The Rockies Insider with Patrick Lyons

They came for Shohei Ohtani, but stayed for Tanner Gordon. The 27-year-old rookie outdueled the three-time MVP and no. 1 player in all of MLB on Wednesday. How did the Rockies add injury to insult for the Dodgers’ ace? And how did Gordon feel about his accomplishment? If you didn’t want to pay $44K for Ohtani’s 300th home run ball, would you have paid to own a baseball he threw during his start at...

The Savannah Bananas continue to take over the world one city at a time. In Denver at Coors Field, they welcomed back a pair of Colorado Rockies legends in Ubaldo Jiménez and Vinny Castilla. In this exclusive audio, Castilla discusses his experience playing in front of 50,000 fans once again. Did he struggle to go to sleep that night? Brenton Doyle can be described as a five-tool player that is gi...

2021 All-Star Game aside, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers have never pitched or started a game at Coors Field in Denver. Only three times has he struck out eight or more AND homered in the same contest. With how well he’s been pitching, will Wednesday night be no. 4 for the Team Japan superstar? Warming Bernabel’s walk-off hit against the Dodgers on Monday has further catapulted him into...

Germán Márquez is set to make his first of two rehab starts in Albuquerque today before returning to the Rockies. Will he also return to the club this offseason once he reaches free agency? Could another free agent with ties to Denver - Jon Gray - also be a strong contender to rejoin Colorado’s rotation? Since Kyle Karros is the third baseman for the final 20% of the season, does that mean he'...

You will never see a wilder final out to a ballgame than the catch made by the Colorado Rockies Juan Mejia for the final out of his first big league save. What did he say about the play? And where is that very special baseball headed? Antonio Senzatela’s first start off the injured list was outstanding. Then the bullpen coughed up his lead, only to erase the three-run deficit late in the same fash...

Isaac Collins was drafted by Colorado in 2019 out of Creighton University in the ninth round. After performing well in two full seasons in the minors with Low-A Fresno, High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford, he was left unprotected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Enter the Milwaukee Brewers. How badly would the Rockies like for a do over on this? And where would he play on this roste...

The 4th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft made his professional affiliated debut on the same day he was ranked the 17th best prospect in all of the minor leagues. Ethan Holliday, no. 1 on the Rockies top 30 list, has a bright future ahead of him. Is it more likely he becomes a consistent 30-homer bat or a shortstop that transitions to third base? Colorado's ranking amongst the 30 clubs was no...

Colorado managed to snap another 8-game losing streak and win another series in less than 24 hours time thanks in large part to clutch performances from Hunter Goodman. How close is he towards breaking the Rockies franchise record for most home runs by a primary catcher? And where does he rank in MLB in terms of slugging since June 1? Kyle Freeland - healthy for the first time in a few weeks - per...

Chase Dollander made one of the best starts of his young career on Monday in his first outing with the Rockies since July 6. What was the best statistic from his one-run outing? Which franchise record did the 23-year-old rookie help Colorado avoid? Sean Sullivan is another member of the 2023 draft class doing big things as a starting pitcher. The Double-A Eastern League Pitcher of the Week continu...

Kyle Karros may not have had the same blistering start to his career as Warming Bernabel, but the no. 8 prospect in the Rockies system has a projectability to actually compete with a young Trevor Story for upside. How can his background help him in the Majors? And how many similarities exist between him and Nolan Arenado? There’s news on Kris Bryant, sort of. Though it’s of the no-news variety, it...

That great start to the second half for the Colorado Rockies… It’s all but a distant memory after they get swept at Chase Field by the Arizona Diamondbacks. How ugly did it get on Sunday? And are the Rockies back on a pace to break the 2024 Chicago White Sox record for most losses in a season? Meanwhile in Denver, the Savannah Bananas played two sold out games at Coors Field. What were the celebri...

The first female umpire in Major League Baseball history is here: Jen Pawol! Inside the first weekend of Pawol, from her assignment to her journey to immortality. Why is it so hard to become a big league ump these days? Yours truly was blessed to attend a lot of incredible baseball games as a kid thanks to a father who made a lot of sacrifices. Last weekend, Patrick gets an opportunity to repay hi...

Colorado set all the wrong pitching records during the three-game set with Toronto. A new series in a new city - one not at Coors Field - should make all the difference, right? Four big reasons why the Rockies pitching struggles could continue. Adael Amador is back in the Majors following another injury to Thairo Estrada. Can the 22-year-old second baseman build off his recent momentum? And what o...

Bo Bichette's two-homer night got Patrick's wheels turning... How many father-son duos have ever homered at Coors Field? Could Dante & Bo, considering the impending free agent signs with Colorado this offseason, become the first Rockies father-son combo to post multi-homer games? Or is it more like Ethan joins Matt Holliday first? The news on Seth Halvorsen is a mixed bag. How long wit...

Five new prospects helped shake up the Colorado Rockies midseason prospect rankings by MLB Pipeline. How did GM Bill Schmidt to when compared with other clubs that sold at the trade deadline? Should Colorado have done more? Kyle Karros has moved quickly up everyone's top 30 rankings. Even after being named the Northwest League MVP in 2024, he remained outside the top 10. Where can you find the...

The incredible story of Dugan Darnell is one that needs to be told over and over again. Going from a small Division 3 school in Michigan to independent baseball to undrafted minor league free agent, Darnell defied the odds to make it to the Majors. What kind of improbable start did he have to his big league career? Inquiring minds want to know: will the Rockies be active in free agency this offsea...

Warming Bernabel has been incredible since his debut last week. The statistics for the 23-year-old are reminiscent of the torrid star Trevor Story had as a 23-year-old in 2016. How historic has he been through his first eight games? Colorado wins their third consecutive series at home and elevate their record to 8-7 since the All-Star break. Even at 81 losses with eight weeks remaining, can they r...

Ryan McMahon highlighted the 2025 trade deadline for the Colorado Rockies. As a member of the organization for over a decade, where does he stack up to other notable players in team history? There have been a lot of notable moves in July made by Colorado over the years. Some you may recall, others you definitely do not. What two players were dealt as minor leaguers by the Rockies only to have a no...

Jake Bird was the latest member of the Colorado Rockies to fly the coup. The 29-year-old reliever will join Ryan McMahon on the New York Yankees as the Rox acquire a pair of prospects from the Yanks system. Did GM Bill Schmidt get enough for one of his best bullpen pieces? Several teams bordering .500 have decided to pack it up and plan for 2026. Who’s gone all-in and who decided to live to fight...

Tyler Kinley has been with the Colorado Rockies since December 2019. The longest tenured reliever on the roster was a leader to a lot of rookies in the clubhouse and in the bullpen. How much did Tommy John surgery derail his big league success? And how good is the prospect Colorado received from Atlanta? The New York Yankees acquired a 32-year-old platoon bat that crushes left-handed pitching. Do...

We’re getting down to the final 24 hours of the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline and the rumors are heating up. Teams have been contacting Colorado about the likes of Brenton Doyle and Hunter Goodman. Would the Rockies dare deal their 2025 All-Star? Could it actually work in Colorado’s favor to make such a trade? A quintet of relievers have been the desire of clubs looking to bolster their bullpen. Who has...

Does Warming Bernabel’s rise mean Michael Toglia’s demise for Colorado? Which teams have the best prospects for trading? Warming Bernabel was a forgotten man after a rough 2023 season at Double-A Hartford. He’s one of several homegrown prospects in the upper levels of the minors who will be given a chance to debut during the second half. Why do those players have an edge over older, better perform...

Ryan McMahon went from the last place Colorado Rockies to the contending New York Yankees. Minus Aaron Judge, who will miss some time with a UCL injury, RyMac pulled through over the weekend at Yankee Stadium doing the thing he’s done in Denver many times over. Has he been better at the plate or with the glove?  The Class of 2025 for the Baseball Hall of Fame received five new members on Sunday, J...

The New York Yankees have upgraded at third base by acquiring 3B Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. Did the Rox kick in any money like in the Nolan Arenado trade? What prospects did the Bronx Bombers give up and where do they rank on the Rockies top 30 list? McMahon goes from one of the worst teams ever assembled to the most successful baseball team in the history of the sport. How will he ha...

Of the four largest signing bonuses handed out in MLB Draft history, two are current members of the Colorado Rockies minor league ranks. How much did Ethan Holliday make over the projected number? And will this ensure Charlie Condon and Holliday become superstars for Colorado? The first major deal of the trade deadline went down between the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Do the Rockies...