Michael Toglia entered the season as one of the Colorado Rockies’ top breakout candidates. Toglia was one of the team’s hitters last year. He had a rough start to the season, but after a stint in the minors, he was a reliable power hitter for Colorado.
Despite playing only 116 games, Toglia hit 25 home runs, ranking second on the Rockies. The club appeared to have found their future first baseman. However, Michael Toglia has struggled to start the season on a struggling Rockies offense.
Michael Toglia Slumping to Begin 2025
Toglia is not alone in his struggle. The Rockies’ offense has been one of the league’s worst this season. It got so bad that the Rockies fired hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens on Thursday and replaced him with Clint Hurdle, the former Rockies manager. However, Toglia has been one of the biggest disappointments on this Rockies offense. His momentum from last season has not carried over.
Toglia’s batting line in 72 plate appearances is.176/.208/.265 with 35 strikeouts and only two walks. The Rockies have the most strikeouts in the MLB, with 224. Toglia leads the Rockies in that category with 32, one more than veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon.
No other Rockie has more than seventeen. Toglia has five RBI in his last two games, including a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers, his first of the season. However, Toglia has struck out six times in the last two games, which is the most concerning issue for him.
Power Issues and High Strikeouts Haunt Toglia
Meulens emphasized that the Rockies’ strikeout problem would be mitigated if the team produced more power. That strategy was effective in the second half of last season. The Rockies were consistently hitting home runs, both at home and away. But it becomes a major issue when there are a lot of strikeouts and no home runs.
One of the primary reasons Meulens was let go. In addition to having the most strikeouts, the Rockies rank 28th in MLB with only 15 home runs, a recipe for disaster offensively.
According to Statcast, Toglia has a 48.6% strikeout rate, which ranks him in the bottom one percent of the league. His 2.8% BB rate ranks in the bottom 8% of the league.
Toglia has demonstrated that he will never be a hitter for average. However, as a power hitter, he can contribute to the Rockies’ success. When the power fails, Toglia leaves a void in the lineup. According to Statcast, he squares up baseballs just 18.3% of the time, chases 32.7% of the time, and whiffs 42.8% of the time.
Toglia remains a solid first-base defender for the Rockies. Toglia has a 1.000 fielding percentage in 18 first-inning games this season. However, the Rockies are not concerned about Toglia’s defense.
It appeared last season that they had finally found a long-term solution at first base. The Rockies rely on Toglia to be one of their top power hitters, especially at Coors Field. Their lineup is far too thin to withstand one of their regulars being a non-factor.
Outlook Going Forward
This is similar to Michael Toglia’s early-season slump last year. However, after a stint in the minors, he appeared to have finally found his stride in the majors. This was supposed to be his breakout season for the Rockies offense, not a return to his early-season form from the previous year.
However, Toglia may gain traction as the season progresses, as he did last season. With no first-base prospects in the Rockies’ top 30, Toglia should have plenty of time to work through his struggles.
The Rockies are currently dead last in the National League with a 3-17 record, and we saw last season what Toglia can do if he finds his power. Toglia will also have the opportunity to work with Hurdle on improving his offensive game. Toglia is not the only one who has struggled.
Outside of Brenton Doyle, the Rockies have largely failed to produce runs. However, in another rebuilding season focused on development, the time has come for Toglia to firmly establish himself as the Rockies’ first baseman for the foreseeable future.
