Ezequiel Tovar did not take long to make his presence known in Major League Baseball. He was originally signed as an international free agent by the Colorado Rockies on August 1, 2017, the day he turned 16. He made a brief debut at the end of the 2022 season at 20 years old. But Tovar took off the following season, emerging as the Rockies’ long-term answer at shortstop. This season, he battled injuries and saw regression as a result. But at just 24, he is still the Rockies’ best player. Ezequiel Tovar returning to form will go a long way towards the Rockies’ hopeful improvement next season.
Rockies’ Improvement Starts with Ezequiel Tovar
The Rockies have not been a deep team since 2018. They are consistently living as a team that is a couple of injuries away from imploding. They were littered with holes this season and would have been terrible even if they stayed healthy. Nevertheless, their two best players struggling played a significant part in the franchise’s worst season. Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle were excellent in 2024. Both earned Gold Gloves and had career-best seasons offensively. Despite that, the Rockies were still last in the National League West and finished 61-101.
But without that production from Tovar and Doyle, it got a lot worse. Along with the disastrous season from first baseman Michael Toglia and a league-worst starting rotation, the Rockies plummeted to 43-119. The good news is Hunter Goodman emerged as the Rockies’ only All-Star, having a historic season for a Rockies catcher. The Rockies’ new front office has numerous holes to fill on the roster. But Goodman and Tovar can at least give the Rockies confidence at two positions as the offseason progresses.
Doyle could also be included in that group. However, his future in Colorado remains uncertain, as there is widespread interest in trading for Doyle’s services. Tovar will need to be an anchor for what will be an extremely young infield as it currently stands. But there should still be plenty of optimism around Tovar. He has a very high ceiling and loads of potential in the midst of his prime.
Injuries Should Not Hamper Tovar Going Forward
Injuries can happen to any player at any time. They are and always will be a major part of sports. But on paper, there shouldn’t be any worry about Tovar’s health going forward. As stated earlier, he is still very young and in his prime. In his two best seasons in 2023-24, Tovar was almost always on the field for Colorado, playing in a combined 310 games. That is just short of two full MLB seasons. Even for a player in his early twenties, that’s a lot of tread on his tires.
It’s easy to see that being a factor in Tovar’s injury issues this season. The other good news is that the injuries didn’t require surgery or long recovery times. A left hip contusion in April and left oblique strain resulted in Tovar missing a large chunk of the first half. But from July 18 until the end of the season, Tovar was the Rockies’ everyday shortstop. His playing in less than 100 games for the first time since his rookie season could end up being a blessing in disguise.
It was a lost season early for Colorado; Tovar, at his best, would not have changed the season’s result. He had the time to fully recover and still play consistently for three months to stay in rhythm. Reinforcing that his injuries should not be an issue going forward.
Tovar Is Still the Rockies’ Best Player
One thing the Rockies’ previous regime did right was locking up Tovar long-term. He is signed until 2030 with a $23 million club option for 2031, per Spotrac. The Rockies are still on the lighter end of that contract, as Tovar is set to earn $5.2 million next season. He was arguably the Rockies’ best player in 2024. He slotted in right behind Doyle with a 3.7 WAR.
Tovar also led the Rockies that season in home runs (26), RBI (78), batting average (.269), and hits (176). The Rockies sorely missed his consistent ability to get on base early this season. The next closest in hits behind Tovar in 2024 was Doyle with 141. Additionally, Tovar has formed a perfect marriage with Coors Field when it comes to hitting doubles.
Ezequiel Tovar was an extra-base hit machine for the @Rockies this season.
pic.twitter.com/yrH91JTWyT
— MLB (@MLB) November 6, 2024
He has taken full advantage of Coors’ expansive outfield, hitting a career-high 45 doubles in 2024. On the other side of the ball, he won his first career Gold Glove. His 16 fielding run value and 15 outs above average both ranked in the top two percent league-wide, per Statcast. He is just one season removed from this stellar play and still finished in the 99th percentile this season in LA Sweet-Spot, finding that sweet spot 43.7% of the time.
Leadership Traits
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer also spoke highly of Tovar’s leadership traits off the field in an August interview with MLB.com’s Davin Venn.
“I’ve seen those [leadership] traits for three years get gradually better and better, and come to more prominence,” Schaeffer said. “It’s natural, I think, just by the position he plays and the effect he has on the team.
Tovar checks all the boxes, and there is undoubtedly more Gold Gloves and his first career All-Star appearance in front of him. Schaeffer also emphasized this offseason that the Rockies will get back to winning games sooner than you might think. If that’s true, it won’t happen without Tovar being a big part of it. Based on what he has shown at his best, there should be little doubt he will be.
Main Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
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