The Colorado Rockies are a team in the midst of a rebuild. With this in mind, the staff at Purple Row thought it would be useful to revisit the “State of the Position” series that we ran in March to see where things stand. We’ve asked authors of the spring articles to re-evaluate their earlier remarks with an eye toward the August 3 trade deadline.
With his second consecutive All-Star selection this season, Hunter Goodman has already proven he’s no one-hit wonder.
The 26-year-old catcher followed up
a breakout campaign in 2025 — when he hit 31 homers, drove in 91 RBIs, hit 28 doubles and batted .278/.323/.520 — by bringing power to the plate again so far in 2026. In doing so, along with his keen eye behind the plate that creates successful ABS challenges, Goodman, the Rockies fourth-round pick from the 2021 Draft, has arguably made catcher the strongest position for the Rockies.
In the first half, the Rockies are tops in MLB stats for all catchers in terms of homers (25), slugging percentage (.527) and OPS (.846), in addition to being second in batting average (.262) and runs scored (97). And that doesn’t include when Goodman is slotted in as DH. With all the injuries and unknowns this season, at least the catcher production has remained accurate from the pre-season catcher outlook.
Goodman, the anchor
Coming out of the All-Star break, Goodman already had 27 homers — just four shy of his total from 2025. His homers lead the team, as do his 59 runs scored and .528 slugging percentage. He’s second in RBI with 51 and OPS at .862.
However, with great power, often comes an increased strikeout rate and lower batting average. His strikeout rate in 2025 was 26.3%, but it’s increased to 32.2% this season. He’s dropped his batting average .024 points, but his on-base percentage is one point higher than last season at .324. A big part of that is an increased walk rate from 5.7% last season to 8.5% now.
Goodman, 26, has also proven to be a reliable bat, able to serve as DH when his knees need a break on the field. He played 90 games (62 starts at catcher, 23 at DH, and a few late-game subs) before going to Philadelphia, which was five more than before the Midsummer Classic last year.
Three of Goodman’s homers came in one game, an 8-5 win over the Twins on June 27 at Coors Field.
In addition, Goodman has become one of the best in MLB at tapping his helmet to challenge a strike called a ball or ball called a strike. Among MLB catchers, he is fourth-best with 53 correct calls as he gets it right 67.1% of the time.
Sometimes the challenges make a big difference, like this ball turned into a strikeout of San Francisco’s Victor Bericoto by Juan Mejia on July 4.
Goodman’s eye accounts for why the Rockies are tied for the sixth-best rate at 64% and tied for second with 86 correct challenges.
The backups
The Rockies drafted Braxton Fulford two rounds after Goodman in 2021. He seemed to have the backup role locked in until the Rockies signed journeyman catcher Brett Sullivan, 32, in December. Sullivan made a splash in spring training and has continued to play very well in the first half.
When Goodman is not behind the plate, Sullivan has made 30 starts, while Fulford has only made six. Sullivan has been better, hitting .221/.265/.385 with four homers, eight doubles, 15 RBIs and 23 strikeouts in 122 at-bats. Two of those homers came in one game against the Cubs on June 11.
In addition, Sullivan has added the extra benefit of being the position player pitcher for the Rockies, filling in when the Rockies are down and don’t want to waste bullpen arms.
Fulford, 27, has struggled offensively, hitting .193/.273/.324 with one homer, four doubles, seven RBI and 27 strikeouts in 57 at-bats. Despite being on the Opening Day roster, Fulford was sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque on April 1 before being called back on May 18. The Rockies have stuck with a three-catcher roster since.
On the farm front, 22-year-old Bryant Betancourt has been making waves. The catcher, who the Rockies signed out of Venezuela in 2021, climbed from Double-A Hartford to the Isotopes on June 30 after he hit .269/.337/.513 with 14 HRs and 44 RBIs in 65 games. He’s still adjusting to Triple-A, having hit one homer and one double with three RBIs in 9 games while hitting .125/.200/.250.
The Draft
The Rockies selected two catchers early in the MLB Draft, fueling speculation that Colorado could trade Goodman. However, Double-A catcher Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP), who is currently playing for Double-A Hartford, would be much more likely to see MLB time before any of the new draftees.
With the supplemental pick at No. 37, the Rockies took Daniel Jackson, a junior out of the University of Georgia. In the third round, Colorado selected Jack Natili, a junior out of the University of Cincinnati. For good measure, they also picked up undrafted catcher Talmadge LeCroy out of the University of South Carolina.
The things to remember are the importance of versatility and the possibility of change.
Goodman was drafted as a catcher, but Colorado tried him out at first base and outfield to play up his athleticism and to best fit the team’s needs. He went back to catcher when he came to MLB, which has clearly been the right call.
Cole Carrigg was also drafted as a catcher with the No. 65 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. After playing every position on the field in college and most in the minors, Carrigg has shown that with his rifle arm, he can play nicely in the outfield, while also being able to fill in at shortstop. Truly, anything can happen.
While the future is always unknown and we could all be surprised by a big move before the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, it seems like the Rockies are set at catcher.
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