Colorado Rockies one of three teams with no top 100 players on ESPN’s list
Mar 11, 2024, 11:09 AM | Updated: 12:43 pm
Once again, no Colorado Rockies players cracked the ESPN list of the top 100 players in Major League Baseball.
The purple and black are one of just three teams to lack representation on the top 100 list. To no surprise, the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals are the other two teams.
It’s the second-straight year the Rockies have not been represented on the list. Last year, the A’s, Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers joined the Rockies in lacking representation. But shortstop Elly De La Cruz and center fielder Riley Green pulled the Reds and Tigers from that dubious distinction this year.
SO, WHICH ROCKIES COULD BE ON THE NEXT TOP 100 LIST?
One obvious candidate is left fielder Nolan Jones, who finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting last year. Jones ranked 71st in total wins above replacement last year according to FanGraphs, posting a 3.7 WAR.
But Jones also appeared to have some wondrous luck; his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was an astounding .401. Interestingly, he had a higher BABIP on the road (.434) than at Coors Field (.374), despite the cavernous outfield that turns fly outs into singles.
Jones cracked MLB’s top-100 list last month, checking in at No. 87.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar ranked 10th in the league in fielding WAR during his rookie season. Third baseman Ryan McMahon ranked 12th. And second baseman Brendan Rodgers won the Gold Glove in his last full season of 2022.
