Alongside Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle was one of the best players on the Colorado Rockies last season. The 27-year-old center fielder emerged as a star to build around in the Rockies’ extended rebuild, placing high expectations on the Gold Glove outfielder heading into this season. However, things did not go as planned in the first half. Doyle struggled, but had some bad luck as well, to the tune of a .202 batting average in the first half. That’s well below the .260 he recorded last season. But 19 games into the second half, Doyle is resembling the hitter he was last season.
Brenton Doyle’s Scorching Start to the Second Half
Doyle has been better in just about every offensive category in the second half. He is hitting .393/.422/.607 across 65 plate appearances in the second half. He already has four home runs and 10 RBI after recording just seven home runs and 30 RBI in 331 plate appearances in the first half. His OPS has gone from well below average, a .576 OPS, to an excellent 1.028 OPS post-All-Star break. His overall batting average has gone from .202 to .234. It’s a great place for Doyle to be compared to where he was at the beginning of the summer.
(good)Nightmare Fuel
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Doyle’s season hit a low point when he experienced a dramatic June swoon. In 93 June at-bats, Doyle hit just .151 with a paltry .431 OPS. He had only one home run and six RBI, along with a K:BB ratio of 25:4. His inefficiency at the plate led to him stealing only two bags in June. A major part of Doyle’s game is his speed. He led the Rockies in steals by a wide margin with 30 stolen bases last season. It’s a big reason why he is a Gold Glove outfielder patrolling center field at Coors.
Doyle showed how good a defender he could be during his rookie year in 2023. But he struck out 35% of the time and hit just .203 in 399 at-bats. Doyle had to show he could be at least average offensively to establish a foothold in the majors. He did more than that last season with a career year offensively. He significantly lowered his K rate from 35% to 25.4% and increased his stolen bases by eight, from 22 to 30. It appeared he had reached the next level offensively. But Doyle’s struggles in the first half largely mirrored his 2023 offensive struggles, likely giving the Rockies’ front office some terrifying déjà vu.
Nolan Jones 2.0?
Doyle is now one of the older players on a young Rockies team. He is currently on an incredibly team-friendly deal, earning $765K this season before arbitration seasons from 2026-29. There was speculation that Doyle would sign a long-term contract with the club this offseason after his stellar season last year. However, no extension came, and when Doyle struggled in the first half, the slightest of doubts crept in that Doyle’s incredible play the previous season might have been an aberration.
This was much like former teammate Nolan Jones. After coming over from the Cleveland Guardians in a trade, Jones had an incredible 2023 with the Rockies. In 106 games, he hit .297 with 20 home runs, 62 RBI, and 20 steals. On top of that, he was an excellent defender for the Rockies in right field, routinely making great diving plays along with a 100th percentile arm, per Statcast. The 25-year-old Jones looked like a shoo-in for a contract extension. It appeared the Rockies had gotten an absolute steal in their trade with the Guardians.
But Jones’ production vanished in a brutal 2024 season. He played in only 79 games. His average plummeted 70 points to .227, and he recorded only three home runs, 28 RBI, and five stolen bases. After struggling in spring training this season, the Rockies traded Jones back to Cleveland for Tyler Freeman. That trade has turned out great for Colorado. Freeman has been an excellent offensive player for the Rockies, while Jones is still struggling to replicate his 2023 performance, hitting just .211 in 279 at-bats this season.
The Rockies were very shrewd to avoid jumping the gun with a Jones extension. Had they avoided making the same mistake with Doyle?
Doyle Proving His Worth
The answer to that appeared to be yes after the first half. It had even gotten to the point that Doyle’s name was mentioned briefly in discussions at the trade deadline, something that seemed unthinkable just a season ago. But Doyle is making the Rockies look smart for hanging onto him. With consecutive Gold Gloves, he has already put himself in discussion for the greatest defensive center fielder in Rockies’ history. That is one of the hardest defensive positions in all of Major League Baseball due to the expansive outfield of Coors Field. Doyle’s defense is a luxury the Rockies would have a very hard time replacing.
But if Doyle could not produce offensively, he would have forced the Rockies’ hand. Instead, he shook off a bad first half and showed it would not be another Jones situation for the Rockies. His potential is that of a true five-tool player when his bat is clicking. With the great contract situation he is in, the Rockies have to love Doyle’s resurgence offensively. At just 27, Doyle can still be in his prime when the Rockies are in contention again. The vision of Doyle and Tovar leading the Rockies out of their rebuild is again in place. It turns out it wasn’t a car crash for Brenton Doyle after his first-half struggles this season. Just a minor speed bump.
Main Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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