Wednesday, December 10

DENVER -- Having a Silver Slugger Award winner is always good news. Catcher Hunter Goodman's 2025 selection, however, turned out to be big news for the Rockies -- even if it was overshadowed by the hiring of new leadership.

As a measure of how difficult recent seasons have been for a franchise known for hitting and scoring, Goodman became the Rockies’ first Silver Slugger winner since shortstop Trevor Story in 2019. He was Colorado’s first finalist since designated hitter Charlie Blackmon in 2021. Even with the gap, the Rockies have had 33 winners of the award -- one for each of their seasons of play.

The newsy part, though, was Goodman’s position. He’s the first Rockies player to win the award as a catcher -- a position where the wear and tear of playing at altitude often reduces a player's availability and effectiveness.

In the case of Goodman, who turned 26 on Oct. 8, a curious factor arose: He was a more effective offensive player in his 412 plate appearances as a catcher (.290/.323/.572 with 20 doubles, three triples, 28 home runs and 71 RBIs) than in his 160 as DH (.252/.327/.378 with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 18 RBIs).

As the season ended, Goodman wasn’t concerned with fatigue. 

“It’s been a good year, obviously, and I’ve had a lot of success,” said Goodman, a first-time All-Star in 2025. “But going forward, I’m going to try to get better. I think as a team, as a whole, we need to make adjustments, and come back next year and have a better year.”

Throughout the season, Goodman noted that catching made him a better hitter. Each pitch gave him a visual of ball flight. Also, strategizing against an opponent gave him an idea of how pitchers were attacking him.

At times, Goodman found himself learning as a hitter from struggles behind the plate -- with opposing hitters being a step ahead of his pitch-calling. That’s what happened on Sept. 24 in Seattle, when Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh -- the American League Silver Slugger winner and the Most Valuable Player runner-up -- clubbed homers No. 59 and 60 against the Rockies.

“We were attacking Cal with changeups,” Goodman said. “He made some good adjustments to some pitches out away from him, and he was able to hit them. There were times this year where we felt we had a good plan, and we’d go out and execute it pretty well. But in the first inning, we’d go out and give up two runs because they [veteran hitters] are on the same page with you.

“I learned that you have to make adjustments quickly.”

Call some of the struggles that Goodman faced homework assignments. Next season, he’ll have a chance at better results with pitch-calling, as well as more success hitting.

“I hadn’t caught a full season since college,” said Goodman, a fourth-round pick out of the University of Memphis in 2021, who became a multi-position player because the Rockies wanted his bat in the Majors. “This year was one of finding. Being around good hitters every day, you start to understand how they operate. And you learn how you want to attack hitters.

“Figuring out things at the highest level has been a challenge. But it’s been fun at the same time.”

There will be a new look to the top levels of pitching instruction. Strategist Flint Wallace, coordinator Doug Linton, Major League pitching coach Darryl Scott, Major League bullpen coach Dustin Garneau (now Atlanta’s catching coach under former Rockies manager Walt Weiss) and Triple-A Albuquerque pitching coach Chris Michalak are all no longer with the club.

After historic pitching struggles -- a 6.65 ERA for starters that was the worst since ERA became a stat in 1913, and a minus-424 run differential that was the largest in the Modern Era -- it was logical that pitching would undergo major change.

But new Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta is back to take the careful look at the organization that he promised when he took the job.

Even an organization that has gone a club-record seven years without a winning season has strengths, and DePodesta admits he underestimated the Dodgers’ organizational strengths when he was their general manager from 2004-05.

The Rockies are in mid-November without a manager or a general manager, but DePodesta is not skipping the step of listening to ideas of those who have experienced high-altitude baseball.

“It’s not necessarily just the condition of the players, but actually the way the game is played, the way the ball moves, etc.,” he said. “Intellectually, it's fascinating. It's a real challenge for our players. I’m excited to learn even more about it. 

“I have a lot of theories, but I'm afraid some of them are probably naive, because I've been on the outside looking in. I know there are a lot of things that have been tried here over the course of the past 30 years, and I'm anxious to learn about those, too.

“I don't want to try something that someone already tried, and it didn't work.”

The Rockies’ game against the Team USA entry in the World Baseball Classic on March 4 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is the highlight of the 2026 Spring Training schedule. Also, prospects from the Rockies and Diamondbacks will meet at Salt River Fields in the third annual Spring Breakout game on March 21.

The Grapefruit and Cactus leagues will meet in the Rockies’ final two games at Salt River Fields, when the Tigers visit March 23-24.

The Rockies’ regular season starts at Miami on March 26, and they’ll complete the three-game set against the Marlins after an off-day. They’ll travel to Toronto from March 30-April 1, and play their Coors Field opener on April 3 against the Phillies at 2:10 p.m. MT.

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