Goodman poised to break a bad Rockies trend in 2026

Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, January 22, 2026

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

A bad trend has been cropping up among Rockies All-Stars in recent seasons. Since perennial All-Star Nolan Arenado, who earned selections 2015-19, was traded, every Rockie All-Star has performed worse in the season following their All-Star selection.

There wasn’t an All-Star Game in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and Arenado was traded to St. Louis in February of 2021.

That’s when it went downhill for Colorado All-Stars.

While the star-studded seasons were great at the time, things got worse shortly

thereafter for RHP Germán Márquez, first baseman C.J. Cron, catcher Elias Díaz, and third baseman Ryan McMahon. This is a worrisome direction for Colorado, especially for breakout 2025 All-Star Hunter Goodman.

So what makes Goodman different, and how can he snap this skid?

The good news is that there are some positive indicators that show he’s better positioned to break the downward trend than his predecessors.

But first, I have to acknowledge that the Rockies have been a struggling team that has been worse each season since 2021, culminating in a 43-119 record in 2025. It’s hard to produce at the same All-Star level on a bad team that gets even worse every year.

2021: Germán Márquez

In 2021, Germán Márquez was named an All-Star and had a remarkable season. The then 26-year-old, who was playing his fifth full MLB season, posted a 4.40 ERA, went 12-11 in 32 games with three complete games and one shutout. He registered 176 strikeouts compared to 64 walks and 21 homers, finishing the season witha 2.4 rWAR.

In 2022, he was still decent, but dropped off. In 31 starts, he posted a 4.95 ERA and went 9-13 with zero complete games or shutouts for a 1.4 rWAR. He still struck out 150 batters and only walked 63, but he also gave up 30 homers.

Things got even worse for Márquez with significant injuries (Tommy John surgery, more elbow and biceps issues) and struggles in the following seasons that limited him to five starts in 2023-24. In 2025, Márquez went 3-16 in 26 starts with a 6.70 ERA and a -1.1 rWAR. Less than a month out from spring training, the 30-year-old still remains a free agent.

But it’s hard to compare pitchers and position players, so let’s focus on the last three All-Stars: Cron, Díaz and Ryan McMahon. It’s important to look at their All-Star campaigns and follow-up seasons before we get into Goodman’s numbers.

2022: C.J. Cron

In his ninth MLB season and at age 32, Cron built off of a strong 28-homer, 92-RBI season in 2021 when he got his first invite to the Midsummer Classic in 2022. He started with a bang, posting 21 homers, 69 RBI and a slashline of .298/.350/.552 in 346 at-bats before the All-Star break to earn the team’s lone selection.

In the final series before the All-Star break, Cron was hit in the hand by a fastball. It hindered his ability to hold the bat and it showed up in his stats. In the shorter second half of the season, he plummeted, hitting only .197/.263/.341 with eight homers in 251 at-bats.

The next season, Cron got worse in almost every major offensive category, though he did drop his strikeout rate a bit. Cron battled back spasms, even landing on the IL for nearly a month and a half. He was traded to the Angels midseason in 2023 during his 10th season in the league, which ended up being his final one. Like Márquez, Cron’s post-All-Star career was derailed by injuries.

2023: Elias Díaz

In 2023, Diaz, in his seventh full MLB season and at age 32, was the solo Rockie in the All-Star Game and the first Rockies catcher to get the nod. Díaz arguably had a better season in 2021 when he hit 18 homers, drove in 44 runs and posted a 2.2 rWAR in 106. He played more (141 games) in 2023 and was named the All-Star Game MVP, hitting the go-ahead, two-run homer in the National League’s 3-2 victory.

Díaz wasn’t quite as strong in 2024, but still was putting up good numbers as the Rockies No. 1 catcher. As the season continued and with Goodman tearing it up in Triple-A Albuquerque, the Rockies released Díaz in August after five years in Colorado. Díaz was picked up by the Padres, where he played the last two seasons.

Currently, he is a free agent.

2024: Ryan McMahon

Tasked with the weight of replacing Arenado, McMahon was an outstanding defender at third base, but wasn’t nearly as impactful at the plate. Like Díaz, McMahon might have had his best season in 2021 when he hit 23 homers and posted career-highs in rWAR (4.0) and batting average .254.

In 2024, at age 29 and in his seventh full season in the Big Leagues, McMahon had a great first half, slashing .272/.350/.447 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 360 at-bats.

Like Cron two years before him, McMahon cooled down after the All-Star break, hitting .188/.283/.309 with six homers and 20 RBI in 207 at-bats. Last season, McMahon struck out more and dropped his batting average by 0.28 points. On July 25, McMahon was dealt to the Yankees, where his numbers continued on a slight downward trend.

Overall, the trajectories aren’t good. McMahon could still right his ship in New York, but there weren’t happy endings for Cron and Díaz.

2025: Hunter Goodman

So, let’s dive into the three reasons that make Goodman more likely to repeat his “really, really, really good season,” as manager Warren Schaeffer put it in a press conference on Dec. 8.

The first advantage is Goodman’s age. He earned his first All-Star nod at age 25, which happened to be his second full season (third overall). He hit a higher level of play sooner than the other Rockies All-Stars, which hopefully means his career is still on an upward trajectory, as opposed to hitting a short-lived peak.

Second, Cron, Diaz and McMahon all fell into horrible slumps in the second half of their All-Star seasons. McMahon finished 2024 as the third-best Rockie (2.5 rWAR), Díaz’s rough second half of 2023 landed him as the sixth-best Rockie at 1.4 rWAR, and Cron’s struggles dropped him to No. 5 at 2.1 rWAR in 2022. While they got off to great starts, they weren’t consistent enough to finish as the top Rockies. Even without the last-season downfalls, it’s likely that none would have merited Midsummer Classic invites if they played on better teams.

Goodman had ups and downs, like every player does, but no significant drop-off after the All-Star break. He was the Rockies’ best player when All-Stars were named in July and at the end of September when he finished with a team-high 3.7 rWAR. Goodman was the best catcher in the National League in homers (31), RBI (91), average (.278), slugging percentage (.520) and OPS (.843). Goodman’s steady 2025 campaign was much more impressive from start to end than Cron’s, Diaz’s or McMahon’s, and he would have been an All-Star playing on any NL team.

Finally, McMahon, Díaz and Cron didn’t finish their post-All-Star seasons with the Rockies. All three went to other teams where they didn’t even start, as opposed to being the best Colorado player — even if for a short time. All three finished with significantly fewer games and plate appearances in the season following their All-Star selection.

While anything is possible under Colorado’s new front office, the Rockies seem to be building their new core around Goodman. In his December press conference, Schaeffer talked about wanting to see the young catcher develop as a leader moving forward. He also said he believes Goodman could even increase his game appearances and plate appearances from 144 and 579 plate appearances in 2025 to be more like Seattle’s Cal Raleigh. Raleigh, who consistently plays DH when he’s not behind the plate, played in 159 games and recorded 705 at-bats in 2025.

All signs point to Goodman having another star-studded season in 2026, and being the Rockie who breaks the post-All-Star slump trend.

Paul DePodesta on why the Rockies were too compelling to ignore | Sports Business Journal

Reporter Mike Mazzio caught up with Colorado’s new president of baseball operations and heard about why he wanted to join the Rockies, how he kept an eye on baseball during his time in the NFL and what changes he sees in analytics.

Rockies Fan Fest brings early baseball buzz to Coors Field | 9News

The local news outlet covered which Rockies will be there, including Hall of Famers Todd Helton and Larry Walker, what RockiesFest is like and what will be available during the 13th annual event on Saturday.