Cam MacLennan | January 6, 2025

As the Rockies continue to get eaten up by the rest of the NL West in free agency, let’s kick 2025 off on a more fun note. What jersey numbers have had the biggest impact throughout Rockies history? The good and the bad.

To make things a little more interesting, we are going to eliminate the only two Rockies numbers retired, 17 and 33. Obviously, those two hold the most greatness historically with Helton and Walker each having Hall of Fame careers and being the best offensive players Colorado has ever had. But which numbers follow and what are some that the Rockies want to forget? 

For the best offensive number, two numbers standout. We have a number worn by arguably two of the greatest Rockies of all time. That would be #5. Worn by Matt Holliday and his direct successor Carlos Gonzalez for a 14-year span, #5 sponsored two of the most impressive bats Colorado has possessed.

Number 5

From 2004-2008, Matt Holiday was an absolute beast for the Rockies. Over those five years, #5 hit for a .316 average while hitting over 25 home runs in three out of those five years. In a lineup loaded with talent during the great 2007 season, with the likes of Helton, Tulowitzki, Atkins, and more, Holiday won the NL batting title with a .340 clip. He also tossed in 36 homers and 137 runs driven in while collecting an NLCS MVP for good measure. Truly an all-time great in Colorado. 

Holiday’s replacement took little time to fill his shoes. Carlos Gonzalez came to the Rockies in 2009 and had an immediate impact. In 2010, Cargo had his best season. He slugged 34 home runs and drove in 117 while winning the NL batting title, hitting .336 and finishing 3rd in NL MVP voting. For the next 8 years, Cargo had an OBP of at least .330 in every season but one in which he was riddled with injuries. He became a staple for Colorado throughout the 2010s and will forever be a fan favorite as well as having the smoothest lefty swing of all time (maybe behind Griffey).

Number 9

Right next to #5 is another number built on consistency. That would be #9, also worn by Rockies great Vinny Castilla, and being followed up by the likes of DJ LeMahieu and, perhaps most intriguing right now, Brenton Doyle. 

Castilla was one of the best power hitters in his era, yet doesn’t seem to get the recognition because his best years came with Coors Field being his home stadium. From 1995 to 1999, Vinny hit at least 32 home runs in every season and hit 40 in three of them. He was also an RBI machine, having 100+ in four consecutive seasons. 

In the gap between Castilla and DJ, #9 also saw two seasons of Juan Pierre in which he hit over .300 over the course of the two seasons. 

LeMahieu arrived to the Rockies in 2012 and became a model of stability for his next seven years in Colorado. He consistently hit around .300 and was near the top of the league regarding hits as he sprayed balls to all parts of the field.

DJ’s best year came in 2016, where he won the batting title hitting a ridiculous .348 while having an equally stellar OBP of .416. He was an essential piece in the Rockies lineup during their playoff seasons of 2017 and 2018. Letting him walk continues to be one of the Rockies’ major mishaps of the last 10 years. 

Pitching in Coors Field is no easy task to begin with as we understand. However, finding a single number that has had multiple success stories was even harder. After some serious research, it was determined that #45 stands above the rest. 

Number 45

#45 has provided a good mix of starting pitching and relief pitching that were fairly successful in Rockies pitching standards. In the bullpen, the first to make a significant impact was Jerry DiPoto. The righty came to Colorado to close his career from 1997 to 2000, where he was one of the Rockies most reliable bullpen arms. He posted under a 4.00 ERA in 2 of his 4 years with Colorado while still serviceable in the other two.

The other notable relief arm to sport the #45 was Scott Oberg. While he got off to a slow start in Colorado from 2015 to 2017, he quickly became one of the best bullpen arms the Rockies had over their two playoff seasons of 2017 and 2018. In both seasons, he posted a sub-3.00 ERA while having one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the NL, having only 4 walks for every 19 strikeouts. 

On the starting side, #45 belonged to long-time Rockie, Jhoulys Chacin. He was with Colorado from 2009 to 2014 and then again in an unmemorable tenure in the early 2020s. Chacin didn’t start full-time until the 2011 season, however, in his two fully healthy seasons as a starter, he was impressive. In 2011 and 2013, he posted a 3.67 and 3.47 ERA, respectively. Perhaps his best trait was his ability to eat up innings consistently. In both those seasons, he pitched over 190 innings. Doing that while posting a sub 4.00 ERA in Coors Field is no small feat. 

There are a couple of ways to assess the worst number. You could go just purely off of lack of stats or you could go off biggest disappointments. 

Number 15

While digging through Rockies archives, I found that hitting and pitching overlapped with some jersey numbers being historically bad for the Rockies. #15 has whatever type of bad you are looking for. On the offensive side, simply put, nothing stands out. Of everyone who has worn the number, the best hitter would probably be Raimel Tapia.

From 2009 to 2018, 11 different players wore the #15 jersey. Additionally, of the 30 seasons of someone wearing #15 in purple, no player has ever hit .300 over an entire season. And unless Hunter Goodman ends up working out, #15 is looking like the worst number offensively in Rockies history. 

On the pitching side of #15, the negative mostly comes from disappointment. In 2000, the Rockies signed veteran lefty Denny Neagle to a five-year $51 million deal, which at the time was a big contract. The hope was for him to bolster the Rockies starting rotation. Fair to say, he didn’t. In 2001 and 2002, Neagle had over a 5.00 ERA and after just pitching in 7 games in 2003, was run out of Colorado. While it isn’t talked about much anymore, Neagle was one of the big disappointments of the 2000s for the Rockies. 

Number 23

Another offensive number that has been severely underwhelming is #23. The rather obvious reason for using #23 is it belongs to Kris Bryant. After signing a massive 7-year $182 million contract before the 2022 season, Bryant is yet to play more than 80 games in a season.

Other than that, this number has just about nothing that impresses you statistically. The “headliner” of the group would probably be Jason Giambi, who came in past his prime to help bring some veteran experience and power in the 2009 season. Since the Rockies came into the league in 1993, 17 different players have worn #23, tied for the most players wearing a single number in Rockies history. 

Number 37

Pitching-wise, the worst number statistically speaking is #37. Worn 19 times in Rockies history, only twice has someone had an ERA below 4.50. While Josh Fogg is known for playing an important part in the World Series run in 2007, his stats show an overall lack of consistency. In both his years starting, he failed to have a 100 ERA+ (100 is average). While his postseason contributions are worth noting, he fits the trend of #37 being subpar at best. 

Fitting in with the rest of the Rockies history, there is a lot of good on the hitting side, and a lot of bad in pitching. And while the Rockies might not have as rich of a history as a lot of organizations all-time, some jersey numbers deserve more recognition, again fitting right into the trend of the Rockies.