Welcome to the 2025 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2025. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 51, Sean Bouchard (-0.9 rWAR)
When the Colorado Rockies announced their Opening Day roster for the 2025 season, it was no surprise that Sean Bouchard had made the cut. A forgotten man last year after a late spring injury and sparing playing time, Bouchard forced his way onto the roster out of spring training by slashing .333/.386/.627 with three home runs over 51 at-bats. After several cases of bad luck and timing, it seemed that Bouchard had finally claimed a starting outfield job that had been lingering before him for several years.
After the Rockies traded Nolan Jones to the Cleveland Guardians and signed Mickey Moniak, while also designating Sam Hilliard for assignment, the plan seemed to be for Bouchard to get the bulk of starts in right field. Moniak would certainly get his fair share, but would see opportunities across the outfield, while Nick Martini would also fit into the mix. The idea was that having multiple players like Bouchard, Moniak, and Martini would strengthen the bench, which was a goal for the Rockies coming into the season.
Despite the strong spring training, Bouchard was mostly relegated to coming into games as a pinch hitter. As a pinch-hitter, Bouchard provided a small sample of success, going 4-for-14 with two RBI. As a substitute player in general, he was less successful, going 4-for-20. In most situations, Bouchard was called up with men in scoring position or late in the game, hoping to replicate his on-base and contact skills that have made him intriguing. Unfortunately, Bouchard was unable to have a significant impact, as key situations and opportunities were limited, and he failed to spark a rally when needed.
He didn’t garner much acclaim as a starter either. Bouchard made 14 starts, nearly all in right field, and ended up slashing .152/.220/.261 with one home run and five RBI. As Jordan Beck settled into his own and the team continued to give Moniak more opportunities, Bouchard found himself squeezed off the roster after interim manager Warren Schaeffer took over. He was sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque on May 14, where he spent the rest of the season aside from one game with the big league club on June 7.
Albuquerque was not the offensive oasis for Bouchard as it had been in the past. Through 68 games with the Isotopes, Bouchard was only able to hit .234/.373/.406 with nine home runs and 32 RBI. Despite having 100 more at-bats in Albuquerque compared to 2024, Bouchard had roughly the same impact at the plate when it came to hits, extra-base hits, and runs driven in. He managed to draw a minor league career-high 50 walks while he struck out 91 times, but the regression across the board wasn’t encouraging for the 29-year-old.
Bouchard was designated for assignment on July 25 as part of a flurry of moves surrounding the reported trade of Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees. In need of a reliever with Victor Vodnik placed on the paternity list, the Rockies DFA’d Bouchard to make room for veteran reliever Nick Anderson. Bouchard was then outrighted to Triple-A a few days later.
Bouchard’s greatest strength that intrigued the Rockies was his ability to make contact and draw walks. After all, in his first stint with the club back in 2022, he struck out 25 times to 21 walks and showcased an ability to hit for a high batting average. Yet, there have been diminishing returns the last few seasons, and 2025 saw Bouchard suffer a 37% strikeout rate to a 1.4% walk rate. When he did make contact, he had just a 30.8% hard hit rate, meaning that when he was making contact, there was little to no oomph behind it a lot of the time.
Like many players on the roster, Bouchard’s future is uncertain with the team, but the most likely scenario is that he will become a free agent after this season. Unfortunately for Bouchard, there isn’t much of a place for him to play a significant role in the organization other than filling out the roster in Triple-A. Injuries and bad luck have certainly sapped him of his opportunities in the past, but such an excuse couldn’t be made in 2025, as he just wasn’t able to take advantage of what chances he did have.
The Rockies have a glut of young outfielders ready to take the next step who are arguably better offensive options and clearly better defenders in the outfield than Bouchard. A strong spring training isn’t guaranteed to equate to regular-season success, and whether it’s with the Rockies or someone else, Bouchard is going to have to fight hard to make his way back to the big leagues.
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