Rockies in 2025. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizational principle derived from WAR (rWAR) from Baseball Reference. It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll start with the player with the lowest rWAR and end with the player with the highest.
When. 16, Breton doyle (0.1 outside)
After back-to-back Gold Glove awards, a Fielding Bible award and a strong sophomore campaign at the plate that marked him as one of the most improved hitters in the leaguethe colorado rockies had seemingly found their franchise midfielder heading into the 2025 season. The team was is reportedly considering a long-term extension also for him.
Brenton Doyle turned a solid spring training in which he hit .250/.300/.411 with three doubles and two home runs into a red-hot start to the season. Through his first twelve games, he looked every bit the improved player he was last year. He hit .321/.357/.547 with three doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs and a stolen base.
Then came perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the season: Doyle started to struggle mightily.
The problems started after April 10. After an excellent game in which he went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBIs, Doyle missed several games with a nagging quadriceps injury. He was left out of the lineup and took just one at-bat the following week.
Just as he was about to return to action, he was placed on the MLB bereavement list. Personal tragedy had struck for Doyle and his wife when they lost their expected baby due to a miscarriage.
Doyle had already suffered a lot early in his season. However, his difficult year would continue on the field. After being activated from the bereavement list, Doyle looked like a shell of his former self. In the 69 games before the All-Star Break, he hit just .178/.234/.277 in 253 at-bats. While he showed some of his power with nine doubles, two triples and four home runs, they came with big gaps in between.
While still capable of stunning play, the two-time Gold Glove winner’s defense in the field also suffered. At the All-Star Break, his Defensive Points Saved (DRS) was -10, a whopping 20 points less than his excellent mark of 2024. His 1 out above average and his field run value of 3 were both also greatly reduced from last season.
Doyle — the Rockies’ most valuable player in 2024 with 4.0 wins above replacement — ended the first half in a much different situation. His -1.8 rWAR ranked him as Major League Baseball’s least valuable qualified player according to Baseball Reference and his -0.8 fWAR according to FanGraphs had him ranked as the second-least valuable player.
There were genuine concerns among the Rockies fan base about Doyle’s future with the organization.
Then, after the All-Star Break, a switch seemed to flip. Doyle started piling up hits. His defense improved. He looked at ease on the pitch and looked much more like the Brenton Doyle we are used to.
Doyle hit .282/.307/.462 over the final 56 games of the season with 11 doubles, eight home runs, nine stolen bases and 27 RBIs.
“It was something that was mentally tough to go through, just knowing that you hit the ball hard, you do everything you can to put the ball in play, put it in play hard and find barrels – but right with guys,” Doyle told the Denver Post in September. “You’ve got to be happy with those kinds of results, especially at this level. … A lot of it went right at people. I didn’t want to panic and literally change my entire swing or do anything like that.”
He may not have wanted to change his entire swing, but part of what Doyle attributed to his turnaround was something he was familiar with: mechanical adjustments in real time.
During his rookie season in 2023, Doyle was frequently adjusting and experimenting with his swing mechanics. He did the same to end his 2025 season. He made adjustments to his stance, the placement of his hands and the angle at which he holds his bat.
“It basically just eliminated the motion that I naturally make in my swing,” Doyle said. “And maybe that helped me get on some pitches (against right-handers). I was a little late in the past. … It was something I did throughout my minor league career, and then Last year I made a swing change. And this year I went back to what was more comfortable for me, and it was good.
Doyle’s improved batting in the second half also led to him contributing a key moment in the Rockies’ most memorable game of the season.
In an August 1 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Rockies trailed by nine points before even making a single hit. In an improbable, almost impossible, comeback attempt, the Rockies trailed by one point in a 16-15 ball game. With a runner on first base and one out, Brenton Doyle – who was already 3-for-4 that evening – delivered the final blow.
In addition to his turnaround at the plate, Doyle’s glove turned gold once again. He was worth 10 defensive runs in the second half alone and finished with a season total of 0 DRS. While that doesn’t necessarily sound impressive, it does put him eighth among all Major League center fielders. He also finished the season with 6 outs above average and a fielding run value of 11, good for eighth and joint fourth place respectively.
Doyle’s incredible turnaround saw him finish the season with a positive Wins Above Replacement rating, which is impressive considering he was at -2.0 rWAR as recently as July 5.
Brenton Doyle’s future with the Rockies is still somewhat hazy. With a new front office in place for the 2026 season, it seems unlikely that a long-term contract extension is in the cards after his first-half struggles. However, Doyle is expected to owe $3.2 million in arbitration for his upcoming age-28 season. This could prove to be a steal if he can build on the momentum he gained in the second half. If he can, maybe he can still prove that he is the franchise midfielder the Rockies have long wanted.
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