Colorado Rockies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Colorado Rockies first baseman Elehuris Montero went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer during Thursday's Cactus League game against the Chicago Cubs. MLB.com's Thomas Harding relayed that manager Bud Black sees Montero as a candidate to play first base or designated hitter in 2024. The veteran skipper also mentioned the club could occasionally play Kris Bryant in right field in order to get Montero's bat in the lineup. This is high praise for the 25-year-old right-hander as he looks to improve on a 2023 campaign in which he slashed .243/.290/.426 with 11 homers, a 4.9 K%, a 36.2 BB%, and a 76 wRC+.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Dakota Hudson is competing for a spot in the starting rotation at the MLB level, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He worked around two walks and one hit to toss a shutout inning on Thursday. Cut loose by the St. Louis Cardinals this past offseason, Hudson posted a 5.06 FIP, 4.98 K/9, 3.76 BB/9, and 51.5 GB% last year. The former first-round pick hasn't quite lived up to his potential, but he's still in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot. He has logged at least two MLB outings in each of the last six seasons and should extend that streak to seven in 2024.

To make room for the recently acquired outfielder Sam Hilliard on the 40-man roster, the Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Antonio Senzatela (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday. Senzatela had Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the entire 2024 season, so he's completely off the fantasy radar. The 29-year-old Venezuelan pitcher was only able to make two starts last season before being shut down with his elbow injury, and he allowed four earned runs on seven hits (three homers) while walking two and striking out four in his 7 2/3 innings pitched. Senzatela hasn't been much to look at from a fantasy perspective in his seven-year big-league career, posting a 4.87 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 209 walks and 451 strikeouts in 679 2/3 total innings.

The Colorado Rockies have claimed outfielder Sam Hilliard off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. The O's had claimed him earlier in the offseason from the Atlanta Braves where he appeared in 40 games in the 2023 season, hitting .236 with three home runs and four stolen bases across just 78 trips to the plate. Now, the 30-year-old returns to the organization where he spent the first four seasons of his big-league career from 2019-2022. He appeared in 214 games with the Rockies, slugging a career-high 14 home runs in the 2021 season. His bat has largely been well below the league average in his career as he owns a .215 lifetime average with 32 homers, 19 steals, and a .718 OPS across 254 games, production that grades out 22% below the league average, as per his 78 wRC+.

Through three Cactus League appearances, Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones has gone 0-for-7 with three strikeouts. No need to panic, but managers who have invested in his services will be hoping he shakes off the rust sooner rather than later. After a breakout campaign in 2023 where he finished with a .297-20-62-60-20 line in just 106 games (424 PA), his fantasy stock has gotten expensive with an NFBC ADP of 55th overall. The former second-round pick has the talent and the stats to back up the breakout, such as his better-than-league-average chase rate (28.7%), BB% (12.5%), and 94th percentile Barrel% (15.7%). However, some are cause for caution, including K% (29.7%), Contact% (70.7%), and an unsustainable BABIP of .401. The 25-year-old will look to get back on track next time out.