Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. 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. 44, Braxton Fulford (-0.3 rWAR)
Had the Colorado Rockies not signed free-agent (and left-handed
bat) Brett Sullivan, Braxton Fulford probably would have had a very different 2026.
Not signing Sullivan might have resulted in Fulford spending much of 2026 as the Rockies’ backup catcher.
But that’s not what happened, and as a result, the 2021 Rockies draft pick spent the bulk of his season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. Yes, Fulford was with the Rockies a bit too (more on that in a moment), but this was another year in which the Texas Tech alumnus did not make a significant developmental step.
First to his Triple-A numbers.
While with the Topes, Fulford had 201 plate appearances that resulted in a slashline of .251/.363/.468, including eight home runs and a 101 wRC+. That means that his hitting performance was slightly better than replacement level — in hitter-friendly Albuquerque.
He also caught 374.0 innings and had four errors. (He spent four innings at first base, which was not a significant part of his defensive portfolio.)
Contrast that, then, with his Rockies showing.
The Rockies called up Fulford when they needed a right-handed bat or when Hunter Goodman went on the injured list.
The Rockies gave him 85 plate appearances, which led to a .176/.259/.270 slashline, one homer, and a 36 wRC+.
Granted, those are small sample-size numbers, but the early indications are that Fulford has failed to adjust to MLB pitching.
Defensively, Fulford caught 95.2 innings for the Rockies compared to 249.0 innings in 2025. He finished the MLB season with two errors, -2 DRS, and a FRV of -2 as well.
Here’s what Sam Bradfield wrote last year: “Overall in his rookie year, Fulford had a bumpy year. He showed flashes of brilliance, but also had incredibly cold stretches.”
That largely seemed unchanged in 2026, save that Fulford was given fewer opportunities to show what he could do given Brett Sullivan’s success.
The question, then, becomes what’s next.
At this point, it appears that Goodman will remain the starting catcher for the Rockies while Sullivan continues in his role as backup (with occasional stints on the mound).
There’s really no place in this equation for Fulford. It seems unlikely the Rockies will change anything given that Fulford remains under team control until 2032 and has one option remaining. Too, the front office probably is focused on Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP), Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP), and Jack Natili (No. 20 PuRP), the latter two being catchers they drafted in 2026.
Clearly, it’s too soon to count Fulford out. But in 2027, he will need to show he can be a big-league catcher.
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