Rockies Considering Extension For Brenton Doyl

The Rockies have had internal discu sions about the po sibility of signing center fielder to a contract extension, according to . There isnt any indication that these considerations have led to any actual negotiations with Doyles representatives at the Ballengee Group, and given the normal rhythm of spring extension talks, in-depth talks or an official agreement arent likely to take place until closer to Opening Day. Colorado has been pretty proactive over the years about locking up what the franchise views as its cornerstone players, most prominently past mega-deals for such stars as , , and . The extension trend has continued since Bill Schmidt was officially named as the Rockies GM in October 2021, as the Rox during Schmidts tenure. The most recent of these pacts came last March, when was inked that will pay the shortstop at least $63.5MM. Entering his third MLB season, Doyle has already established himself as arguably the games best defensive fielder. Doyle has won the last two NL Gold Glove Awards and he added a Fielding Bible Award to his trophy case in 2024. An elite throwing arm and elite speed adds to Doyles defensive prowe s, and he took some important steps towards being a true five-tool talent when he hit .260/.317/.446 with 23 home runs over 603 plate appearances last season. Factoring in Coors Fields hitter-friendly nature, Doyles offense still checked in at below the league average, with a 97 wRC+. Still, this was a drastic improvement over the 45 wRC+ he posted over 431 PA during his 2023 rookie season, with Doyle hitting the ball with much more authority in 2024 than he did the previous year. Eli Villalobos Jersey His 7.6% walk rate and 25.4% strikeout rates remain below average, but the latter number in particular is a quantum leap from Doyles 35% strikeout rate in 2023, which was the worst in baseball among any player with at least 400 PA. The underlying metrics point to substantive year-to-year improvement for Doyle, without too much luck entering the equation his wOBA and xwOBA were virtually identical in 2024, and his .316 BABIP this year wasnt far beyond his .295 BABIP in 2023. A player with Doyles speed is likely to have higher BABIPs anyway, and that speed also manifested itself in the form of 30 stolen bases in 35 chances. Doyles glovework is alone enough to merit a spot on a Major League roster, but providing even league-average offense raises his ceiling considerably as a lineup regular. Since an everyday center fielder is among the rarer commodities in the game, it makes sense that Colorado would be thinking about a long-term commitment relatively early into Doyles career. A fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, Doyle is a bit of a late bloomer, as he was just a bit shy of his 25th birthday when he made his MLB debut. With a year and 161 days of big league service time already ama sed, Doyle is on pace to achieve Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility. This doesnt change the Rockies team control that runs through the 2029 season, but it does line Doyle (who turns 27 in May) up to start earning larger salaries earlier in his career. An extension would therefore give the Rox some cost certainty on Doyle through those arbitration years, rather than deal with an escalating price tag. On the other hand, since Doyle is already controlled through his age-31 season, the Rockies might not view an extension as a pre sing priority. Schmidt and his front office might also want a bit more evidence of Doyles improvement at the plate before making a multi-year commitment. From Doyles perspective, it would stand to reason that hed be open to extension talks. Between his $500K draft signing bonus and minimum salaries in his first two MLB seasons, Doyle might view an extension as a great way to lock in the first fortune of his pro career. Theres an argument for waiting from Doyles side as well, as hed cash in to an even greater degree on an extension next winter if he can match or top his 2024 offensive numbers in 2025, since surely the Rockies would then be just as eager to solidify his place as a building block on their roster. A Doyle extension would stand out the biggest transaction of a pretty quiet Rockies offseason, as Colorado hasnt done much to improve a roster that has lost 204 games over the last two seasons. While not exactly in a rebuild mode, the Rockies are clearly focusing on their young talent and on better health from several veterans (i.e. , , ) in order to make some type of forward progre s in 2025. David Hensley Jersey