Rockies Opening Day Roster Projection, Starting Lineup and Pitchers Prediction

The Colorado Rockies’ 2026 roster outlook is still fluid in several positions, but it is clear the organization is taking a new approach.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

As the Colorado Rockies continue to make decisions about the new direction of the team, the revamped leadership team has been busy. The reshaping of the roster offers a projected Opening Day lineup featuring several new faces.

The developing team exhibits young bats expected to play prominent roles in the lineup. Colorado continues to be committed to evaluating and shaping its new next competitive core while also holding steady with their veteran on the mound.

Left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland has been named the Opening Day starter after leading the organization with 124 strikeouts and a 4.98 ERA in 2025.

Rockies Projected Opening Day Lineup

SS Ezequiel Tovar
DH Mickey Moniak
C Hunter Goodman
RF Jordan Beck
1B Troy Johnston
CF Brenton Doyle
3B Willi Castro
LF Jake McCarthy
2B Edouard Julien

This lineup emphasizes defensive range up the middle which the Rockies need to improve. This will also allow Colorado multiple opportunities to evaluate its new young power bats throughout the order.

Tovar and Moniak Set the Offensive Tone

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Tovar remains as the steady presence at the top of the lineup. He continued to show growth as a contact hitter in 2025. The shortstop slashed .253/.294/.400 with a .694 OPS, hit 15 home runs and 73 RBIs. Certainly, these are not head-turning stats, but he still produced above-average defense.

Behind him, Mickey Moniak’s placement at designated hitter is a hope to maximize his offensive upside. In 2025, he slashed .270/.306/.518 with an OPS of .824, hitting 24 home runs and striking out 110 times in 434 at-bats.

These stats give Colorado hope that his left-handed power could play well at Coors Field if he can find consistency.

Middle of the Order Built on Emerging Power

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

After a season of more than 100 losses, emerging power coupled with defense is what the Rockies will need in the 2026 campaign.

Colorado’s run-production will largely hinge on the development of Goodman, Beck and Johnston.

Goodman proved himself last year as one of the steady forces of the team. His power potential has been intriguing. In 144 games of the 2025 campaign, Goodman slashed .278/.323/.520 with a .843 OPS. He hit 31 home runs and 91 RBIs with 540 plate appearances.

He hit a major milestone in his young career by winning the National League Silver Slugger Award. This was also an incredible achievement for the Rockies as he is the first catcher in franchise history to win the award. The awards kept coming in for the standout player as he was named an All-Star and also won the Rockies Heart and Hustle Award.

Beck established himself last season at left field. He starting 133 games there and improved significantly over his 2024 numbers. In 2024 he slashed .188/.245/.276 with .521 OPS. In 2025 those numbers got much better when he posted .258/.317/.416 with .732 OPS. In 539 at-bats, Beck hit 16 home runs and struck out 174 times.

Doyle offers the team elite center-field defense, which gives him high everyday value for the team.

Rotation Blends Stability and Upside

Colorado Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

It is no secret to anyone that Colorado struggles with pitching, and it can’t all be blamed on Coors Field, although they do deserve a little grace.

The Rockies have made several moves here that should upgrade their pitching if the players can adapt to the elevation.

The projected rotation for 2026:

• LHP Kyle Freeland
• RHP Michael Lorenzen
• LHP Jose Quintana
• RHP Chase Dollander
• RHP Tomoyuki Sugano

Lorenzen, Quintana and Sugano are all new faces that will be taking the mound for the Rockies. Both the organization and fans alike are hoping for significant improvements at the pitching position.

Dollander will be one of the most intriguing names as the organization’s top pitching prospect. He only took the mound 21 times in 2025, so placing him in the starting rotation will be risky. He was impressive in his Triple-A starts in 2025 giving the organization hope that he can be a star at the Major League level.

What All This Means for Colorado

The projected roster for the Rockies reveals a harsh reality: this team is still very much in evaluation mode and in the midst of a restructuring. The lineup will lean heavily on emerging players who must prove production, while the rotation mixes several new faces with veterans.

With so much to rebuild and evaluate, the roster's fluidity will remain for some time.