With his latest demotion, Michael Toglia’s season has reached an inflection point. In what was supposed to be a breakout season following a strong 2024 with the Colorado Rockies, Toglia has struggled mightily. He has experienced multiple demotions to Triple-A and is in the bottom one percent league-wide with a 37.3% whiff rate and 39.2% K rate. The 27-year-old Toglia will still be in pre-arbitration next season. The Rockies have a decision to make this offseason when it comes to deciding Toglia’s future in the purple pinstripes.
Michael Toglia’s Struggles
Per Statcast, Toglia’s batting run value has gone from 9 last season to -11. Among Rockies with at least 113 at-bats, only second baseman Adael Amador‘s .177 batting average ranks lower than Toglia’s .190. But Toglia did not hit for average last season either, posting a .218 average in 458 plate appearances. Where Toglia’s season has truly gone wrong is his lack of power. Former Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens said late last season that the Rockies’ major strikeout issues had to be addressed. But if the team can be effective, hitting home runs, as they were in the second half of last season, it is not as pressing an issue.
Led by Toglia, star shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, and center fielder Brenton Doyle, this offensive style showed promise heading into 2025. But the issue with this approach is that when the Rockies are not hitting home runs, the offense vanishes. Tovar struggled with injuries early on this season. Doyle started strong but hit a major slump, and Toglia led the league in strikeouts. The remainder of the Rockies’ offense was non-existent, and the Rockies began the season 8-46.
For his part, Meulens was let go on April 17. Toglia was the poster boy for where Meulens’ approach went wrong. Following an April 16 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toglia had gone 10-for-49 with 24 strikeouts to begin the season. He was hitting .172 overall with a putrid .475 OPS, and did not hit his first home run until April 16 against the Dodgers when he hit a grand slam in an 8-7 loss. Overall, this season, Toglia has hit just 11 home runs and five home runs in 120 at-bats since the beginning of June.
Rockies Have a Decision to Make
Will Toglia follow the same path as former teammate Nolan Jones? Jones had an excellent debut season with Colorado in 2023, coming in fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. But a terrible season offensively, combined with Jones’ inability to stay healthy, led to the Rockies trading him back to the Cleveland Guardians during spring training. It is very hard to gauge the performance of players offensively who play at altitude from year to year. That is why offensive regression will be something to watch for catcher Hunter Goodman next season, following his career year offensively. But that is a problem for next offseason. Right now, the Rockies can fully enjoy Goodman’s offensive emergence in his first season as the club’s primary catcher. A decision on Toglia will have to be made this offseason.
Jones was similar in age to Toglia when Colorado sent him back to Cleveland. He was also in the same salary range, which made offloading Jones for the Rockies much easier. But the bottom line is that when Toglia is not producing home runs, his major strikeout issue makes him unplayable. Following each demotion, Toglia has hit well in Triple-A and earned another chance with the Rockies. But he has failed to establish any kind of a foothold at first this season.
Toglia’s first demotion came on May 31. After being called back up on June 16, Toglia briefly resembled his form from last season, going 8-17 in four road games against the Washington Nationals with three home runs and five RBI. But for the remainder of June and July, Toglia managed just seven RBI and two home runs. In the 31 games since his call-up on June 16, Toglia struck out at least once in 29 games and recorded 2+ strikeouts 13 times. He was promptly sent down to Albuquerque yet again until September 9. But in seven at-bats over three games from September 9-11 against the San Diego Padres and Dodgers, Toglia went 0-for-7 with six Ks. This resulted in another demotion to Triple-A on September 12.
Toglia’s Uncertain Future in Colorado
Things can change quickly in pro sports. Toglia looked to be an important part of the Rockies’ future who would help lead them out of their extended rebuild. Fast forward to now, and Toglia has been demoted three separate times, is in the bottom of Major League Baseball in strikeouts, and has been unable to find the prodigious power he showed last season. After his demotion on August 3, Toglia played well enough on offense to earn another opportunity. But immediately facing the same struggles in the majors after a month plus of hard work in the minors had to be an extremely tough pill to swallow.
Toglia will have to pick himself off the mat yet again and continue performing well in the minors. He has no other options. The prevailing thought when Jones struggled in 2024 was that he would get a chance to resemble his 2023 form—treating 2024 as a one-off. But the Rockies had seen enough when Jones was not improving offensively in spring training. They played the right card. Jones is still struggling offensively in Cleveland. Meanwhile, utility player Tyler Freeman, the return in the Jones trade, has been great for the Rockies. It’s likely that a similar path lies ahead for Toglia. If the strikeout issues and lack of power persist in spring training, it could mean the end of Toglia’s tenure in Colorado.
Competition at First Base
Blaine Crim debuted with a bang for the Rockies, snapping a 41-inning scoreless drought with a 439-foot home run against the Padres. The homer was the first of Crim’s career and his first hit with Colorado.
1B Blaine Crim ends the #Rockies drought (41 innings) in San Diego with a 439 ft home run.
First hit with Colorado and first big league homer for Crim. pic.twitter.com/h5P7YKstA6
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) September 13, 2025
Crim is filling in at first base in lieu of Toglia while Warming Bernabel is out with a concussion. Bernabel has played 36 games at first base since making his major league debut on July 26. He has been very solid offensively and respectable defensively, posting a .989 fielding percentage. Based on Bernabel’s play this season, barring any moves this offseason, he should be the frontrunner at first heading into next season. While Bernabel doesn’t hit for power, he has an excellent 16.9% K rate. It will not be easy to reclaim the spot that seemed so secure for Toglia at the beginning of the season. But nothing has been easy for Toglia lately.
Main Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
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