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. 57, Michael Toglia (-1.6 rWAR)
For the third straight year, I have undertaken the task of writing
about Michael Toglia for the Ranking the Rockies series.
Talk about whiplash.
In 2023, Toglia ranked near the bottom for the team in terms of value. The main takeaway was that, despite his excellent production in the minors, strikeouts were a massive problem for the switch-hitter, and his power was obsolete with the Rockies.
Then, 2024 appeared to be the breakout year both fans and the Rockies had been waiting for with Toglia. He ranked fourth on the team with a 2.2 rWAR. Thanks to superb defense, immense power, and an ability to draw walks despite the high strikeout rate, it looked like first base had finally been figured out.
Hopes were high heading into 2025 that Toglia could take another step forward and cement himself as a core piece alongside Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar.
Instead, he found himself finishing the year in Triple-A with his future with Colorado now in limbo.
Rollercoaster season
Kicking off the season as the Opening Day starter, Toglia looked shaky after an okay spring training. In his first 19 games, he had one home run while batting .169/.200/.254 with a whopping 35 strikeouts in 75 at-bats. The evidence of the key power threat in the middle of the order was nowhere to be found. Former manager Bud Black’s patience seemed to be growing thin, but he was still placing Toglia at first base until he was relieved of duties in mid-May.
Interim manager Warren Schaeffer started using Toglia a little more tentatively, aiming to give him more time to work on things behind the scenes while players like Kyle Farmer filled in at first base. However, the results still weren’t there, and it was decided that Toglia would be sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque at the end of May.
At the time of his demotion, Toglia was slashing .194/.266/.349 with six home runs through 54 games. Once again, he was going to have to prove himself and build confidence, hitting in the friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League.
Toglia didn’t miss a beat with Albuquerque, as he has proven time and time again how well he can hit at the Triple-A level. In just 11 games, Toglia slashed .273/.353/.568 with three home runs, four doubles, and 16 RBI while also drawing six walks against 15 strikeouts. Those numbers were much more in tune with the production in 2024 and earned him a promotion back to the big league roster.
In his first 21 games back, Toglia looked better at the plate with a .241 AVG and a .302 OBP, while also clubbing four home runs. Strikeouts were still incredibly high, but he was doing more damage when he actually made contact with the ball. However, he again hit a massive slump at the plate over his final 10 games in July, going 3-for-34 and suffering another demotion to Triple-A.
Again, the story repeated itself as Toglia mashed with the Isotopes. He slashed .367/.441/.656 with six home runs over 25 games while also drawing 12 walks against 24 strikeouts. It earned him yet another promotion after Warming Bernabel found himself on the injured list with a concussion.
Toglia’s stint with the Rockies was much shorter this time around as he lasted just three games, going 0-for-7 with six strikeouts. He was quickly sent back down in favor of Blaine Crim, who provided some incredible highlights offensively in the final stretch of the season. Meanwhile, Toglia finished the Triple-A season strong, going 7-for-23 with a couple more home runs.
When all was said and done, Toglia hit .190/.258/.353 with 11 home runs, 32 RBI, alongside 132 strikeouts and 28 walks in 88 games with the Rockies. In 42 games with Albuquerque, he slashed .331/.401/.624 with 11 home runs, 46 RBI, and 46 strikeouts against 19 walks.
What happened?
As you may have noticed, the common thread for Toglia’s struggles at the big league level was rooted in strikeouts. The matter of swinging and missing hasn’t been a secret for the switch-hitting first baseman. His propensity to swing big has been an advantage when it works and a glaring flaw when it doesn’t. What made him successful last season was his ability to draw walks at an elite level to balance out the high strikeout rate and complement the power numbers.
Instead, Toglia posted a 39.2% strikeout rate, which leads all MLB hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. It’s not outlandish to say that if Toglia had never been demoted, he could have led all qualified hitters and perhaps even threatened Mark Reynolds’ 2009 single-season record for strikeouts.
Despite good bat speed, Toglia generated an abysmal 37.3% whiff rate. As I mentioned in the mid-season reviews, a look at his Statcast page reveals that the cherry-red chart he sported in 2024 has regressed to a gray landscape with a single, faded cherry stripe.
Regardless of the power and potential that reside in Toglia’s bat, it does him no good if he can’t make contact against MLB pitching. To be a three true outcomes type of hitter, there has to be a balance, and the strikeouts consumed him this season.
What comes next?
In Toglia’s absence, the Rockies have been impressed by the play of Bernabel and Crim. The team also has seen fit to use Farmer as well as Orlando Arcia — a guy who had never played first base before joining the Rockies. There is also a matter of top prospect Charlie Condon making first base his permanent home for the foreseeable future as he draws ever closer to the big leagues.
Toglia was able to set the franchise records for consecutive starts at first base this season, but not even his glove could save his job as the bat floundered and the defense began to lapse as well.
Time seems to have finally run out for Toglia.
As the organization begins a full evaluation from top to bottom, players like Toglia may find themselves on the outs this winter. Unfortunately, he enters the offseason as a prime candidate to be non-tendered if not traded.
There is still plenty of potential for Toglia as a big leaguer, but the Rockies can’t afford to keep waiting around for things to click. Much like the player himself, there is just far too much work to do to right the ship.
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