Catcher Hunter Goodman was the Rockies’ best player during their terrible 2025 season. At Saturday’s Fan Fest at Coors Field, he was the most candid about what needs to change in 2026.
“Last year, we had a super young team, me included,” the 23-year-old Goodman said of a Rockies squad that lost 119 games and set a major league record for futility with a minus-424 run differential. “I think we had a lot of people (who) were just happy to be here.
“When I first got called up, I was just happy to be here. And you can’t play like that. You’ve got to walk on the field and be like, ‘We’re the best team. I’m the best player on the field.’ You’ve got to walk on the field with a different level of confidence.”
That sure wasn’t the case last season when the Rockies got blown out in many games and were outscored 142-53 in the first inning, putting them in deep holes early.
“I think there were some series and some games last year where it was like we were walking onto the field as a team, looking around, and maybe guys weren’t super confident,” the Silver Slugger Award winner continued. “So I think, bringing a different mentality to the game would be a big step in the right direction.”
Colorado Rockies pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24), center, speaks during a pitchers Q&A session during Rockies Fest on Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)According to the Rockies, an estimated 5,000 fans showed up at Coors Field Saturday, braving 18-degree temperatures to mix and mingle and hear what the Rockies players and front office brass had to say about the franchise’s rebuild.
“I think everybody up here is hyper-competitive,” Paul DePodesta, the new president of baseball operations, said from a stage filled with his fellow front-office personnel. “I can’t stand to lose. So, at least from our end, there has to be a change in the standards and expectations … for our players and for our coaches. Our players need to feel that from us.”
“Look, there are things that are going to be difficult, and there will be obstacles in our way. It’s not going to happen easily or quickly … but we absolutely have high expectations.”
Manager Warren Schaeffer, retained after serving as the interim manager for most of last season, said he believes the franchise is already turning a corner. He envisions changes coming on the field starting Feb. 12 when pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the first day of spring training.
“The goal is to create a sustainable winner for the City of Denver,” he said. “That should be non-negotiable. We are going to talk about it constantly. We are gonna work and train towards it every day.
“That goes to setting the goals high and winning championships here. But it starts with winning every day at practice. It’s one thing to say it, but you should be able see what that process looks like. It’s all about the process that we’re trying to create. We all believe in it, and a lot of it pertains to the people that we’ve hired.”
Ward Frasier, a longtime season-ticket holder from Littleton, said he was impressed by what he heard from DePodesta and new general manager Josh Byrnes, adding that it erased some of the cynicism brought about by Colorado’s three consecutive 100-loss seasons. Former Colorado Rockies outfield Larry Walker, right, stands with his team of former players in a Family Feud style contest with current Rockies players during Rockies Fest on Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
“Man, last year was rough, no doubt. Last three years, ” he said with a laugh. “I was kind of giving up on the team, but I like the moves they’ve made. The Rockies are trying to change, giving us some hope. We’ll see what happens.”
Veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, entering his 10th season with the Rockies, said major changes were needed.
“Part of that reset (was) the turnover of the front office, the turnover of the majority of our coaching staff,” said the 32-year-old Freeland, who’s entering the final year of his contract, though there is a vesting option for 2027. “Every individual is different when it comes to their own kind of reset button after a really tough season of how to flip that switch to not let that stuff happen again. I think part of that reset is getting this new regime and getting a brand new direction, new ideas.”
Goodman, however, said that the reset must include memories of last season.
“Me, personally, I don’t want to forget about it,” he said. “It kind of lights a fire under me. It was a tough year. Nobody wants to lose that much, nobody wants that to happen. I think the guys who were, we have to look at it like, ‘We can’t let that happen again.’ ”
Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort sits in on a discussion about baseball operations during Rockies Fest on Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)Goodman, Colorado’s lone All-Star, hit .278 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs in 144 games. But he said that he’s got to improve.
“I’d say one of the weaker parts of my game has been my swing decisions,” he said. “When I’m swinging at good pitches, it goes well. And then when I’m not, it (goes badly). Offensively, that’s been the biggest thing for me.
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Freeland pitched for playoff teams in his first two seasons in the majors in 2017-18, the last time the Rockies made the postseason. Now, regardless of where his career ends up, he wants to be part of the Rockies’ rebirth.
“It’s important for me to mold these young guys, because I want to see this organization win no matter what’s going on,” he said. “And these young guys are going to be a big, big part of it.”
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