Were the cloudy skies, the frigid temperatures and the distracted fan base an omen for what lies ahead for the Colorado Rockies in 2026?
Long ago, the Rockies picked the fourth weekend of January to hold their annual “Rockies Fest” in downtown Denver. It’s sort of a condensed version of the old state-wide promotional tour, where players, coaches and executives are made available for appearances and interviews, and everyone gets to celebrate the hope that comes with the approaching start of spring training in less than a month.
They even hold a garage sale.
Little did Rockies know at the time that the Denver Broncos would be hosting the AFC Championship game on Sunday, just a few blocks away. Oh well. Smart fans can take in both events, right?
As for the gloomy skies and sub-zero temps? Maybe that was part of the cooling off of any expectations for the coming season?
The Rockies brought in an almost entirely new front office during this offseason, led by former Oakland and Dodgers General Manager Paul DePodesta, who was named the team’s head of Baseball Operations in November. Along with new GM Josh Brynes, they’ve remade the rest of front office as well as the team’s coaching staff. 40-year-old Warren Schaffer was named Manager for 2026 after serving as the interim skipper for the majority of last season.
The major changes in the franchise haven’t included many moves that involved players on the big league roster. There have been low-key additions like pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Brennan Bernardino, outfielder Jake McCarthy and most recently, utility man Willi Castro, Otherwise, not much has changed on a team that lost 119 games a season ago.
What has changed is the willingness to embrace and even use the term “rebuilding.” That’s been a no-no in and around Coors Field in the past. The collective thought was that acknowledging that a “rebuild” was in progress would significantly impact attendance and diminish the alure of buying Rockies tickets. They had some history on their side to fall back on. The last time the Rockies openly talked about a rebuild was early in the 2000’s, and attendance dipped significantly – to the lowest numbers in team history.
Still, it is what it is, and there’s no hiding it anymore.
Without a winning team to draw fans, the Rockies have focused on the overall experience of attending games at Coors Field. While it’s now the third oldest ballpark in the National League, it remains one of the most scenic venues in Major League Baseball, and combined with typically beautiful summer evenings in Colorado, is still a draw, despite the accumulation of losses by the home team.
In addition, the Rockies will take their fans back to the club’s better days later this summer when they unveil two new displays outside the ballpark. Hall of Famer’s Larry Walker and Todd Helton will be honored with statues commemorating their achievements in August and September of the upcoming season. The pair are the only two former Rockies currently enshrined in Cooperstown, and Helton is the only one who spent his entire career in purple pinstripes.
The Rockies are counting on that same kind of loyalty from their fans again this season, when the weather will be better and they’re the only game in town.
Statues and a Rebuild: What 2026 Has in Store for the Colorado Rockies