After his first full season, Michael Toglia emerged as the Colorado Rockies long-term answer at first base. After failed experiments with Kris Bryant and Elehuris Montero at first base, Toglia took his opportunity and ran with it. Toglia played in 116 games this season, including 107 games at first base. On September 3, Toglia broke Rockies Hall-of-Famer Todd Helton’s franchise record of 64 straight games started at first base in 2006. Toglia’s home-run production, excellent defense, and youth make for a long-term answer for the club at the position.
Michael Toglia Establishes Himself as Rockies’ Long-Term First Baseman
Rockies players are always expected to hit for power since they play half their games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. In 116 games this season, Toglia hit 25 home runs, second behind shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s 26, but in 41 fewer games than Tovar. In 45 games in 2023, Toglia hit only four home runs but was dealing with inconsistent playing time and adjusting to the major league level. But the Rockies knew Toglia’s power potential when they drafted him out of UCLA in the first round in 2019. In 192 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022-23, Toglia hit 46 combined dingers and made the club out of spring training before the 2024 season.
Toglia gained momentum in late June, highlighted by three home runs in four days against the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, pushing his total to nine. He topped that performance two weeks later, unleashing three homers in four at-bats during an 8-5 win over the New York Mets on July 14.
Toglia’s Power Potential
Per StatMuse, Toglia was the first Rockies player to hit three homers in a game since second baseman Brendan Rodgers hit three in five at-bats in a game vs the Miami Marlins on June 1, 2022. Considering how much Rockies players struggle to carry their offense on the road, Toglia’s 2024 was very encouraging. He hit 17 home runs and 33 RBI in 203 at-bats on the road compared to eight home runs and 22 RBI in 196 at-bats at home.
Toglia ranked highly in just about every power category, per Statcast.
- xSLG: 94th percentile, .521
- Avg Exit Velocity: 91st percentile, 92.1 mph
- Barrel%: 98th percentile, 17.3%
- Hard-Hit%: 94th percentile, 50.2%
- LA Sweet-Spot%: 91st percentile, 39.2%
He was part of a Rockies lineup that saw more production from the home run department, as they hit 179 in 2024, up from 163 in 2023. If Toglia, Tovar, center fielder Brenton Doyle, and others can continue bringing consistent home run production back to the Rockies, they could become a lineup a lot of opposing pitchers will not want to face.
Excellent Defense
Toglia fits the mold of the prototypical first baseman despite coming out of college as an outfielder. The Rockies were first in the league in double plays per game, recording 1.01 per game. So, Toglia was involved in a lot of plays and adjusted very well to the position. He finished with a .992 fielding percentage while committing only eight errors in 116 games played. His height allowed him to make several robberies of liners destined for doubles down the right-field line.
Michael Toglia brings this ball back 😲 pic.twitter.com/TXtyEEUz4h
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2024
Long-term Answer
Toglia has all the makings of being the long-term answer at first base for the Rockies. This is a position they have been looking to find a solution for since they traded C.J. Cron to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline in 2023. Toglia brings power-hitting and versatility, excelling on the road and offering quality defense at first base, with the ability to fill in as an outfielder.
