Rockies' Monfort: Our infield defense might be best in 'history'
Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort is a big fan of defense, and he's expecting his team's infielders to dazzle onlookers in 2025.
"The infield, quite honestly - and if you like defense, (and) I like defense - will be the best defense, maybe in the history of the game," Monfort said at Saturday's Northern Colorado Friends of Baseball Breakfast, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "That's a big statement. But you've got a Gold Glover at third, even though he never gets one. You've got a Gold Glover at short.
"(Thairo) Estrada, who we added, is a really good defensive player. And Michael Toglia is a great first baseman."
Colorado is projected to start Toglia at first, Estrada at second, Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop, and Ryan McMahon at third in 2025.
The left side of the infield seems to back up Monfort's words. Tovar, 23, won his first Gold Glove in 2024, while McMahon - a Gold Glove finalist in each of the last three seasons - was one of three third basemen to post at least 10 defensive runs saved last year.
The weaker links could be at first and second. While Estrada - who joined on a one-year, $4-million deal in December after four seasons in San Francisco - and Toglia both rated as positive defenders by some metrics, other tools suggested they were poorer defensively in 2024.
Rockies infielders' 2024 stats
| Player | Pos. | Inn. | E | DRS | OAA | FRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toglia | 1B | 890.2 | 8 | 10 | -4 | -3 |
| Estrada | 2B | 857 | 2 | -7 | 9 | 6 |
| Tovar | SS | 1375.2 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 11 |
| McMahon | 3B | 1306.2 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
Overall, Rockies infielders ranked third out of 30 teams in DRS at every infield position but second base in 2024. At the keystone, they sat 21st.
Monfort's praise of Colorado's defense wasn't limited to the infield. He also deemed Brenton Doyle, the two-time reigning NL Gold Glove center fielder, as "maybe the best defensive center fielder in baseball." Doyle's 11 DRS last year was tied for third among qualified CFs, though he led all NL outfielders in putouts (426) and had an NL-high eight assists in center.
The Rockies went 61-101 and finished 37 games out of first place last season. They haven't posted a winning record since 2018 - also the last time they reached the postseason. That recent history isn't stopping Monfort from dreaming big, as he expects this year's squad will be "a fun team to watch" thanks in large part to some dominant defensive play.