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. 39, Zach Agnos (-0.4 rWAR)
Right-handed reliever Zach Agnos foreshadowed the Colorado Rockies’ youth movement when the pitching staff suffered injuries early in the season. After late-innings man Victor Vodnik went on the Injured List with right shoulder inflammation in mid-April, Agnos got the call.
Agnos, 25, began his collegiate career at East Carolina University largely as an infielder. In his first two seasons with the Pirates, he had just five total appearances spanning 4 1/3 innings.
In his sophomore season, he posted a 20.25 ERA. The bulk of his workload came as the team’s starting third baseman, aided by his strong arm. Agnos hit .268/.397/.439 with 15 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 43 RBIs, and a solid 43 walks to 53 strikeouts. He even stole five bases.
Agnos moved to shortstop in 2022 and had his best season at the plate, slashing .330/.405/.479 with 15 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 42 RBIs, and nine stolen bases. He also pursued a new focus on pitching. Now a two-way player, Agnos would spend most of the game at shortstop before being called upon as a bullpen pitcher.
In 23 1/3 innings and 21 appearances Agnos posted a 2.31 ERA with 19 strikeouts to seven walks, a 0.771 WHIP, and zero home runs allowed. He caught the attention of the Colorado Rockies, who drafted him in the 10th round.
Agnos shined in his first full professional season.
Over 47 games with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies in 2023 he recorded a 2.06 ERA with 68 strikeouts to 13 walks over 52 1/3 innings. He was a California League All-Star, was named California League Reliver of the Year, and led all minor league pitchers in saves with 27.
He was even better in 2024 with a combined 1.38 ERA in 45 games across High-A with the Spokane Indians and Double-A with the Hartford Yard Goats. He was a Northwest League All-Star and the Rockies’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Having made a name for himself with his quality bullpen work, a strong desire to pitch in the spotlight, and a unique sense of style—combining a mustache with a 90s-style turtleneck undershirt—Agnos was invited to spring training in 2025. He was ranked Purple Row’s no. 23 prospect prior to the season.
In nine Cactus League appearances, Agnos posted a 3.48 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and just one walk. While he both started and finished his spring strong with three scoreless appearances, the three bumpy outings in the middle where he yielded four earned runs on six hits—three of which were home runs—suggested he might not be ready for the big leagues just yet.
Agnos was assigned to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes to start the season and immediately resumed his impressive body of minor league work. He posted a 2.25 ERA in six appearances and eight innings, giving up runs in just two of those appearances in the hitter-friendly PCL. When Victor Vodnik went down, Agnos was an obvious choice to add to the 40-man roster.
Sporting a freshly-curled Rollie Fingers mustache, Agnos made his MLB debut on April 20th and worked a scoreless inning with one hit allowed against the Washington Nationals. This was a springboard into a streak of solid outings for the rookie.
In his first 16 appearances Agnos posted a 1.50 ERA over 18 innings. While he didn’t tally up strikeouts like he had in the minor leagues, he worked efficiently. He issued just two walks and averaged roughly 3.6 pitchers per batter faced. He also earned his first four career saves.
Unfortunately, a personal tragedy marked the beginning of things falling apart for the rookie reliever.
Agnos was placed on the bereavement list after the passing of his grandfather—with whom he was very close. George Miller was a former professional pitcher and was the first person Agnos spoke to when he received the call that he was headed to the majors.
“The one thing I asked him last night was, ‘What’s the best pitch?’” Agnos said after his debut. “He always would ask me that question. The answer is a strike.
“So it was a really special moment, not just for him but my whole family.”
“I had turned the phone to my dad,” Agnos’ mother recounted. “When I turned it back, I didn’t know what was going on there. He was so broken up, and he was trying to tell me that he had made it.”
It was the second such heavy loss to hit the Agnos family in recent memory, with his father having passed suddenly in 2021.
When Agnos returned from the bereavement list he struggled immensely. He gave up ten earned runs in 3 1/3 innings over his next four appearances with seven walks and two home runs given up. He was then optioned to Triple-A to make adjustments.
Back with the Isotopes, he looked much more like himself again. In four appearances, he gave up just one earned run, only issued one walk, and struck out four batters.
The Rockies returned Agnos to the big league roster in early July, but his struggles on the mound resumed. Over his next eight appearances and 8 1/3 innings, he had a 10.80 ERA with another home run and seven walks given up.
His season took another turn for the worse in late July. While enduring another bumpy outing—this time against the Baltimore Orioles—Agnos delivered a pitch and immediately showed signs of discomfort. He motioned for the training staff and removed himself from the game, fearing the worst.
Luckily, Agnos avoided structural damage, but would most of the remaining season with a flexor tendon strain.
Agnos was able to end his season on a high note. He was activated from the injured list in late September and made two more appearances—both scoreless—with two strikeouts, one walk, and no hits over 1 2/3 innings to end the season.
Zach Agnos’ 2025 season was derailed by injuries and personal tragedy. However, his promising start to his MLB career and perseverance through adversity to finish the season positively suggests that there is a lot to look forward to from him next season.
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