When Paul Skenes won the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Award he received a special bonus, while the Pittsburgh Pirates did not. One year earlier, Corbin Carroll earned the Arizona Diamondbacks a supplemental first-round pick and Gunnar Henderson did the same for the Baltimore Orioles. How can the Colorado Rockies cash in?

Injury updates on Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones, Thairo Estrada and Nick Martini, plus details on who has the inside track on the (at least) eight bullpen spots.

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The Athletic's Hope-O-Meter may not be a regulated measuring device for fan bases of Major League Baseball's 30 teams, but it's the best system we've had since 2022.

After consecutive 100-loss seasons, is it possible Colorado Rockies fans are more optimistic than the last three years combined? Which fan bases have gripes that sound a lot like those in Denver? And how can the Rockies exceed expectations in 2025?

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Kyle Freeland will be on the mound March 28 as the Opening Day starter for the Colorado Rockies. Across the diamond from him will be the Tampa Bay Rays' Shane McClanahan, close friend of Chase Dollander. How can 24 hours of Spring Training 2025 do wonders for telling us whether or not Dollander makes the roster? And could Bradley Blalock skip Dollander in line for the fifth and final place in the rotation?

Plus, the Tokyo Series is off to a roaring start with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga making history during the Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Chicago Cubs. What’s the history of Major League Baseball starting the regular season in Japan? Will MLB make its way to Paris, France next season?

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There looks to be about 19 rosters spots locked up for the Colorado Rockies' Opening Day roster. Who's guaranteed to be lining up on the third base line in Tampa on March 28? And what spots are players still fighting?

There's a growing reality that Colorado could go with four starters to start the season. Should they change course, both Chase Dollander and Bradley Blalock will battle for the no. 5 spot in the rotation as Austin Gomber may not be ready. What's the health status of Gomber and Thairo Estrada, who exited early on Saturday?

Plus, details on the Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

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Spring Breakout 2025 was a resounding success for the prospects of the Colorado Rockies during a 3-1 win over the best minor leaguers for the Chicago White Sox. Gabriel Hughes started and looked ready for a big season. Adael Amador provided the offense and Brody Brecht made his (somewhat) offical pro debut. Who else shined bright?

Bud Black named his Opening Day starter and broke a tie between Kyle Freeland and Germán Márquez for the most Opening Day starts in franchise history. Which one is the new record holder?

Plus, more players sent to Triple-A or to the minor league camp and a beloved former Rockie injures his pitching wrist during a game against his old club.

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One of the best new baseball novels for 2025 is Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper. This conversation with Will was hosted by Patrick Lyons was recorded for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SABR.

In 2021, Major League Baseball (MLB) made the decision to stop affiliating with 43 different Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams and, with that, 43 different cities and towns across the United States.

Will Bardenwerper is an American writer specializing in narrative nonfiction. His first book, "The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid," explored his time serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army.

His second novel, "Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America," was released on March 11 and examines how MLB is shifting away from the what made the National Pastime such a tangible experience. From the loss of the Appalachian League to the Pioneer League, historic ballparks and impassioned fans around the country were cast aside. Homestand weaves the story of the Batavia Muckdogs 2023 season into a look at how the business of baseball has evolved rapidly in recent years.

For more about how you can join the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), please visit: https://sabr.org/

⚾https://rmsabr.org/⚾

📖https://www.willbardenwerper.com/📖

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Chase Dollander was outstanding in his fourth start of Spring Training with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. The 23-year-old twirling four scoreless inning allowing only four baserunners, none of whom reached second base. Is that enough to put him back into the Opening Day conversation? Or was the die already cast after a 12.15 ERA over his first three starts?

Zac Veen continues to make noise. First with a bases-clearing triple on Wednesday and his Cactus League lead-tying fifth stolen base on Thursday. Is he still on the outside looking in? Does he and Nick Martini have a better chance of taking the places of Sam Hilliard and Sean Bouchard?

Charlie Condon exited a game on Tuesday after making a diving catch in the outfield of a minor league game. Serious wrist injury or not?

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Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the mound in 2025 for the Los Angeles Dodgers after having elbow surgery to repair his UCL in September 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels. What's his current timeline? Could we see him in the Tokyo Series next week?

And what did CU Buffaloes WR/CB Travis Hunter say about Ohtani? Could his head coach Deion Sanders gotten away with such a comment?

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Colorado has been fortunate so far through the first month of Spring Training. Besides the loss of Jeff Criswell to Tommy John surgery, they've had better luck than the Yankees (Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil), Orioles (Grayson Rodriguez and Andrew Kittredge) and Mets (Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas). Will they be able to count on the same five starters throughout the entire 162-game schedule?

Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) and Noah Spirek (@NoahSpirek) discuss the potential for a four-man rotation to open the season before breaking down the latest Rockies transactions at Salt River Fields. Plus, update on the camp battles, the health status of Austin Gomber and Kyle Freeland while determining if Tyler Kinley can get back to dominance in the bullpen.

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Long-time Colorado Rockies fans, Twitch streamer and baseball content creator Trumanation (aka T.J. Solverud) discusses his exciting trip to Arizona last month visiting all 10 ballparks in the Cactus League. Which is his favorite Spring Training facility?

Plus, the excitement around Chase Dollander, MLB The Show 25 and the latest on the Rockies rotation.

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