Toglia, Montero getting their chance at first base
Nearly a decade after Todd Helton retired, the Rockies are still searching for their next great, long-term first baseman.
For now, Colorado simply needs a temporary solution, with the hope that someone might eventually develop into both a solid defender and a consistent force at the plate.
When veteran C. J. Cron was traded to the Angels on Sunday, the door of opportunity swung open for Michael Toglia and Elehuris Montero. Rookie Nolan Jones, currently playing in the outfield, will likely get his chances, too, when veteran outfielders Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant return from the injured list in the next couple of weeks.
What Toglia, Montero and Jones do over the final two months of the season will provide the Rockies with a better read on what they’ll have at first base for 2024, and possibly beyond.
“It does create opportunity for some young players — that’s what we’re looking to do here the last two months of the season,” general manager Bill Schmidt said after the Rockies were relatively active at the trade deadline. “That’ll happen over time and opportunity.”
Toglia, at 24, is clearly the most accomplished with the glove at first base.
“He still needs to work on his lower half, getting his feet in tune with his upper body (defensively),” Helton told The Post last summer after he worked with Toglia at spring training and at DoubleA Hartford. “But other than that, he can really field the baseball. He works hard at it. He can use some work at the plate, but there is really nothing big he needs to work on defensively.”
But Toglia’s offense continues to lag. The first-round draft choice out of UCLA in 2019 is slashing .216/.275/. 378 with two homers in 31 games. Since making his debut on Aug. 30 last season, he’s hit .197 with four homers in 55 games. The most troubling statistic is Toglia’s career strikeout rate of 35.5%.
Helton, a three-time Gold Glove winner and a likely Hall of Fame inductee next summer, struck out just 11.9% in his first 55 career games while hitting .264 with five home runs. In 1998, Helton’s first full season in the majors, he’s slashed .315/.380/.530 with 25 homers, 37 doubles and 97 RBIS.
It was a different era, with a different hitting philosophy, but it does show just how accomplished a hitter Helton was at a young age. And it illustrates how far Toglia has to go.
“I just want to try and get as comfortable as I can,” Toglia said when asked what he’d like to accomplish in the final two months of the season. “I want to get as comfortable as I can with the guys, too. This is a real opportunity to establish myself.”
Toglia said he’s “definitely headed in the right direction” at the plate.
“I feel like I’ve been in control of counts and I’m making a lot of good contact lately,” he said. “Obviously there are going to be ups and downs when you are in the big leagues because these (pitchers) have elite stuff, but I’m adjusting well.”
Montero’s mission is twofold. He must not only show a marked improvement at plate but he remains a project in the field. To that end, he’s been working overtime at first base. On Wednesday, two hours before the Rockies hosted the Padres at Coors Field, Montero was handling hot grounders and making throws for nearly a half-hour.
“I’m excited because I want to play more now,” said Montero, who began the season at third base, but was sent down the Triple-a Albuquerque and returned as a first baseman.
Montero, who turns 25 on Aug. 17, believes he’s made progress.
“I’m practicing hard to be better, on my footwork, my picks (at the base),” he said. “I feel comfortable there.”
Manager Bud Black has seen incremental steps forward.
“He’s made progress, and I think there has been improvement,” Black said. “The groundball play is much cleaner and there are better reads off the bat. The initial first step is better. And his ability to dig the ball out of the dirt is much better. And also the footwork around the bag.”
Still, there is a possibility that Montero’s future role will be as a designated hitter and fill-in first baseman. If that’s the case, he
must become a more consistent hitter, especially against breaking balls, to which he’s been extremely susceptible.
In 94 big-league games, Montero is slashing .222/.257/. 394 with nine homers. Like Toglia, his 35.4% strikeout is too high, and it includes a 39.6% whiff rate this season.
Montero is aware that he’s struggled, especially with sliders down and away.
“I’m working hard on that with the (pitching) machine and in the cage,” he said.