Thomas Harding has been covering the Rockies since 2000, and he recently wrote this article on the Top 10 Best Moments in Rockies History.
And the best moment was Matt Holliday sliding into home plate to win Game 163 in 2007.
It’s difficult to label the best moment ever, but I find it hard to argue with that one.
From this article, I also enjoyed rewatching Nolan Arenado’s walk-off to complete the cycle on Father’s Day in 2017.
Pretty great day for him!
I still can’t believe he got traded.
But I think Thomas Harding did a pretty good job at summing up the best moments in Rockies history.
If you get a chance, check out that article and let me know which one you think is the best moment. Or, maybe there’s one he missed?
But for now, let’s see what the Rockeis have been up to this past week.
Rockies Pick Up Pitchers RJ Petit & TJ Shook in Rule 5 Draft
The Rockies seem to be focusing quite a bit on pitching during this offseason, and they continued in that direction with their Rule 5 Draft picks.
The Rockies had the very first pick in the Rule 5 Draft and they selected relief pitcher RJ Petit.
RJ Petit was selected in the “Major League Phase” of the Rule 5 Draft.
Which means, the Rockies purchased his contract from the Detroit Tigers for $100,000, and he must remain on the Rockies’ 26-man roster throughout all of next season (which are players who are eligible to play in an MLB game).
RJ Petit is also listed as 6′ 8″ and 300 pounds. For comparison, Aaron Judge is listed as 6′ 7″ and 282 pounds.
TJ Shook was also selected by the Rockies in the Rule 5 Draft, but he was selected in the “Minor League Phase”.
This means the Rockies purchased his contract for $24,000 from the New York Mets and there are no restrictions about where he can be placed on a roster.
TJ Shook is a starting right-handed pitcher and he is now on the Rockies’ Triple-A team, the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Fun fact! TJ Shook pitched a perfect game while on the Mets’ Double-A Team, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Here’s a quick video that shows him completing his perfect game with a strikeout.
Tommy Tanous Hired as the Rockies’ Assistant General Manager
On Tuesday, the Rockies announced they hired Tommy Tanous as the Assistant General Manager.
Tommy Tanous was with the New York Mets’ front office for 15 years and he was regarded as the top scout of their organization.
The Mets also credited his scouting abilities as the reason for their core group of players when they made it to the World Series in 2015 (they lost to the Kansas City Royals).
This is another exciting outside hire by the Rockies!
Tommy Tanous will primarily be focusing on scouting and player development.
Rockies Hire 4 New Pitching Coaches
Sticking with their offseason strategies of focusing on pitching and hiring from outside the organization, the Rockies made four hires this past week:
- Alon Leichman (Pitching Coach)
- He was the assistant pitching coach for the Marlins
- Gabe Ribas (Assistant Pitching Coach)
- He was the Director of Pitching for the Detroit Tigers
- Matt Buschmann (Bullpen Coach)
- He was the Special Advisor of Player Development for the Chicago Cubs
- Matt Daniels (Director of Pitching)
- He was the Pitching Development and Acquisitions Specialist for the Minnesota Twins
Hopefully, this is a move in the right direction!
Warren Schaeffer even gave this interview, where he said he feels like the Rockies’ bullpen is one of their biggest strengths.
While I find that hard to believe, it was nice to see him excited about the new pitching staff and where things are headed.
Warming Bernabel Elects Free Agency
I was a little bummed when I saw this story.
Warming Bernabel was placed on waivers, went unclaimed, and elected for free agency.
I didn’t see any specific reason as to why he was placed on waivers, but it looks like it was to make room on the Rockies’ 40-man roster, so they could participate in the Rule 5 Draft.
Last year, Warming Bernabel was called up to replace Michael Toglia at first base. And Warming Bernabel started off on a hot streak
In his first week in the MLB, he was named NL Player of the Week.
During that week, he had a batting average of .462, with 7 RBIs, 1.385 OPS, and 7 XBH (extra base hits, which are doubles, triples, and home runs).
Chances are, he’ll have to sign a minor league contract with another team.
I’ll miss cheering for him, but hopefully he ends up in a place where he has a good chance of making it back to the 40-man roster.
Trade Rumors – Brenton Doyle To Yankees, Phillies, Padres, or Mets
It looks like this is just a rumor for now, but there has been some chatter that the Yankees, Phillies, Padres, and Mets are all interested in Brenton Doyle.
Brenton Doyle struggled at the plate last year, but his defensive skills are definitely there.
He won the Gold Glove Award in 2023 and 2024.
So it makes sense teams are interested in him. Especially if they think he can bounce back offensively.
But trade rumors for Brenton Doyle have also been around since the trade deadline last season, so we’ll have to wait and see if this rumor actually turns into anything.
Prospect Spotlight: Roc Riggio (Rockies #10 Prospect)
Each week in the off-season, we’ll cover a top prospect from the Rockies, so you’ll know who to watch as they make their way to the big leagues.
Current Team: Hartford Yard Goats (AA Team)
Drafted: 2023
Age: 23
Position: Second Base
Bats: Left-handed
Throws: Right-handed
Estimated MLB Debut: 2026
Roc Riggio was drafted by the New York Yankees as the 129th overall pick in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Earlier this year, the Rockies acquired Roc Riggio in that trade that sent Jake Bird to the Yankees.
In that trade, the Rockies got pitchers Roc Riggio and Ben Shields for Jake Bird.
Roc Riggio is in his 3rd year in the Minor Leagues, but during this past season, he blew through almost every level of the Minor League system.
He started off playing 2 games in the Rookies league, then he went up to the High-A league for the Yankees.
From there, he went to the Yankees AA team, then was traded to the Rockies AA team – the Hartford Yard Goats.
The only minor league division he has left to progress to is AAA.
In his minor league career, he’s hitting .235 with 31 home runs, 115 RBIs, and 47 stolen bases.
From a scouting report I read, it sounds like Roc Riggio improved on his contact this past season, but there is still some room for improvement.
Roc Riggio is also projected to make his MLB debut this year.
Chances are, he’ll need to improve his batting average for that to happen, but there’s a chance we’ll be seeing him in a Rockies uniform soon!
That wraps up this week’s newsletter. Hope everyone has a great week!
-Steve
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