Ezequiel Tovar Gives Rockies Long-Term Stability at Key Position

The Colorado Rockies have a lot of holes to fill in their lineup, but shortstop is not one of them.

Sep 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (14) hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have a lot of holes to fill in their lineup, which means the new general manager is going to have his work cut out for him. With the amount of work this team needs, it is not going to be an easy task rebuilding the Rockies. However, there is one position he will not have to worry about for the foreseeable future.

Ezequiel Tovar is the former No. 1 prospect in Colorado's organization. He made his MLB debut briefly in 2022, but played his first full season in 2023. The Venezuelan shortstop slashed .253/.287/.403 with 15 home runs and 73 RBI. In his sophomore year in the bigs, Tovar slashed .269/.295/.469 with 26 home runs, 78 RBI and a league-leading 45 doubles.

Tovar has been the best player on the team for the past few years, but 2025 had its own challenges.

Tovar's Third Year Was Not As Bad As It Seems

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After playing 153 and 157 games in his first two seasons in the MLB, Tovar suffered some injury setbacks this year. He played in just 95 games and he had some struggles at the plate. The 23-year-old was in the second percentile in squared-up percentage, third percentile in chase percentage, 10th in whiff percentage, 25th in strikeout percentage and 15th in walk percentage. His lack of discipline at the plate is a little bit of a problem, but he has been like that his whole career.

What made 2025 stand out from the rest is his career-high xBA (.270), xSLG (.456) and he was in the 99th percentile in launch angle sweet-spot percentage. When Tovar did make contact, it was usually hard and having an xBA almost 20 points higher than his actual batting average suggests he was a little bit unlucky at the plate.

There is no doubt Tovar needs to be more disciplined at the plate. The right-handed hitter is one of the more dangerous hitters in the lineup for the Rockies, so opposing pitchers will pitch around him often. If he continues to chase out of the zone, he will continue to get himself out. Colorado will look for him to clean up his approach, but the sky is the limit if he does that.

Tovar's Defense is Among The Best in the MLB

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In 2024, Tovar had an excellent year at the plate. However, he was also the best defensive shortstop in the National League. He won his first Gold Glove award after finishing with 15 OAA and a fielding run value of 16. Considering the defensive talent in the National League, it is an impressive award to win.

Tovar finished this season with a .977 fielding percentage and three OAA. The fact that he played just 95 games does factor into this, but it was still a respectable season defensively from the shortstop. Assuming he stays healthy, Tovar is going to have plenty of more seasons battling for the Gold Glove in the National League.

With his offense and defense, the Rockies definitely have a future All-Star on their hands. He has some things to clean up, but he is also just 23 years old. Additionally, Colorado has already locked him up with a seven-year contract extension, giving Tovar an AAV of under $10M. For a shortstop of his caliber, that is going to come out to be a steal. He is on the books until 2031 now and the Rockies will not have to worry about upgrading at one of the more important positions on the field.

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