Ezequiel Tovar finished a strong 2024 campaign as the star shortstop for the Colorado Rockies. How will he build on this for 2025? The Rockies finished with 100+ losses for the second consecutive season (61-101), but Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle emerged as young franchise players who Colorado could build around. Tovar signed a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension before the 2024 season, establishing the 23-year-old as the Rockies shortstop for years. He finished 2024 as a solid, consistent bat in the lineup and was one of the best defensive shortstops in MLB.
Ezequiel Tovar’s Strong 2024 Something to Build On for Rockies
Consistency at the Plate + Power Hitting
One of the issues that has always plagued Rockies’ hitters is their inability to take their offense on the road. This year, Tovar was a welcome surprise, managing solid numbers at and away from Coors Field. In 325 home at-bats, Tovar hit .277/.305/.468, and he hit .261/.284/.470 in 330 at-bats on the road. While there was a drop-off in his batting average and OBP, Tovar still provided solid numbers on the road and remained a key presence in the Rockies lineup.
One of the most exciting aspects of Tovar’s performance at the plate this past season was his emergence as a solid power hitter. In 581 at-bats in 2023, he hit 15 home runs. In 655 at-bats in 2024, Tovar led the Rockies in home runs and doubles with 26 and 45, as his hitting doubles down the left-field line became a routine sight for Rockies’ fans. The most exciting thing about Tovar’s newfound power is that he hit 13 dingers at home and 13 on the road. Tovar had four two home-run games in 2024, with three of them coming on the road. Tovar’s power translating outside of Coors Field is a great sign for this Rockies team moving forward.
💥 EZEQUIEL TOVAR 💥 pic.twitter.com/UF06Y7ednm
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 22, 2024
Stellar Defense
When Tovar first came up with the Rockies in late 2022, his defense was expected to be major league-caliber; it was his offense that would take time to develop. Tovar’s defense was as advertised, already earning two Gold-Glove nominations in his first two full seasons.
It’s Tovar Time, Ezequiel Tovar is a Gold Glove Finalist at shortstop! pic.twitter.com/VBLacWpwFm
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) October 15, 2024
Per Statcast, Tovar finished in the 98th percentile for his fielding range with 15 Outs Above Average. Per Baseball-Reference, Tovar finished with a .988 fielding percentage, trailing only Dansby Swanson of the Cubs among National League shortstops, who finished at .990. Two of the most telling stats about Tovar’s defense are the Total Zone Runs metric, which measures how many runs above or below average a player is worth based on the number of plays they make, and his Defensive WAR.
Tovar easily surpassed his fellow shortstops in TZR, with 18 total zone runs, the next closest being Masyn Winn of the St. Louis Cardinals with 10. Tovar also finished fourth in the NL with a Defensive WAR of 1.9, trailing only the Milwaukee Brewers’ Brice Turang, Winn, and Matt Chapman of the San Francisco Giants. Finally, Tovar showed great chemistry with his fellow infielders, making consistent highlight plays and leading NL shortstops in assists and double plays turned with 435 and 113, respectively. Combined with Ryan McMahon‘s consistent Gold Glove-level defense at third base, the Rockies have their left side of the infield locked down for years to come.
Looking to 2025
Tovar led the Rockies in batting average (.269), RBI (78), and hits (176). He finished with a WAR of 3.7, trailing only Doyle, who finished with a WAR of 4.0. Tovar has also shown incredible durability, as he finished the 2024 season with 157 games after 153 in 2023. Considering Tovar and Doyle are the young franchise players the Rockies are looking to build around, his consistent availability is crucial to the Rockies’ future success.
Additionally, the area Tovar needs to improve the most is his strikeouts, He finished with 200 strikeouts (highest on the Rockies), up from 166 in 2023. Sometimes, his aggressive nature at the plate would result in prolonged slumps where he was consistently chasing at pitches down and out of the zone. Per Statcast, Tovar is in the 10th percentile with a strikeout rate of 28.8%. As one of the Rockies’ best hitters, the Rockies can’t afford to lose Tovar for extended periods due to bad plate discipline.
If Tovar could cut down his strikeout rate even marginally in 2025, it could go a long way toward improving their offense. Altogether, there is a lot to be excited about for Tovar heading into the offseason. His ability to consistently hit both at home and on the road, his emergence as a power hitter, and his continued stellar defense at shortstop are all great things for the Rockies to build on as they continue their rebuild.
Photo Credit: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
