Around this time every year, I review the Rockies’ numbers, looking for statistics, rankings and trends. It paints a black-and-white picture of the just-completed season.
In the case of the 2024 Rockies, it wasn’t pretty.
A primary example: Colorado’s .242 average, .304 on-base percentage and .704 OPS were all the lowest in franchise history, while its 1,617 strikeouts were the most in club history. But then, you probably already knew that.
But perhaps you didn’t know that Colorado finished the season with a 50.9% swing percentage and a 31.8% chase percentage, both the second-highest marks in the majors behind Miami. In other words, the Rockies swung and whiffed a lot.
The apex of the Rockies’ futility occurred Sept. 3-7 when they struck out 75 times, the second-most strikeouts by a team over any five-game span in the modern era, trailing only the Brewers’ 77 K’s in 2017.
Digging a little deeper, the following are more revealing statistics — the good, the bad and the ugly:
Socks blown off: Opposing hitters slashed .285/.354/.468 (.822 OPS) with 221 home runs against Colorado pitching this season, the highest mark in the majors in all of those categories. And Rockies pitchers allowed a 40.6% hard-hit percentage, the third-highest in the majors, and an 89.4 MPH average exit velocity, tied for the second-highest. They got the full Charlie Brown treatment.
Youth movement: The Rockies had 12 players age 24 or younger appear in a game, tied for the second-most in franchise history with the 2012 club, trailing only the ’16 Rockies (13 players). Four pitchers aged 23 or younger (Bradley Blalock, Angel Chivilli, Anthony Molina and Luis Peralta) took the mound, tied for the most in franchise history (also 2016). Only the Angels used more pitchers aged 23 or younger (five).
Epic collapse: The Rockies’ ninth-inning ERA was 7.10, the highest in the majors by more than a full run (Toronto had a 5.88 ERA). Opponents hit .295 against the Rockies in the ninth, also the highest in baseball. Colorado blew five-plus run leads in the ninth inning or later six times, the most in a single season in the majors’ modern era.
Bullish: It was a small sample size, to be sure, but six rookie relievers flashed promise, especially in the final weeks of the season. Jeff Criswell, Seth Halvorsen, Jaden Hill, Victor Vodnik, Peralta and Chivilli combined for a 3.84 ERA, 12 saves, and 8.59 strikeouts per nine innings over 143 appearances. It hints at better times in 2025.
High heat: Halvorsen threw a 102.5 mph fastball on Sept. 26 when he posted a save against the Cardinals in the Rockies’ 10-8 victory at Coors Field. It was the second-fastest pitch by a Rockie in the StatCast Era (since 2015), trailing only Julian Fernandez’s 102.8 mph heater in 2021. Halvorsen threw 47 total pitches of at least 100 mph over 12 games.
Power potential: Colorado launched 179 home runs, ranking 15th in the majors. And while the overall offense was bad, the Rockies flashed some power. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (team-high 26 homers), first baseman Michael Toglia (25) and center fielder Brenton Doyle (23) formed the only trio of teammates in the majors age 26 and under to record at least 23 home runs. The offense will improve significantly if Tovar (28.8%) and Toglia (32.1%) can whittle their high strikeout rates.
Budding star: Tovar, a Gold Glove finalist, added 45 doubles and four triples to his 26 dingers for a total of 75 extra-base hits, ranking second in the National League behind only Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (99). Tovar’s 45 doubles led the NL and were tied for the 11th-most in a season in franchise history; the most since Matt Holliday mashed 50 doubles in 2007.
Starting stuff: Right-hander Ryan Feltner went 3-10 with a 4.49 ERA over 30 starts, but he was Colorado’s best starter in the second half. He posted a 2.98 ERA over his last 15 starts, the first Rockies starter with a sub-3.00 ERA through a 15-start span since German Marquez did it during his 2021 All-Star season. Feltner doesn’t get talked about a lot, but it looks like he’s turned the corner.
Struggling: Manager Bud Black has long been intrigued by right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence and his funky, side-winder delivery. But Lawrence went from closer to a mop-up man, and his spot on the roster is in question. Over 59 2/3 innings, he posted a 6.49 ERA that was the second-highest among qualified major league relievers. He allowed 44.7% of inherited runners to score (17 of 38), a rate that was the sixth-highest.
Tale of two seasons: Third baseman Ryan McMahon was the Rockies’ lone All-Star based on a terrific first half of the season when he slashed .272/.350/.447 with 14 home runs over 95 games, setting first-half career-highs in games, hits, batting average and on-base percentage.
But for the second season in a row, McMahon slumped in the second half, slashing .188/.283/.309 with six home runs. His 29.7% strikeout rate was the 10th-highest in the majors, and his 185 strikeouts were the fifth-most in the NL and the fourth-most in a single season in Rockies history. Getting McMahon to produce for a full season is paramount to Colorado’s 2025 blueprint.
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