Ranking the 5 Greatest First-Round Picks in Rockies History

Who are the Colorado Rockies' best first-round draft picks by bWAR?

Jun 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Colorado Rockies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have, unfortunately, become known for their blowout seasons. Further tarnishing their grim reputation was their 2025 campaign, which ended with an overall record of 43-119. However, the Rockies have had plenty of true talent walk onto Coors Field over the years, some of whom have stamped their names in franchise history.

Here, we have ranked the Top 5 draft picks in Rockies history by bWAR, as of the 2025 season on Baseball-Reference.com, highlighting some of Colorado's most prominent players.

5. Tyler Anderson (2011, 16.8 bWAR)

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Tyler Anderson has spent time around the map, playing for various teams across the country, but his journey in the Major Leagues began in Colorado. In 2011, he was drafted by the Rockies as the overall No. 20 pick in the first round, making his debut a few years later in June of 2016.

In his four years in Colorado, he owned a 4.69 ERA in 397.0 innings pitched across 73 games, striking out 367 hitters along the way.

His time in Colorado was limited, and he was eventually picked up by the San Francisco Giants in 2019, soon followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and now, the Los Angeles Angels.

4. Kyle Freeland (2014, 19.2 bWAR)

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Left-hander Kyle Freeland has been with the Rockies for quite some time now. He was the overall pick No. 8 in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft and made his debut in April of 2017. As a Colorado native, playing for the Rockies is fitting, and his baseball prowess has certainly made his community proud.

Freeland is still in Colorado and just wrapped up his 2025 campaign with a 4.98 ERA in 162.2 innings pitched across 31 games. This past season, he was named a nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for a fourth consecutive year. He leads all Rockies' pitchers in bWAR, even edging out Ubaldo Jiménez (18.9) and Aaron Cook (17.1).

3. Trevor Story (2011, 34.9 bWAR)

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In April of 2016, shortstop Trevor Story made his MLB debut with Colorado. Although he eventually went to the Boston Red Sox, Story made quite an impact on the Rockies. Over the years, he has smacked shocking home runs and made incredible defensive plays. He now has several years in the Major Leagues under his belt, but he's not done just yet.

During his time in Colorado, he slashed .272/.340/.523 and finished just shy of 160 homers. Throughout that stretch, he was a recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award, Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Month, and multiple Player of the Week acknowledgements.

2. Troy Tulowitzki (2005, 44.8 bWAR)

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Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was one of the Rockies' 2005 draft picks, and for several years, he remained with the franchise and grew to become a well-respected infielder. As a No. 7 overall pick, hopes were held high for the rising star.

One of his most productive seasons was in 2010 when he slashed .315/.381/.568 with 32 doubles, three triples, 27 home runs and 95 RBIs across 122 games. 2010 could be considered the peak of his MLB career, but much of his time with the Rockies was incredibly successful. While with the franchise, he earned two Gold Gloves (2010, 2011), two Silver Sluggers (2010, 2011), among several other notable awards.

In July of 2015, Tulowitzki ended his time in Colorado and joined forces with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he remained until the 2019 season. That year, he went to New York to play with the Yankees for five games before announcing his retirement.

1. Todd Helton (1995, 61.8 bWAR)

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Southpaw Todd Helton is considered to be one of the best Rockies players in franchise history, in terms of hitting. In fact, he holds the most home runs (369) of any Colorado player, far ahead of outfielder Larry Walker, who came in at No. 2 (258).

Helton was drafted No. 8 overall in 1995 by the Rockies, with whom he spent his entire career until his retirement in 2013. In his MLB career, he slashed .316/.414/.539 and recorded 592 doubles, 37 triples, 369 home runs and 1,406 RBIs across a total of 2,247 games.

Throughout his time in the Major Leagues, he has rightfully earned numerous awards, including NL Player of the Week (x6), NL Player of the Month (x4), NL All-Star (x5), NL Hank Aaron (x1), NL Silver Slugger (x4) and MLB Players' Choice NL Outstanding Player (x1).

As a result of his remarkable career, Helton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July of 2024, marking the second Colorado star to be inducted.

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