Last season, Major League Baseball announced that they would be shortening the base paths. This resulted in many more stolen bases compared to the 2022 regular season. The 2024 MLB regular season should be no different, as there should be plenty of guys looking to run like the wind with their incredible speed and timing. This past season, the Colorado Rockies were one of the worst teams when it came to this statistic. The Rockies ranked 28th in the league with 76 stolen bases. With plenty of new faces possibly debuting in the Rockies 2024 lineup, we could see this team make a huge leap in the stolen bases department.
Three 2024 Rockies Who Could Lead the Team in Stolen Bases
1. Brenton Doyle
During his 2023 rookie season, Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle showed that he has the speed to not only catch deep fly balls in the outfield, but to steal a ton of bases as well. In 2023, Doyle led the team with 22 stolen bases and was caught five times. His numbers should make a substantial jump all around this season, especially his numbers on the base paths. The 25-year-old center fielder has the speed and the capability to lead this Rockies team in that category once again. However, that might not be the case, according to ZiPS Projections. They have predicted that Brenton will steal 18 bases this season, which would lead the 2024 Rockies, but does not improve his numbers from the 2023 season.
Brenton Doyle and Nolan Jones combined for 54% of the Colorado Rockies stolen bases this season#GamblingTwitter pic.twitter.com/m1sYmzuak7
— Bisky Bets (@LtReeseDangle) October 2, 2023
2. Nolan Jones
2024 is projected to be a big year for left fielder Nolan Jones. Using ZiPS Projections, Jones is predicted to lead multiple categories for the 2024 Rockies. One category Nolan isn’t projected to lead, however, is stolen bases. Last season, the young left fielder stole 20 bases which ranked second for Colorado, while being caught four times. This upcoming season, ZiPS Projections has Jones stealing 14 bases. Although this would still rank second for the Rockies as a team, this would be a significant downhill turn from his 2023 numbers. Jones has a chance to do big things for the 2024 Rockies. During close-game situations, if the Rockies can get Jones on, and have him advance to second or third, that could make this Colorado team more competitive with a better chance to win close games in 2024.
3. Ezequiel Tovar
2023 was a rough year for the Rockies. A huge plus to last season, however, was the play of rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. He slowly became one of the Rockies’ most proficient and clutch hitters, as he would go on to lead Colorado with 147 hits. On the base paths, Tovar did find success, but he can certainly improve with regard to those numbers. Tovar stole 11 bases and was caught five times during the 2023 season. ZiPS Projections ranks Tovar third on the team in this category. He’s projected to have 11 stolen bases again this upcoming season. If the 22-year-old shortstop can rack up hits as often as he did last season, we could possibly see Tovar try to reach a new career-high when it comes to stolen bases.
Photo Credit: © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
