Welcome, 2026, and the change and hope you offer.<\/p>\n
Even though the greatest sense of optimism hits in spring as the season gets closer, a new year is also a great time for a reset and reframe. With Purple Row\u2019s Samantha Bradfield perfectly setting out the Rockies 2026 New Year Resolutions<\/a> on Thursday, I thought I would look ahead to the five things I am most excited about when it comes to the Rockies and the baseball world in 2026.<\/p>\n In a compromise between robo-umps and unassisted humans, backed by a successful season of implementation in the Minor Leagues, the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System<\/a> is coming to MLB this season. Each team will have two challenges per game to try to right a bad call on a \u201cstrike\u201d outside the zone or \u201cball\u201d inside the zone. This is a great new rule and will make the game much more fun to watch without blatantly bad calls drastically changing at-bats.<\/p>\n With incorrect challenges resulting in lost challenges and correct challenges not subtracting from the starting pair, ABS shouldn\u2019t make games much longer, as challenges averaged 15 seconds. Only pitchers, catchers, and batters are able to challenge pitches, which also adds an interesting element of strategy. It will take time for players, umpires, and fans to adjust, but this new rule will make baseball in 2026 a better game.<\/p>\n 4. A Possible Dragonslayer 2.0<\/p>\n There are numerous young Rockies to be excited about. From prospects yet to make their MLB debuts like Charles Condon (No. 2 PuRP<\/a>) and Gabriel Hughes (No. 11 PuRP<\/a>), to players who are still trying to prove their value like Kyle Karros<\/a> and Chase Dollander<\/a>, hopefully, 2026 will see promising steps forward from some of the biggest names in the Rockies system.<\/p>\n However, the one I am most excited about and high on is Tanner Gordon<\/a>. After making only eight starts in 2024, Gordon went 6-8 in 15 starts with a 6.33 ERA. Coming to Colorado with Victor Vodnik via the Pierce Johnson trade with Atlanta in 2023<\/a>, Gordon notched wins against the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n The 2019 sixth-round MLB Draft pick flashed potential in 2025 that could really bloom under an analytics-driven coaching staff in 2026. With two games where he recorded nine strikeouts, Gordon is my underdog pick to make the rotation as Josh Fogg 2.0<\/a>, a dragonslayer pitcher who can go head-to-head with aces on contending teams and still give the Rockies a chance to win.<\/p>\n 3. World Baseball Classic<\/p>\n Taking the field March 5-17, the World Baseball Classic returns in 2026. Shohei Ohtani and Japan will be back to defend their title. With host cities in San Juan, Tokyo, Houston and Miami, the best players from around the world will face off with their countries\u2019 pride on the line.<\/p>\n In 2023, six Rockies made WBC rosters: Kyle Freeland and Daniel Bard on Team USA, Alan Trejo on Mexico, Elias D\u00edaz on Colombia, Justin Lawrence on Panama and Germ\u00e1n M\u00e1rquez on Venezuela. Even though it\u2019s only been three years since the last installment, only Freeland remains a Rockie. While rosters aren\u2019t expected to be finalized until sometime in February, so far only Ezequiel Tovar has committed to the WBC<\/a>. The 24-year-old shortstop will be playing for Venezuela. Whether or not the Rockies have representation at the WBC outside of Tovar or not, it will be very fun to watch.<\/p>\n Teams representing Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York will make up the Women\u2019s Professional Baseball League\u2019s inaugural season in 2026. Women from all over the world will play against each other for a slate of games at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.<\/p>\n Long-term plans will see local stadiums and hopefully expansion. The first season is slated to start on Aug. 1, following the conclusion of the Women\u2019s Baseball World Cup Group Stage July 22-26 in Rockford, Illinois.<\/p>\n 1. A New Colorado Rockies Organization<\/p>\n With 2025 \u2014 and the worst season in franchise history \u2014 officially in the rear view mirror, it\u2019s time for the Colorado Rockies to take a step forward in 2026.<\/p>\n As president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta<\/a> and Co. settle in, and manager Warren Schaeffer<\/a> gets an offseason and spring training to build the team his way, a new mindset is taking over at 20th and Blake, which means something totally out of the ordinary for Rockies fans: change.<\/p>\n Hopefully, the front office is putting in place innovative philosophies, technology adaptations and advancements and new processes for drafting and development. The top brass is already following its two guiding principles: building infrastructure and evaluating players, as Purple Row\u2019s Renee Dechert<\/a> dove into earlier this week. Even though there haven\u2019t been any major trades or free agent signings, I am trying to take comfort in the \u201cbuilding infrastructure\u201d piece.<\/p>\n That clearly has to come first, and then the new personnel need time to evaluate the players in person, which can\u2019t begin until spring. This offseason is about building a new foundation. I am confident the Rockies will use it to build a better pipeline and roster in time. But it will take time.<\/p>\n After six losing seasons of complete incompetence, and with actual change on the horizon, I am willing to be patient in 2026.<\/p>\n Five People to Watch in 2026: Paul DePodesta, Savior of the Rockies? | Westword<\/a><\/p>\n Thomas Miller recaps Paul DePodesta\u2019s credentials, successes and failures and nicely capture\u2019s the vibe in Denver of wanting to have a competive team \u2014 even if it can\u2019t quite match the perennial playoff contention expectations of the Nuggets, Avalanche and Broncos. The ending perfectly sums up Rockies fans collective cautious optimism for long-term progress.<\/p>\n