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One Clear Reason Makes Rockies Choice at First Base Easy Decision

The Colorado Rockies have had a pair of prospects battling for the first base spot, but it isn't as open as it looks.
Maddy Dickens|
Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer (34) looks on before the game against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field.
Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer (34) looks on before the game against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

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Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are doing the best they can to not be the laughing stock of baseball for two consecutive seasons, and honestly, they are giving their fans some hope.

The Rockies are right at .500 throughout Spring training, and have a couple of prospects who are leading the charge in what is appearing to be quite the battle as their first baseman.

While it has been the consensus that it will come down to either their homegrown Charlie Condon or their newest acquisition (via trade from the New York Yankees), T.J. Rumfield. The two have both hit over .300 this Spring and are both posting an OPS over 1.000. But there is one who makes much more sense than the other — Rumfield.

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Many loyal to Colorado would love to see Condon step onto the field after the success he has had the last few weeks. But Condon has yet to spend any time in Triple-A, while Rumfield not only spent all of 2025 but also an additional 114 games in 2024.

Rumfield might not have been the face that the Rockies had originally planned on to step into first this upcoming season, but it is hard to ignore what he has done already at the Triple-A level and what he is still doing since joining the organization.

Get to Know T.J. Rumfield

Rumfield smiles for a pictur
Feb 17, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees T.J. Rumfield poses for a photo during media day at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | New York Yankees Photos via Imagn Images

Rumfield is coming out of the Yankees' pipeline, where he has sat growing as a player for almost the last five years. He hasn't received the nod to the roster yet, simply because of how strong their roster is, but his last two years in Triple-A have not been wasted.

In 2025, he hit an impressive .285 while slugging a near .450. He was able to play in 138 games for the Yankees, and in that time, he batted in 87 runners, which pairs quite nicely with the 16 homers, but in training, he has been even better.

The Rockies have used him in 17 of their games thus far, so most of them. Throughout those, he is slashing .316/.413/.632 and hit four long balls, 10 RBI, and drawn five walks. He has been nothing short of exceptional.

Condon's inevitable debut is inching closer and closer. After not spending the entirety of 2025 in Double-A, he just doesn't have the experience, and should take some reps at the plate in Triple-A before stepping into the big leagues for the first time.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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