For the last 13 years, the Colorado Rockies have played a comical game of musical chairs at first base. Since Hall of Famer Todd Helton retired in 2013, 38 players made a start at first base. Much like the quarterback carousel for the Denver Broncos, the team has struggled to find a permanent or even long-term solution at the cold corner.
2025 proved no different.
Michael Toglia entered last season as the de facto starter at first after a breakout 2024 campaign. However, his severe regression led to him losing his starting position and being sent to Triple-A in the middle of the season, and he was eventually non-tendered in the offseason. Warming Bernabel had replaced him during the season, but his hot start went ice cold, and he was also released during the offseason.
Plenty of speculation revolved around what the Rockies would do at first base, and new President of Baseball Operations, Paul DePodesta, even signaled that they were talking to free agents. However, as spring training began, the Rockies left first base fairly unsettled, creating one of the more notable battles in spring training, and throwing off the normal format for this entry in our State of the Position series.
The experienced contenders
This category of players in camp includes those who have already stepped on a major league field.
After the releases of Toglia and Bernabel, the incumbent spot entering the offseason fell to Blaine Crim, who was claimed on waivers by the Rockies near the end of the 2025 season. The 28-year-old impressed in his brief 15 games to close out the season, slashing .241/.295/.556 with five home runs and 12 RBI in 61 plate appearances. However, strikeouts proved troublesome in the small sample size, as he recorded 22 strikeouts against just five walks. Still, manager Warren Schaeffer liked what he saw, and Crim appeared to have a simple path to filling in at first base as a stopgap until someone else was ready. However, an oblique strain early in spring training has sidelined him for a few weeks now, and it’s looking increasingly likely that he may lose his spot. He recently resumed taking batting practice and will have to hit the gas if he can make it into games before camp breaks.
Before the Rockies even had a new head of the front office, the team claimed Troy Johntson off of waivers once the offseason officially started, a move we can only say was made by “The Council.” Much like Crim, Johnston is also 28 and just made his debut last season after a successful minor league career. He got a little more run with the Miami Marlins, slashing .277/.331/.420 with four home runs and 13 RBI over 44 games. In 121 plate appearances, he drew just eight walks, but also struck out 26 times. Thus far in spring training with the Rockies, the left-handed-hitting Johnston is slashing .325/.404/.425 with two doubles and a triple while drawing five walks against six strikeouts in 47 plate appearances. While more attention is being directed toward a pair of prospects in camp, Johnston has quietly gone about his business and presents an intriguing option for the Rockies, especially since he can also play both corner outfield positions.
Finally, the Rockies acquired left-handed-hitting Edouard Julien in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. While second base has always been his main position, Julien picked up first base out of necessity for the Twins and himself. Since his stellar rookie season in 2023, Julien has struggled to find an offensive rhythm at the big league level and now finds himself out of minor league options and hoping for a fresh start in Colorado. He hasn’t done much with the bat thus far in five games with the Rockies, batting .133/.235/.133 with five strikeouts and two walks in 16 plate appearances. He also went 3-for-19 in five games with Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but did draw four walks against eight strikeouts. He was viewed as the starting first baseman when he was acquired, but as camp has unfolded, it’s unclear what his role on this team could actually be.
The talk of Rockies camp in spring training has revolved around the performances of two young prospects looking to break through in 2026.
One of the more surprising moves was when the Rockies traded reliever Angel Chivilli to the New York Yankees for first baseman T.J. Rumfield. Blocked by Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt in New York, Rumfield has put together a compelling case to be the Rockies’ starting first baseman come Opening Day. Displaying elite contact, plate discipline, glove work, and a knack for power, Rumfield has checked plenty of boxes in spring training. In 16 games, he is slashing .333/.432/.667 with four home runs and 10 RBI. Additionally, in 44 plate appearances, he has five walks while striking out just one time. Yes, Rumfield has struck out fewer times in 16 games than Luis Arráez has in five games in the WBC (2). With nothing much left to prove in the minors, Rumfield has not given the Rockies much of a reason to deny him a spot.
Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) has also impressed in his first big league camp with the Rockies. The third overall pick of the 2024 draft has had a difficult start to his professional career after injuries hampered him. However, once he returned in 2025, Condon slowly began to find his rhythm at the plate that continued into a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League. In 18 games of Cactus League action, Condon is batting .371/.439/.714 with three home runs and nine RBI while also striking out eight times to four walks. It was said he would have every opportunity to win a job, and while it may be in his best interest to get more seasoning in Triple-A, Condon has risen to the challenge. He has also embraced the directive to develop defensively at first base while also honing his skills in the outfield. There is no doubt he will make his debut in 2026 if everything goes according to plan, it’s just a matter of when.
The Rockies were interested in bringing in an experienced bat to play first base and that may still be the case in some format. Particularly, a right-handed hitting veteran could be used to complement and mentor someone like T.J. Rumfield in a part-time role. A move of some kind can’t be ruled out before the end of spring training. Additionally, the idea of Tyler Freeman picking up a first base glove has been floated around to expand his versatility. Should that happen, it would be akin to Orlando Arcia starting at first base last season — it’s weird, but it would be fine if needed.
First base continues to be one of the thinner positions in the organization.
Zach Kokoska projects to start the year in Triple-A after spending the last two years in Double-A Hartford. The left-handed-hitting product from Kansas State University has a knack for the long ball since being drafted in 2021, but has struggled with strikeouts in 181 games in Hartford while slashing .204/.297/.428. Perhaps the accession to Albuquerque will help him elevate the average and take advantage of his home run capabilities.
Aidan Longwell remains one of the more legit first base prospects in teh organization. He turned in a strong campaign with High-A Spokane in 2025, belting 15 home runs and driving in 80 runs while slashing .274/.345/.465 in 121 games. Longwell is an overlooked prospect who has been consistently good since being drafted in 2023. He’s likely to start the year in Double-A.
Beyond that, the lower levels of the minors don’t have many dedicated options at first base, despite a number of players being able to fill the position. However, perhaps the most intriguing player to keep an eye on is Tanner Thach, whom the Rockies drafted in the eighth round last summer. He briefly made his professional debut in an 18-game stint with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies, where he slashed .279/.375/.397 with two home runs and 15 RBI. After a quality collegiate career at UNC Wilmington, Thach will now get a chance to show what he can do in his first full season.
The Rockies hoped to raise the floor of competition at several positions in spring training, and that’s what has happened at first base. It seemed like a foregone conclusion early that Crim and Johnston would hold the fort until Condon was ready, but the addition of Rumfield has made it an even more compelling race.
Despite the uncertainty of the position, first base has an air of excitement around it because of the options in camp. The Rockies wouldn’t necessarily be faulted for picking any of the currently healthy options to make the Opening Day roster, and that’s a good problem to have. They also need someone to solidify the position, kind of like C.J. Cron did from 2021 to 2023, until the permanent answer presents itself.
Otherwise, we’ll be repeating this conversation next year.
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