Known by many for their futility in recent years, the Rockies have featured a relatively stable core of players, along with a few noticeable visitors who had a brief tenure in purple and black.
For the vast majority of teams throughout the history of MLB, starting a season with a 26-43 record would be viewed as a complete failure and a sign of a team having no direction or real hopes to get better.
While all of these things may eventually turn out to be true for the Colorado Rockies, that kind of performance to start the 2026 season is actually reason for some optimism in Denver after a historically awful 2025 campaign.
The Rockies currently have double the amount of wins at this point in the season than they did last year, which saw Colorado scuffle to an abysmal 13-56 start before finishing the season with a 43-119 record, tied with the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the second-worst record in modern MLB history.
As the 2020’s have been a period of futility and pain for the Rockies and their fanbase, their rosters have provided an interesting mix of characters over the past few years. Unlike many teams struggling to the extent that Colorado has the past several years, the Rockies have had a noticeable amount of players spend lengthy tenures with the club through this tough period.
While pitchers Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela are the two mainstays that still remain on the 2026 roster, other players such as Ryan McMahon, Brendan Rodgers and Germán Márquez have made themselves at home at Coors Field, leaving a little less room for turnover than one would typically see with a team of the Rockies’ caliber.
Still, there’s a small handful of players that made their way onto some of the recent Rockies rosters that many casual fans have likely already forgotten about. Here’s a dive into some overlooked Colorado Rockies:
1. Matt Kemp, DH/OF (2020, 43 games)
Beloved by Los Angeles Dodgers fan as a mainstay of the team throughout the 2010’s, Matt Kemp compiled an excellent career with an incredible peak in 2011 that saw him finish as the NL MVP runner-up with 39 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
After spending the first nine years of his career with the Dodgers, Kemp became somewhat of a journeyman from 2015-20, ending his career with the Colorado Rockies in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Primarily serving as a designated hitter for the team as they were activated leaguewide for the season, Kemp was a mostly forgettable piece on an underwhelming Rockies team, putting up three doubles and six home runs with an 89 OPS+ across 43 games with the team.
While Kemp’s performance was a noticeable upgrade from his lackluster 20-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, his .239/.326/.419/.745 slash line came in as a bit underwhelming for a DH playing half of his games at Coors Field.
The stint with the Rockies served as the last taste of professional baseball for Kemp, who retired after the 2020 season with 21.6 WAR, 1,808 hits, 287 home runs, 184 stolen bases and an .821 OPS.
In addition to the Dodgers, Reds and Rockies, Kemp also suited up for the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves.
2. Matt Adams, 1B (2021, 22 games)
Widely remembered in St. Louis for hitting what was a series-winning home run off of Clayton Kershaw in the 2014 NLDS, Adams ultimately retired as a 10-year big-leaguer known for his ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark.
Well-removed from his peak days with the Cardinals, Adams caught on as a free agent with the Rockies just before play started in the 2021 season before making his way into 22 games with the big-league team throughout the year.
Hoping to find the same spark he provided earlier in his career, the then-32-year-old Adams didn’t have too much left in the tank. The left-handed slugger was 6-for-36 with a double and four walks across 22 games, amounting to a dreadful 17 OPS+ and .444 OPS.
Owing to limited playing time and poor performance, Adams was released by Colorado in late July of 2021, playing his final MLB game on July 24, 2021.
Although that was the end of his MLB days, Adams was not done as a professional baseball player. After playing 80 games with the independent Kansas City Monarchs in 2022, Adams played a full season of Triple-A ball with the Rochester Red Wings in 2023, the affiliate of the Washington Nationals. His last taste of pro ball came in 2024, in the form of 62 games with the Tijuana Toros in Mexico.
Adams also suited up for the Nationals and Atlanta Braves over the course of his big-league career, winning a World Series with the former in 2019. He retired with 4.8 career WAR, 118 home runs and a 104 OPS+.
3. Alex Colomé, RP (2022, 53 games)
Emerging in the mid-2010’s as one of the sport’s best closers with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colomé’s success banked him a host of opportunities later on in what would eventually be an 11-year MLB career.
Long-removed from his 47-save campaign in 2017, Colomé served as one of the most utilized relievers on the 2022 Rockies, a team that went on to finish with a 68-94 record. Viewed to provide a level of stability to the pen, Colomé immensely struggled throughout the season – as most pitchers who play at Coors Field tend to do.
Colomé made his way into 53 games for the Rockies in 2022, though the results didn’t echo the frequency of his usage. The right-hander struggled to a 5.74 ERA over 47 innings of work, allowing 22 walks alongside just 32 strikeouts, a far cry from the strikeout rates of his best seasons.
The righty reliever posted career-worst marks in WHIP and Hits per 9 Innings at 1.681 and 10.9, respectively, leaving few silver linings behind after a tough campaign that saw him post an 81 ERA+.
Colomé’s career came to a conclusion the next season, in which he earned another shot with the Chicago White Sox after putting up an excellent pair of seasons with the team in 2019-20. Unable to replicate his previous success, Colomé’s big-league days ended after four games with Chicago in 2023 – though he has played professional baseball as recently as this past winter in his home country of the Dominican Republic.
Retiring with 5.8 WAR and 159 saves, Colomé also spent time with the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins as an MLB reliever.
4. Mike Moustakas, 3B/1B (2023, 47 games)
Acquired ahead of the 2023 season as the Rockies were hoping to find a hidden gem by putting a slugger of yesteryear inside a hitter-friendly park, Moustakas went on to play a rather inane 47-game stint with the Rockies.
Heralded as a hero of the mid-2010’s Kansas City Royals that won a World Series and back-to-back AL pennants, Moustakas made his way to Denver after three mostly forgettable seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.
While nothing at all to write home about, Moustakas put up serviceable numbers for Colorado in 2023, managing seven doubles and four home runs alongside a .270/.360/.435/.795 slash line, good for a 107 OPS+.
Though not a significant boon to the offense by any means, the production was enough for the Rockies to trade Moustakas to the desperate Los Angeles Angels in late June in exchange for a minor-league prospect – an outcome that the Colorado front office was surely satisfied with at the time.
Moustakas’ production cratered after arriving in Southern California, amassing a 69 OPS+ in a 65-game stint with the team that led to the end of his MLB career.
Having also played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Moustakas ended a 13-year MLB career with 12.7 WAR, 1,252 hits, 215 home runs, a .739 OPS and 97 OPS+ to go with a World Series championship in 2015.
5. Brad Hand, RP (2023, 40 games)
One of the most recognizable relief pitchers of the 2010’s who is also known for having played for all five NL East teams, Brad Hand mixed in a brief tenure with the Rockies in the final season of his career.
Prized as an experienced lefty reliever with three All-Star teams under his belt, Hand caught on with Colorado to start his age-33 season, what was ultimately the last campaign of a great 13-year career.
Weathering the difficulty all pitchers face at Coors Field, Hand put up solid numbers for the Rockies during his 40-game stint with the club, pitching to a 4.54 ERA with 16 walks and 41 strikeouts in 35.2 innings of work.
Though this appears unremarkable by most standards, the treacherous pitching environment of Denver actually put Hand’s performance at an above-average 110 ERA+, with his 4.01 FIP further suggesting Hand wasn’t exactly dealt a hand when it came to Colorado’s defense.
The output was enough for Hand to get dealt to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline, with whom Hand could not replicate the same performance with. The lefty veteran pitched to a 7.50 ERA in 20 games with the team, and allowed a home run and a walk in the lone inning he pitched in the postseason for the 2023 Braves – a performance that served as the final one of his MLB career.
Hand finished his career with 8.2 WAR, a 40-55 record and 3.75 ERA with 132 saves and 782 strikeouts across 772 innings of work in 579 MLB appearances. In addition to every NL East team and the Rockies, Hand also pitched for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays.
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