The historically bad 2025 Colorado Rockies look very different than they did when the season began in a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

With this in mind, the staff at Purple Row felt it would be useful to revisit the “State of the Position” series that we run in March as a season preview.

We’ve also asked authors of the spring pieces to re-evaluate their earlier remarks with an eye toward the trade deadline.

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What I said in March

Hopes were high for first base when I wrote about the position in March. Michael Toglia’s performance in his final 90 games, buoyed by his 21 home runs during that stretch, seemed to have finally solidified the future of first base.

My hope, like many of you, was that Toglia could build on his 2024 season and continue to tap into his power and be the producer that the Rockies desperately needed in the lineup.

Yes, I was still quite aware of his strikeout numbers heading into this season, but they could be more manageable if he continued to draw walks at an elite rate and kept hitting for power. The essential takeaway was that 2025 was going to be a year for Toglia to keep growing and establishing himself in the same way Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle did in 2024.

First base was supposed to be a stronger position for the Rockies. However, the hints of uncertainty that can be found in that original article have sadly come to fruition this season.

Toglia has struggled quite a bit, even requiring a demotion to Triple-A at one point. In his place, the Rockies have used a few unlikely backups and had middling results. Among all teams at first base, the Rockies have the lowest value with -1.8 fWAR per FanGraphs.

Where the Rockies are now
The starter

Despite his struggles, Toglia remains entrenched as the primary starter for the Rockies. At the time of his demotion at the end of May, Toglia was slashing .194/.266/.349 with six home runs through 54 games. In the 23 games since his return to the big league roster, he has slashed an improved .233/.298/.430 with four home runs. A minor reset in Albuquerque helped somewhat, but some major issues remain.

First and foremost, Toglia is still striking out too much. He leads all of baseball with a 38% strikeout rate, with the next closest being Logan O’Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels (33.2%). He is also tied for the third most strikeouts with 116. Since his return, Toglia is second in baseball in both strikeout rate (36.2%) and total strikeouts (34).

He has managed to walk at a league average 8.8% of the time, but it’s not enough if he isn’t hitting the ball with authority. That’s been the biggest difference so far, as a look at his Statcast page reveals that the cherry-red chart he sported in 2024 has regressed to a gray landscape with a single, faded cherry stripe.

He has even regressed defensively, owning -2 Defensive Runs Saved and being valued for -8 Outs Above Average, the latter of which ranks him last in the National League (min. 100 IP).

As it stands, the Rockies will likely keep rolling Toglia out there because there aren’t exactly any other options immediately knocking on the door. The position is still his for the taking in the immediate future, but there is a lot of work to be done if he hopes to stick around beyond 2025.

The backup

Options wear thin behind Toglia at first base.

Veteran Kyle Farmer remains a go-to option to play there when Toglia needs a day off. He has played just 10 games at first base, including nine starts, for a total of 77 innings. The need for him to fill in more often at shortstop and second base may have skewed some of the Rockies’ plans for Farmer at first base. Still, his .218/.264/.345 slash and four home runs don’t exactly scream much of an improvement over what Toglia is providing.

In desperation, the Rockies have used Orlando Arcia at first base for the first time in his career. A middle infielder by trade, Arcia hasn’t looked awful, proving athleticism does translate across the diamond, but it’s quite clear the position is like the moon to him. However, much like Farmer, a batting line of .188/.233/.294 with the Rockies isn’t exactly demanding more time at first base.

Those are just the two players who are still on the roster at this point in the season. Keston Hiura filled in for eight games during Toglia’s absence, going 4-for-18, but has since continued a solid season with Triple-A Albuquerque. Sean Bouchard made a start at first during one of his big league stints, and that’s about it.

The quality of backups at the big league level has truly left the Rockies no choice but to keep throwing Toglia up there and hoping he can get into a groove at some point.

Depth options

I stand by the assessment that first base is one of the shallower depth pools in the organization, and no true depth option is on the immediate horizon. There are some names specifically in Double-A and High-A to keep an eye on going forward.

Triple-A

Alongside Hiura and Bouchard, Warming Bernabel has gotten the most notable action at first base this season with Albuquerque. Splitting time between third base and first, Bernabel has slashed .313/.369/.469 in 70 games. The defense has lacked, but his contact rates have kept him in the lineup more often than not.

Double-A

For most of the season, the Hartford Yard Goats have used Zach Kokoska and Jose Cordova at first base. Unfortunately, Kokosa hasn’t quite replicated his power from last season, and Cordova is more of a useful on-base machine that can work behind the dish as well.

The lineup did get a boost with the addition of Charlie Condon — the Rockies’ top prospect and one of their representatives in the 2025 Futures Game — to get reps at first base. After batting .312/.431/.420 for High-A Spokane, Condon is getting his feet wet in Double-A with a slash of .258/.333/.323 over nine games. The power has still not arrived for Condon, with just three home runs on the season, and strikeouts have been prevalent after his promotion, but this season has been a solid one for Condon. He has split time between left field and third base alongside first base, but he remains a key depth piece at the position if that’s what ends up being available to him in the near future.

High-A

The most notable name to emerge as a legit offensive first baseman has been Aidan Longwell in Spokane. Drafted in the 17th round back in 2023, Longwell has a line of .297/.356/.503 with 11 home runs in 76 games this season. Physically, he looks the part and likely has some more pop in his bat, but he is the most natural all-around first baseman in the farm system.

Skyler Messinger has also seen time at first and is batting .235/.295/.359 with eight home runs this season. He has simply been unable to replicate the success he found in Low-A Fresno during his first professional season in 2023.

Low-A

There hasn’t been a standout at first base for the Fresno Grizzlies, but 2024 draft pick Kevin Fitzer has seen quite a bit of action when he’s not playing left field. In 75 games this season, he’s hit .341/.327/.341 with three home runs and 32 RBI. Jacob Hinderleider has hit .259/.317/.360 while getting action at first base as well.

Closing thoughts

At the end of the day, the Rockies can still afford to be patient with Toglia through the rest of the season and perhaps even beyond. Reinforcements are moving slowly, and the position still remains one of their weakest spots.

If Condon can accelerate his development, then the Rockies can mark first base as his primary home. However, for the rest of the season, they may just have to hope that Toglia can tap back into something and prove that the position should still belong to him.

However, this future is still cloudy, leaving first base with uncertainty beyond this year.

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