Eli Whitney | July 18, 2025

The 2025 season has been anything but kind to the Colorado Rockies. The club currently sits at 22-74, 35.5 games out of first in the National League West, and on pace to be the worst team in the history of Major League Baseball. In a season that feels all but lost, moments of optimism have been few and far between, yet not altogether void. The breakout of players such as Tyler Freeman, Hunter Goodman, and Jordan Beck has given Rockies fans reasons to celebrate throughout the first half of the year.

However, the question remains, are these performances bound to continue? Or are they just flashes in the pan, akin to players of Rockies past? While there is no sure way to know, analytics can provide a better understanding of what the future may hold. 

Tyler Freeman 

Tyler Freeman is an interesting case, as he’s a bit of a unicorn in the wider scope of this Rockies roster and even around the league. I say this for a couple of different reasons. He is not the archetype of player that Rockies fans have become accustomed to falling in love with. In a franchise speckled with a history of Gold Glovers and potential home run leaders, Freeman is neither. While this may seem like a slight, it’s actually the opposite. 

The Rockies need more players like Tyler Freeman. He consistently puts together good at-bats, which has been somewhat of a rarity for the rest of the roster. His .404 OBP leads the Rockies by a fair margin, and his speed on the basepaths gives the top of the Rockies lineup another dimension. While he hasn’t shown much power in his Major League career, there will always be a spot in the lineup for a guy who gets on base 40% of the time.

Defensively, he’s a little harder to assess. He began the season playing second base while Thairo Estrada was on the IL with a broken wrist. To put things cordially, he didn’t seem especially comfortable there, though it must be noted that it was a small sample size. Since his full-time move to right field in May, he has proven to be a capable corner outfielder. He’s not likely to win any gold gloves, and his arm isn’t going to break any metrics, but he is certainly serviceable.

What makes Freeman so effective at the plate is his discipline. He has a consistent approach that has led to great success in his inaugural season in Colorado. He is near the top of the league in whiff% (10.3%), K% (9%), as well as BB% (9.6%). None of these things come as a surprise when you watch him play. He infrequently chases pitches out of the zone, and consistently fights off pitches in two-strike counts. Perhaps most importantly, he puts the ball in play. This is something that the 2025 Rockies have struggled with throughout the course of this historic season. Colorado currently ranks dead last in the MLB with 9.72 Ks per game. A staggering number that does much to explain their offensive struggles.

Hunter Goodman 

Hunter Goodman (AKA Your Mom’s Favorite Player) has certainly had the loudest breakout of any Rockie so far this year. The former fourth-round pick has grabbed the attention of not only Rockies fans, but baseball fans around the country with his massive second year as a pro. Goodman leads all National League catchers in home runs (17), RBIs (52), and hits (89). The combination of these stats led to Goodman making his first All Star appearance in Atlanta, as the Rockies’ sole representative.

In the 2024 season, Goodman showed that there was no shortage of power, hitting 13 home runs in just over 211 ABs. That said, the rest of his game required some serious work entering 2025, as his final slash line was .190/.228/.417. He has managed to find that balance over the first half of 2025 with a significant improvement across all three categories at .277/.325/.517. He has seen significant improvements in both barrel% and exit velocity, and finds himself in the top 10% of all players in terms of hard hit% as well. 

One of the keys to Goodman’s offensive leap has been his aggressiveness early in counts. To this point of the season, he is swinging at the first pitch nearly 50% of the time. Last season, he only did so roughly 41% percent of the time. While this may not seem all that significant, this assertiveness has allowed him to jump on more fastballs before the pitcher can gain an advantage count. 

With that being said, there is still plenty of room for Goodman’s offensive game to grow. He ranks near the bottom of the league in chase% (36.4) and whiff% (32.8). Additionally, he’s only walking 6% of the time, while his strikeout rate sits at a high 26.7%.  Goodman’s early-count aggressiveness explains the less-than-ideal numbers, but the challenge is improving them without undermining the success of that approach. It will be an interesting story to follow in the second half of the season as Goodman looks to build on his first-half success. 

Jordan Beck 

Jordan Beck was a player surrounded by a lot of chatter entering the 2025 season. Many questioned if he’d even make the opening day roster amid Zac Veen’s spring breakout in Scottsdale. However, when the Rockies released their opening day roster, Beck’s name was on it. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily out of the gates. Through his first nine games, Beck had a batting average of .150 with 0 XBH. His inability to produce at the plate, paired with Veen’s early production in AAA, led to a swift demotion less than two weeks into the season. 

Even after his demotion to Albuquerque, Beck’s numbers remained subpar, to put it kindly. He had only 5 hits over 37 plate appearances, and struck out 9 times over the course of 8 ball games. His performance was concerning, and certainly not one that led people to believe a promotion was imminent. However, when the Rockies placed Brenton Doyle on the bereavement list in the middle of April, their corresponding move was to recall Beck to gain another right-handed outfield bat for the time being. 

The move seemed a bit puzzling at the time, as Beck had only played 9 games in AAA and had shown no signs of finding his swing. That said, baseball doesn’t always make a lot of sense, and Beck came back to the Rockies with a newfound sense of confidence (or maybe desperation). In his second series back, Beck exploded. Over three games in two days in Kansas City, Beck hit five home runs (all solo shots) and once again solidified himself as an everyday starter. Despite a lackluster start to the month, Beck slashed .295/.373/.727 with an OPS of 1.110 in April. 

Since then, his numbers have predictably come back down to earth a bit. At the break, his slash line sits at .264/.318/.444 with an OPS of .762. All things considered, these numbers are very encouraging for a 24-year-old outfielder with only 139 career games under his belt. Beck also provides plus speed on the basepaths with a sprint speed in the 85th percentile. He’s added 10 steals to his tally so far this year as well. 

What has made Beck at least a stable hitter, even in his mini slump is an approach built on pulling the ball. In his MLB cup of coffee last year, Beck was pulling just 34% of batted balls and only had a pulled air rate of 14.2%. Conversely, his pull rate has spiked to 44.5% with his pulled air rate jumping up to 21.6%, a well above average mark that has fueled much better batted ball results.

However, Beck struggles with some of the same issues as Hunter Goodman. His whiff% (30.7) and K% (27.9) are numbers that will need to improve at least marginally. These numbers feel more troubling regarding Beck, as he doesn’t possess the same kind of in-game power that Goodman does. Beck also needs to improve hitting Major League breaking balls. He’s batting a mere .211 against breaking balls this season, and has swung and missed at over 38% of the breaking balls that he’s seen.

These aren’t red flag numbers — the league generally struggles against breaking balls — but it’s still a weakness in his game. For context, Beck is hitting over .300 against fastballs this year, and has a whiff% of only 24% on said pitches. 

Beck’s line can be a bit misleading. His power numbers have been inflated by the series in Kansas City, as he’s hit only five home runs since. Beck has also been steady but just okay, posting a 72 wRC+ since May 27th (166 PAs; roughly a quarter of a season). The jury is still out on Beck, but he will have every opportunity to prove he should be a part of the Rockies long term in the second half of the season and in any event he brings high end athleticism, a powerful — though often dormant — bat, and plenty of upside.