Rockies Fest 2026 Brings Optimism to Fans About Club’s Future

DENVER, Colo. – The freezing temperatures could not keep away 5,000 rabid fans of the Colorado Rockies from showing up to Coors Field on Saturday for Rockies Fest 2026.

The annual gathering was met with more excitement than prior editions due to the overhaul to the club’s front office and coaching staff following a 119-loss season in 2025.

Gates opened at 8:30 A.M. local time and fans were treated to autograph and Q&A sessions with players and countless activities for kids. The positive emotions and good vibes grew to a swell when executive vice president Walker Monfort announced a major change for Coors Field in 2026.

“It came down to who deserves a statue here at Coors Field. And I think it’s pretty hard to argue that Larry Walker and Todd Helton don’t based on their accomplishments and what they mean to the Colorado Rockies, our brand and our fan base,” Monfort said to an uproarious applause.

With Larry Walker by his side, those in attendance and many more throughout the Rocky Mountain region were warmed by the long-overdue decision to honor the team’s history. Walker will be first to have his statue unveiled on August 23 before Helton receives the honor on September 19.

“Whether it be the Cardinals or the Yankees, or you visit their stadiums, they really do a great job of showing their history, and they’ve honored Hall of Fame players in the same way that we intend to, and hopefully [it’s] just the first of many over the long term here at Coors Field,” Monfort said.

While big leaguers such as Ryan Feltner, Chase Dollander, Brenton Doyle and Mickey Moniak participated in panels — not to mention Rockies alumni like Vinny Castilla, Aaron Cook and Clint Barmes — minor-league prospects such as Charlie Condon and Ethan Holliday did the same in between rounds of Family Feud.

As fans departed the ballpark with swag that included everything from oversized Coors Field garbage cans to $5 fitted caps, a trio of Rockies talked with Denver media about everything from the past, present and future of the 1993 expansion franchise.

Goodman Aims To Be Better

Hunter Goodman was the star of Rockies Fest, as his National League Silver Slugger Award, the first by a Colorado catcher, was on display throughout the event. The best and most consistent player from last season is looking for an encore in 2026.

“It was awesome to see. You look at it and it also has the names of all the other positions that won the award. There’s some names of guys that have been doing it for 8-10 years,” Goodman said.

“Going forward, I’m still building off what I did last year and trying to improve on some things I need to improve on. I know it was a good season, but there’s a lot of things that I have to work on that need to get better in order to continue doing things like that.”

Despite his success, Colorado racked up a franchise-record 119 losses, their third consecutive campaign losing 100 or more games. Goodman was frank when talking about his reflections on the disappointments of 2025.

“Personally, I don’t want to forget about it,” Goodman said. “I think that it kind of lights a fire under you. It’s a tough year. Nobody wants to lose that much. Nobody wants that to happen. I think the guys who are here like, you have to look at that and be like, ‘You can’t let that happen again.’”

Local Kid’s Legacy

The longest tenured member of the Rockies offered a lot when sharing his thoughts. The 2014 first-round selection is on the eve of his 10th season in purple pinstripes. Only Antonio Senzatela, also at 10 seasons, has more than four years of service time with the organization. 

Kyle Freeland’s legacy, however, cannot be written quite yet.

“It’s something that I have thought about over the past few seasons,” Freeland said. “As you know, my contract is coming towards an end here, and I’ve spent 10 seasons now with the Colorado Rockies in the big leagues. 

“How do I want to leave a legacy here whenever I am done — whenever that may be — but it is important for me to mold these young guys because I want to see this organization win no matter what’s going on. And these young guys are going to be a big, big part of it. I’m hoping to be a big part of it as well and making myself a part of it right now to help these young guys out.”

Freeland is set to make $16 million this season before he and the club need to determine if he’ll return in 2027 on a mutual option worth $17 million. If either party rebuffs the other, the Denver native may find himself playing for another franchise for the first time in his career.

If his performance has anything to do with the Rockies’ end of that mutual option, Freeland feels confident the changes he made at the end of 2025 will make a lasting mark on his 2026.

“This offseason, something that I worked on kind of goes back to last season. Towards the end, we made a little mechanical adjustment with my mechanics and my delivery, and [it] kind of showed immediate success from doing it, and it was able to free up my arsenal when I was pitching.”

Over the course of his final 10 starts, the 32-year-old posted a 3.86 ERA, including an eight-inning performance against the San Diego Padres that nearly led to his first complete game shutout. 

An overhauled staff of pitching coaches has provided hope throughout the entire organization that these kinds of adjustments could be made more frequently and effectively when needed. A group of innovative thinkers are attempting to deal with the effects of altitude and Coors Field differently than staff in years past. 

Alon Leichman will serve as manager Warren Schaeffer’s pitching coach. Gabe Rivas, assistant pitching, Matt Buschmann, bullpen coach, and new director of pitching Matt Daniels are bringing fresh perspectives and a track record of success from other organizations with them to Denver.

“It’s [been] constant communication. It’s conversations about ideas, questions. ‘Why are we doing this? What can we possibly be doing?’ And, yeah, there’s some funky, wacky ideas that have been thrown around in these conversations from the pitching side.

“But you know what, it’s also extremely refreshing to hear those kinds of ideas and those thought processes because it creates excitement inside the clubhouse to go out and try those and see if they work. If they fail, so what. You can move on to the next thing that you want to try out and try to find success that way.”

The Newest Mac

One of the newest additions to the club by president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes is Jake McCarthy. A 28-year-old outfielder who has flashed his 99th-percentile speed the previous four years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, McCarthy is excited to be with a Rockies club on the rise.

“I think this team especially, too, is a very athletic team. I know some guys can bop in the lineup too. So I’m just excited to be a part of it,” McCarthy said. “Whatever that role looks like, I just want to make an impact offensively, defensively, on the base path — just sort of put my game on display.”

McCarthy, a defender capable of patrolling left, center and right, is one of nine outfielders currently on the 40-man roster.

Of the five Rockies with more than 100 games played last season, four are considered outfielders. One of those outfielder, Tyler Freeman, was previously featured more in the infield at second and third base while with the Cleveland Guardians.

The addition of McCarthy could signal Freeman will be ticketed for more appearances this season at second base than the outfield or that a trade may be on its way sooner or later for the likes of Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck or Mickey Moniak.

Regardless of who gets a bulk of the playing time, it’s been the most experienced, talented and athletic depth the Rockies have had in the outfield in some time. 

The 2026 season will not only present an opportunity for any of these outfielders to establish themself even further, but for the rest of Colorado’s roster as it begins one of the largest rebuilds in franchise history.