Rockies, Ezequiel Tovar agree on long-term contract
Mar 24, 2024, 3:33 PM | Updated: 3:43 pm
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Ezequiel Tovar has his long-term deal, keeping him in the fold of the Colorado Rockies for at least the next seven seasons.
Tovar agreed with the Rockies on a seven-year contract that includes a club option for an eighth season. This would ensure that the 22-year-old shortstop is under team control and not hit free agency until after the 2031 season — his age-29 campaign.
The contract is worth up to $84 million. The deal was first reported by Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com.
A product of Venezuela, Ezequiel Tovar made his professional debut in 2019 with the rookie-league team the Rockies organization had at the time in Grand Junction. He worked his way up the ladder, advancing to AAA by 2022 despite losing a year to COVID-19 canceling the 2020 minor-league campaign.
In his rookie season last year, Tovar worked as the everyday shortstop and finished as a Gold Glove finalist while also ranking 10th among all National League players in fielding WAR.
His season at the plate was less notable, though he did hit 15 home runs and post a .408 slugging percentage, although a low walk rate with a .253 batting average kept his OPS just below .700, at .695. — including a .663 mark after the All-Star break. Tovar also had 6.64 strikeouts for every walk last season.
But at minimum, his defensive skills give him value. Statcast calculated his defensive value last year at 16 outs above average, placing him in the 99th percentile of fielders.
And at just 22 years of age, there is plenty of hope that Ezequiel Tovar can develop a competent bat at the Major League level. Armed with the contract and commitment given to him by the Rockies, he’ll have time to figure it out.
