Doyle Attempting To Lead Rockies’ Offensive Charge
If not for Doyle, the Rockies may only have one win. Even with Doyle’s great play, the Rockies are a National League worst 3-11. But Doyle has at least given the Rockies a few good moments to hang their hat on. Firstly, outside of Doyle, the Rockies have not taken advantage of scoring opportunities. With RISP, Colorado ranks 20th with 3.86 runners left in scoring position per game, per TeamRankings.com.
Doyle has recorded at least one RBI in all three Rockies’ wins. He hit an RBI single in the third inning to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead in an eventual 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 29. In arguably the biggest moment of the Rockies season, Doyle hit a bases-clearing double to left with two outs in the eighth against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 10 to give the Rockies a 6-2 lead in an eventual 7-2 win. In both scenarios, it could reasonably be assumed the Rockies would have lost without Doyle.
While Doyle won’t fix the Rockies offense by himself, his play has at least given the unit a chance to be competitive. The Rockies showed last season that they can make some noise offensively. However, the Rockies’ offense has been largely ineffective and punchless this season. Until the rest of the offense can get going, Doyle will have to continue to produce if the Rockies have any chance at winning games. But even with Doyle’s production, that is a big “If”.
Record-Setting Struggles for Rockies Offense
There was some hope that the Rockies could carry some momentum into their road trip after the 7-2 win against Milwaukee to close out their recent home stand. However, those hopes took a hit when it was announced that Doyle would miss Monday’s game with a quad strain. In a season full of terrible offensive performances, Friday’s game was the worst one yet. The Rockies struck out 15 times in an 8-0 shutout. The three games in which the Rockies have struck out 15 times this season are more than 12 different full seasons in franchise history. The 143 Ks in 13 games is also the third most in MLB history behind only San Francisco (2023) and Atlanta (2020).
#Rockies strike out 15 times in San Diego on Friday, the third time this season.
That’s more than 12 different full-seasons of Colorado baseball.
The 143 strikeouts in 13 games is third-most to ever start a year in baseball history behind only San Fran (2023) and Atlanta (2020).
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 12, 2025
No Production and Way Too Many Ks
Compounding the major strikeout problem facing the Rockies, they have received almost zero production outside of Doyle. Only four other Rockies have hit home runs, Doyle has three. Doyle leads Colorado with 12 RBI; no other Colorado player has more than five. Most of that production for the Rockies came in a singular offensive outburst at Coors in a 12-5 win against the Athletics on April 6. The Rockies rank a distant last in Major League Baseball with 39 RBI and are 29th in strikeouts with 152.
To put it into perspective, Doyle makes up 31% of the Rockies’ offensive production in terms of RBI. He is tied for 11th in the MLB with 12 RBI. The next closest Rockie is veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon, who is tied for 163rd with four RBI. This also includes the fact that the Rockies have already played six games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. How is Doyle hitting so much better than his teammates? A major reason is his much-improved K-rate.
Doyle has drastically improved his K-rate to begin the season. Per Statcast, Doyle has improved his K-rate from 25.4% last season to just 17.9% this season. With Doyle’s speed, that level of contact could unlock a different level in his game. But it will be a moot point if the rest of the lineup continues to strike out at such a high rate.
Offense Non-Existent in Doyle’s Absence
The Rockies have too many holes to rely on only Doyle for offensive production. The next most effective hitter for Colorado has been an unlikely source. Utility player Kyle Farmer, a career .252 hitter, was signed this offseason to provide infield depth. However, he is leading the Rockies hitting .375 with a .422 on-base percentage. Even Farmer would say that it would not have been good if he were one of the top options for the Rockies offensively, 14 games into the season.
In the two games without Doyle in San Diego, Farmer has gone 5-7 with a BB while the rest of the lineup has gone an unfathomable 2-for-53 (.038) with a single BB. In those two games, the Rockies have unsurprisingly lost 8-0 and 2-0. Farmer is doing his best to fill the void left by Doyle, but has had no help.
*Rest of the Rockies: 2-for-53 (.038), BB
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 13, 2025
In an opportunity for the Rockies offense to show they can be competitive without Doyle, it has been the worst-case scenario. When Doyle leaves the lineup, a vacuum for offensive production has not been filled. If Doyle ends up on the injured list for an extended period, it could spell doom for the Rockies season. The Rockies have relied almost solely on Doyle for their offensive production. They need him back in uniform as soon as possible. Otherwise, based on the last two games, the current shutout streak could go a lot longer than 18 innings.
Main Photo Credits: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
