses piled up, the clearer it became that the team desperately needed a change. Time will tell if those changes will produce results.
My dad the Rockies fan – Skyler Timmins | June 18
Had Skyler not named this as one of his favorites, he had several colleagues here who did. This may be one of the most powerful articles we’ve published in quite some time. I encourage you to read it and be reminded about the power of baseball. The Rockies may be at a low-point, but they’re still our Rockies. Rest in peace, David Timmins.
July
The title tells you the conclusion, but really the pull here is reviewing the State of the Position from spring training. We know now that change really did come, but in July, we all questioned how far those changes might go — though I did like my Bobby Bonilla line!
We didn’t do the Mid-Season State of the Position to fill content holes; we wanted to take a half-season’s worth of new information to understand just how things got this bad. Renee did an amazing write-up summarizing the takeaways of the series to diagnose the problem.
August
Evan really killed it on the Pebble Reports this year, and this is one of the finer examples. Why? Because 28-year-old rookies always come with compelling stories, and Evan captured it well. He revisited Dugan Darnell’s story a month later when injury derailed his fairy tale.
Bananas on the Rocks: My Coors Field Banana Ball Experience – Mac Wilcox | August 14
If you missed one of the Banana Ball games at Coors Field, that’s too bad. There is good news, though! First, you could read Mac’s first-person recap. If that only whets your appetite, though, Banana Ball – like Thor and Steve Rodgers – will return this summer.
84 games in, Warren Schaeffer reflects on his tenure – Sam Bradfield | August 18
Sam got to catch up with Schaeffer on the road in August. By then, he was demonstrating many of the strengths that earned him the permanent position (see more below).
Rockies need to get their bobble on – Joelle Milholm | August 29
Teams are getting more creative with their bobbleheads these days. The Yankees had George Costanza sleeping under a desk, and the Nuggets last month gave away Aaron Gordon dunking a basketball. Step up your game, Rockies!
September
Chase Dollander struggled mightily at Coors Field this year. But for a while, so did Ubaldo Jimenez. Skyler dug into why that comparison goes beyond the surface level assertion I just made.
I’m really excited about Sean Sullivan – Mac Wilcox | September 4
Sometimes even terrible seasons surprise us with a DUDE that we get irrationally (or rationally!) excited about. Mac made the case for Sean Sullivan.
A fun way to enjoy Coors Field in a losing September – Joelle Milholm | September 5
It was hard to watch the Rockies this year, for a lot of reasons. But baseball, right?! Joelle tried to find some way, any way, to make watching the Rockies more tolerable. And she decided to go to the field and watch a game old school.
What we’ve learned about Warren Schaeffer’s managerial style – Renee Dechert | September 9
Right before Thanksgiving, the Rockies made the decision to retain Warren Schaeffer as permanent manager. But what about his approach could we discern at the end of the season and the extent to which it might translate for this team going forward? There were reasons to believe at the time. But now that he’s earned the gig, the concerns Renee identified loom large.
One near-consensus opinion among Purple Row writers over the course of the season was that Warren Schaeffer was the right person for the Rockies right now. One of the reasons was his ability to connect with the players and get them to persevere in the midst of a terrible season. That prompted some Ted Lasso comparisons from Sam that are worth revisiting, not only for the Ted Lasso clips but also for the parallel Schaeffer quotes.
What we do matters – Mac Wilcox | September 25
The worst part of ending the season from hell was we were forced to say goodbye to Mac Wilcox. Mac served on the site in a variety of roles and few writers in my time here covered such a wide range of subjects. He will be sincerely missed. Give him a tribute by reading his last article for the site.
Women’s game growing in Rockies organization and beyond – Joelle Milholm | September 26
One of Joelle’s great beats the past few years has been cataloguing the growth of women’s baseball across the nation. So when the new women’s baseball documentary “See Her Be Her” screened in Denver on September 20, Joelle took full advantage to talk to the women involved in the film as well as within the Rockies organization.
October
The dubious records of the 2025 Colorado Rockies – Skyler Timmins | October 1
The Rockies made some ridiculous records in the 2025 season. Skyler did the yeoman’s work of keeping track for us all to enjoy after the season mercifully ended. Unfortunately, his pièce de résistance was overshadowed by the resignation of Bill Schmidt a few hours later, and the Rockies dropping big news on Wednesdays became a bit of a running joke at Purple Row. But if you haven’t read his piece, take a moment now to revisit just how bad this season was.
Tanner Gordon reflects on his 2025 season – Sam Bradfield | October 2
Here’s another excellent entry in Sam’s ongoing, let’s call it “reflections,” series. In a lost season (or half-decade) like the one we just endured, finding the bright spots is so important and quite rewarding.
Remember the 2018 Wild Card Game? Scott Oberg and Tony Wolters do. Now they have the job of trying to get the Rockies back, but from the other side of the dugout rail. Sam got to talk to both of them.
The Rockies actually sold at the trade deadline this year, which is a step in the right direction. But Ryan McMahon finished second on the Rockies in fWAR, despite playing only 100 games. The difference between his role with the Rockies and his role on the Yankees reveals some unfortunate realities for why the Rockies are where they are.
A modest proposal to contract the Dodgers – Adam Peterson | October 24
My wife accuses me of sour grapes, but I’ve come to have all of the negative feelings toward the Dodgers. And if they end up costing us baseball in 2027, which I very much fear may be the case, that will only grow. I tried to channel those feelings into this article before the World Series.
November
Would Adam Ottavino be a good PBO for the Colorado Rockies? – Renee Dechert | November 4
Remember those days before the Paul DePodesta announcement when it seemed like the Rockies were about to stay completely true to form and pull a variation of “hire from within?” It turns out there was almost no substance to the rumor, but the fact that we believed it for as long as we did tells you something about what this team has become.
Rockies front office search reeks of owner meddling – Skyler Timmins | November 5
COPY + PASTE from above. We waited a long time for the Rockies to announce their new PBO, and the little leaks we got induced many a face palm. Check Skyler’s piece here to relieve that particular aspect of the search.
Paul DePodesta has begun addressing the Rockies’ communication issues – Renee Dechert | November 18
When we finally did get a new President of Baseball Operations, we had to deal with a mix of relief, excitement, confusion, and trepidation. Fortunately, only the first two of those emotions are new to Rockies fans. But as Renee pointed out, even early on there were signs of encouragement.
December
Revisiting the 2025 Colorado Rockies’ on-base percentage – Renee Dechert | December 2
Our new PBO made his name working for the Moneyball A’s in the early 2000s, who made their name by forcing on-base percentage into the everyday lexicon of baseball fans. That prompted a natural question: how are the Rockies doing there?
The Importance of Team Chemistry – Sam Bradfield | December 15
The team chemistry Schaeffer began to cultivate in 2025 helped earn him the permanent manager position in the offseason. That may very well prove vital if the Rockies ever get to the position the Denver Nuggets are in (contending with homegrown stars), that groundwork may be formed here.
Is it okay for Rockies fans to hope? – Evan Lang | December 9
2025 was a tough one for Rockies fans. But the way 2025 ended has elicited something foreign within us: reasons for optimism. Evan’s provocative question was not without merit. Unconventional and unexpected as they may be, there are reasons to believe that hiring Paul DePodesta as PBO and Josh Byrnes, former senior vice president of baseball operations for the Dodgers, as the general manager, just might mean the Rockies are learning their lessons and ready to move forward. Evan laid out the case. And that note of very cautious, guarded optimism is as good a place as any on which to end this tribute.
Once again, thank you for reading. We love the Rockies here at Purple Row (for reasons that sometimes elude us), and we are so happy to share that love with you, our readers. Thanks for being part of this strange little corner of the internet and giving us reasons to actually write.
Here’s to 2026!
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