On Sunday, she took the wheel.

“It makes the game funner,” the 12-year-old explained to me on Blake Street, just before the Savannah Bananas played their Denver farewell Sunday at Coors Field.

“It’s hard to keep track of a baseball game. It can’t keep you interested the entire time. But they do the dances, the umps are fun … it just makes the game fun.”

What’s wrong with that?

While sold out Coors twice over the weekend, the Rockies were busy getting stomped in Arizona by a combined score of 25-12. The Local Nine are on a pace to lose 120 games.

The sun shines along the Front Range everywhere but the corner of 20th & Bleak these days. LoDo could sure use some light. A little joy.

The Bananas are a barnstorming baseball team that’s about fans and fun first. The team’s got its own broadcast deals, including one with ESPN, 10.5 million followers on TikTok, and almost 4 million more on Instagram. (The Rockies’ Instagram feed had about 570,000 followers as of Sunday afternoon.)

They aren’t for everybody. In the bottom of the sixth of their tilt against The Firefighters, a guy standing on a barrel pitched to a batter swinging on stilts. An hour before first pitch, catcher Bill LeRoy warmed up by racing into the upper deck with the public-address microphone. From there, he launched in a banana-tossing contest — whoever could land more fruit inside a fan’s oversized pants down at field level was the winner. If that’s what you want when somebody takes you out to the ballgame, the ‘Nanas are in your wheelhouse.

Apparently, they’re in a bunch of wheelhouses. Coors Field has seen some lines. But Rockies security told me they’d never seen anything quite like Sunday morning, when a queue snaked from the corner of 21st and Blake, then stretched all the way behind the ViewHouse Ballpark before curling back to Gate D again.

Which is why Logan Dahlinger, 16, came up with his family from Arvada at 10:30 in the morning for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.

“You come to a Rockies game, obviously, and you can kind of get in whenever and it doesn’t really matter,” Sydney’s older brother told me. “I can see why they’ve sold out football stadiums.”

After Sunday? So can I. Like hockey and auto racing, the Bananas are good television, but even better theater in person. It’s dance numbers, turntables, princesses, sleeveless jerseys, and right fielders in capes. It’s a group hug at the mound for foster kids. It’s Karaoke Night, every night. It’s the Frankenstein offspring of Abner Doubleday and P.T. Barnum, God’s answer to the eternal question of what would happen if Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball’s wooden commissioner, had a sense of humor and a soul.

It’s baseball blended with the unapologetic cornball of a state fair midway, the strut of pro wrestling, the wink of an NBA halftime show, the swing of a jazz funeral, and a pinch of Disney magic.

The dancing stops, but the music never does. When the PA plays “Time of My Life” from the movie “Dirty Dancing,”. If MLB is what we were, Banana Ball is who we are: loud, proud, deep-fried and buzzed. It’s the most American version of the National Pastime you’ll ever see.

The outcome’s determined by points, not runs, and showy stuff is worth more of the former. If a fan catches a foul ball, you’re out. Batters can’t leave the box. There’s a 2-hour time limit.

It’s also dang hard work. Routines are practiced before the gates open the morning of a day game, then again during warm-ups. The Bananas’ operation rolled into LoDo with two semis full of equipment and a crew of 140 traveling staffers.

Blake Street, meanwhile, immediately grasped the a-peel. Amy Holle of Erie even showed up dressed like a banana, a costume she said she’s taken skiing. Her husband, Eric, says he wears a gorilla suit when they hit the slopes, so yeah, Savannah is their jam.

“We’ve watched a little bit on YouTube so that the kids knew what to expect,” she said. “We keep telling our son that dancing is important. In case his baseball career doesn’t work, he’s got a fallback plan.”

It’s worked out for Correlle Prime. A 12th-round pick of the Rockies in 2016, the 6-foot-5 Florida native played at Grand Junction as a 19-year-old, where his teammates included Ryan McMahon, Jon Gray, Dom Nunez and Raimel Tapia. In 2014, he played behind Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela in Ashland, N.C. Instead of getting on Jeff Bridich’s fast track, he wound up bouncing across leagues in three countries before hooking up with the Bananas.

Now 31, Prime doesn’t get star-struck often. He did a bit of a double-take this past Saturday night when he saw Peyton Manning sitting with son Marshall and Marshall’s friends in the home dugout at Coors. Cool dads do what cool dads gotta do.

“Are you going to do the ManningCast again?” Prime asked. “I can’t wait to see the ManningCast again.”

“Oh, yeah, we’re doing that again,” PFM replied. “Maybe Eli will try to come out when you guys are in New York in September.”

“That would be pretty cool,” Prime said.

The Bananas phenomenon went viral the old-fashioned way — word-of-mouth, friend to friend, sister to brother, a text at a time.

Founder Jesse Cole and his crew worked the algorithms the way Greg Maddux worked the corners, sprinkling YouTube, Instagram and TikTok posts that made the distracted curious. Once they dug deeper, they got hooked.

Banana Ball players get evaluated not just for their stats, but for their entertainment value, fan engagement, social media followings, et cetera. If MLB is about WAR power, Banana Ball is about star power.

Players have to bring something to the game-day experience besides a glove.

“Being personable with a bunch of different fans, swooping down to kids, getting on their level, talking to them, taking photos, just taking time to really make people’s days and really brighten their day — that is really cool,” Correlle said. “The fans, they always ask about the dancing. ‘Can you backflip and do all that?’ It’s like, ‘Nah, I can’t do that.'”

Maybe next time, dude.

Speaking of next time, how about we do this again next summer?

“We’ll have to see,” Cole told me after the game. “But this has obviously made a great impression on all of us. Working with the team, the Rockies, working with the city has been tremendous. So we hope we can come back in the future.”

Loved the show. Don’t love those odds. Their schedule reveal is slated for Oct. 9.

“A lot of things have to work out for this to happen sooner than later, but we had a great experience,” Cole continued. “It was wonderful, and we’ll see what happens.”

It’s OK if you don’t get it. Sydney does. So does Logan, whose baseball games Sydney had to sit through.

“It’s hard to watch a full MLB game and truly stay excited for every pitch and every play,” Logan said. “What the Bananas have done is, they’ve kind of revolutionized it. You don’t have to know everything about baseball to enjoy it now. You just have to enjoy the idea of baseball.”

No, the Bananas wouldn’t beat the Rockies. Except at the box office. And in little kids’ hearts.

Friday, they actually did something smart. Even if it was a year too late.

RyMac won’t be back. The Rockies shipped Ryan McMahon to the Yankees, where he will love contending and staring at the short right-field fence, but not the booing if he keeps striking out at his current pace (second in MLB with 127).

First, the good news: It’s clear general manager Bill Schmidt knows how the trade deadline works. Maybe next week, the Rockies will realize they only get three strikes while hitting, not four.

Herring, a former LSU star, is a left-hander with a funky delivery and wicked slider. But his fastball tops out at 93 miles per hour, leaving him little margin for error (see Kyle Freeland). Grosz is a stock right-hander with a good changeup and a 96-mph heater. He profiles as a reliever. For this deal to be looked at as a success by anyone other than Dick Monfort’s accountant — the Rockies will save roughly $36.5 million — they need Herring to fill a spot in the rotation in 2027.

What makes anyone think this will happen, given the Rockies’ sordid history of developing prospects?

Absolutely nothing.

But they did the right thing by moving on from McMahon. It clears a spot to get a peek at Kyle Karros and perhaps increase his trade value since anyone at the hot corner is only keeping the seat warm for Ethan Holliday in 2027.

The question now is who will Monfort let Schmidt trade next (both deserve blame for getting nothing for Trevor Story, Jon Gray, Brent Suter and Daniel Bard)? Freeland could help a contender, but is not looking to leave, meaning there is little chance he will. And Austin Gomber, Jake Bird and Tyler Freeman have mild value. The Rockies would be wise to keep Mickey Moniak, making him part of the future, while listening to offers for Brenton Doyle — if he hits over the final two months — and Zac Veen this offseason.

This is how good teams operate. They see their players as commodities. They finally realized this with McMahon, but it was likely too late to help them.

Coach Prime update: Deion Sanders will hold a news conference Monday with his medical team, the first day of preseason camp. Is he capable of coaching? Does he need more time to recover from an undisclosed medical condition? His health should remain a top priority, and hopefully, Monday’s update will provide some transparency on his path forward this season. CU owes the players, coaches and fans that much.

No autographs, please: The Trail Blazers shocked scouts by drafting Yang Hansen with the 16th pick. Then he played in the summer league, earning the nickname “Chinese Jokic.” Hansen said one of his goals next season was to get Jokic’s autograph. Jokic, on a tour of China as the global ambassador for his shoe outfitter 361 degrees, responded with humor. And a scare. He said he would sign for Yang, but not if he got the best of him in the game. Jokic added he might be out of the league when 20-year-old Yang reaches his prime. Um, no. Please don’t go there. The Nuggets need Jokic for at least six more years.

That’s why on Sunday, the Rockies are under pressure to turn their fortunes around with the No. 4 overall pick at All-Star Week festivities in Atlanta.

The Rockies’ 12.1 total Wins Above Replacement from the draft since 2015 ranks last, according to  Colorado has only had two picks in that period accumulate more than 3.0 career bWAR: second baseman Brendan Rodgers (No. 3 overall in 2015) and center fielder Brenton Doyle (2019 fourth-round pick).

“For an organization that’s prided itself on developing homegrown players, it’s been a while since they planted somebody in the big leagues who’s an impact player,” noted MLB Pipeline reporter Jonathan Mayo.

Those statistics illustrate how the Rockies, who have long been a draft-and-develop organization, are headed to a third straight 100-loss season — a campaign on pace to end with the most losses in modern MLB history.

Through poor free-agent signings and a lack of effective trades, the club has made itself entirely dependent on being exceptional at drafting.

“When the big-league team is struggling as much as it is, it’s going to be a multi-year process,” MLB Pipeline senior writer Jim Callis said. “They have to get back to step one: find talent in the draft and internationally. And you probably have to look at trading some of your better big-league players to refurbish the turnaround.

“You have to start planning for 3, 4, 5 years down the road.”

“A really long, dark tunnel”

The missteps to get to this point have been a decade in the making.

Just as the Rockies were assembling a roster that produced consecutive playoff berths for the first time in franchise history in 2017 and ’18, the club had three glaring misses in the draft.

Between 2015 and 2016, Colorado selected a trio of right-handed pitchers in the first round who failed to yield a single big league win. Mike Nikorak and Robert Tyler never made the majors, while hard-throwing prep right-hander Riley Pint, taken No. 4 overall in 2016, posted a 22.09 ERA over five MLB appearances.

“It’s a really long, dark tunnel,” one MLB agent told The Denver Post on condition of anonymity because he needs to maintain a relationship with the club. “It’s an endless tunnel, really, especially with how they have gotten themselves into this situation by failing at their own blueprint that’s previously led to some success — drafting and developing a competitive homegrown club.”

The Rockies have picked in the top 10 of the first round in 10 of the last 13 drafts, including four top-four picks. And in seven of those 10 drafts, they had multiple first-round picks.

Southpaw Ryan Rolison never made it as a starter and fellow 2018 first-rounder Grant Lavigne is now in independent ball. The jury is still out on first baseman Michael Toglia (No. 23 in ’19), outfielder Zac Veen (No. 9 in ’20), catcher Drew Romo (No. 35 in ’20), outfielder Benny Montgomery (No. 8 in ’21) and right-hander Gabriel Hughes (No. 10 in ’22), but the clock is ticking.

“If you have three years in a row (from 2020 to ’22) where you have a top-10 pick, and if you said, ‘Would you do it again with a few years’ hindsight?’ and the answer is ‘No,’ that’s not great,” Baseball America editor-in-chief JJ Cooper said.

Mayo echoed Cooper, with a touch of optimism.

“We may have this conversation three years from now and (2024 first-rounder) Charlie Condon’s an All-Star, (2023 first-rounder) Chase Dollander’s established himself with Hughes in the rotation, (2022 first-round outfielders) Jordan Beck and Sterlin Thompson are regular big-leaguers and Zac Veen and Drew Romo have made it,” Mayo said.

“But I think at this point, you would’ve liked for some of these guys to not be TBDs and to be regulars.”

Slim margin for error

Hunter Goodman, a 2021 fourth-round pick, has been a glimmer of draft success this season with the catcher making the NL All-Star team as a reserve.

But before that, the last Rockies draft pick who made a high impact in the majors — for the purposes of this story, defined as a player who accumulated 10.0 career bWAR or made an All-Star team with Colorado — was southpaw Kyle Freeland, the club’s No. 8 overall selection in 2014. And in 2013, Colorado also hit on right-hander Jon Gray and third baseman Ryan McMahon.

But the draft is, ultimately, a crapshoot.

According to a the chances a first-round pitcher logs 1,000 strikeouts is 14.3%. For first-round hitters, the chances of 1,000 hits is 22.5%. So even with a slew of misses, the Rockies’ draft impact since 2012 is about on par with most of the division.

The Dodgers have had significantly more draft success than the rest of the NL West. But Colorado is comparable to the Giants, ahead of both the D-backs and Padres (San Diego’s high-profile prospect trades are a major factor), and in-between successful small market franchises in Tampa and Milwaukee.

Rockies Draft Yield Comparison	bWAR produced for drafting club since 2012	High-Impact Players (10.0 Career WAR and/or All-Star with club)
Rockies	55.2	4
Dodgers	104.2	6
Giants	57.2	2
Diamondbacks	44.4	2
Padres	16.5	1
Brewers	67.2	3
Rays	44.9	2

That data suggests the bigger issue for the Rockies is an over-reliance on the draft. The Rockies are the fifth-worst team in baseball when it comes to identifying talent, according to a .

Colorado could supplement its roster by mining the international market and making impact signings through free agency, but neither avenue has been consistently successful. That’s made the margin for error in the draft very slim.

“Where other clubs might have the financial resources where if they miss on something (in the draft), they can go out and spend the money, ideally we’re going to have somebody from within fill (that need) for us,” Rockies GM Bill Schmidt acknowledged.

Issues in analytics, development

The Rockies are also hindered by their lack of investment in analytics.

The Dodgers’ research and development department numbers about 40 employees. That’s more than twice the R&D staffing of the Rockies, who, according to the  have 18 employees involved in analytics. It remains one of the smallest R&D departments in baseball.

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer, who served as Triple-A Albuquerque’s manager prior to his arrival at the big-league level, acknowledged that analytics’ role in development needs to be a point of emphasis.

“We can always get more forward-thinking,” Schaeffer said. “That’s a conversation for the offseason, with a collaboration between a lot of different people higher up to think about.  … If you’re not always looking to get better in certain areas — in every area — I don’t think you’re doing what you need to be doing.”

Colorado built a pitching lab in Scottsdale in 2023 and has had a video/analytics coordinator at every level of the organization in recent years. The Rockies also started using a pitching machine that simulates specific pitchers and pitches.

But a lack of analytical manpower remains a significant hurdle, and turnover in top positions within the department hasn’t helped. In 2022, the Rockies hired Brian Jones — previously the team’s video coordinator — to be the research and development director, despite Jones not having any experience in such a role beforehand.

Those staffing issues are in conjunction with Colorado being behind in overall technology, according to bullpen coach Dustin Garneau.

“In the technology aspect of it, there are areas where we can invest more, as far as Trackman and Hawk-Eye, and stuff like that, to where we can have a better understanding of where our players are at and find ways to improve them,” Garneau said. “So we aren’t using the ‘eye test’ so much. So we (want) to have more technology to track data for defense, offense and pitching.”

The MLB agent who described the club’s future as a “long, dark tunnel” added that the Rockies’ insularity contributes to their inability to keep up with current analytical trends.

“You’re not going to see the Rockies hire people at the tip of the spear in analytics,” the agent said.

Colorado’s scouting department has been led by the same faces for decades. Schmidt has been with the club since 1999, senior director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson came aboard in 1993 and assistant GM of scouting Danny Montgomery was hired in 1991.

“That (continuity) is something to be proud of, but I don’t know if the flip side of that coin is a lack of fresh perspectives that’s hurting the decision-making process and the advancement (into deeper analytics),” Mayo said.

With a shortage of top prospects and a lag in analytics, the Rockies are having to rush some of their best prospects due to the team’s needs at the major league level. The Rockies have debuted nine players in 2025, a year after tying the franchise record with 12 big league debuts.

It’s a similar theme to what contributed to the White Sox’s modern-record 121 losses last season.

“Guys are being allowed to develop in the big leagues and that’s never been done,” ex-White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham as Chicago closed in on the record.

Judging by performance and the number of demotions back to the minors, the bulk of those Rockies who debuted in ’24 and ’25 weren’t ready — even those like Toglia, who was given a starting job. This season, the first baseman has a minus-0.9 WAR and leads baseball with a 38.2 strikeout percentage.

“If you look at Michael Toglia’s minor-league performance, there was nothing there that said, ‘This is a guy who’s established that he’s ready to be a big-league regular,'” Cooper said. “… That’s the kind of thing where it feels like there’s been a lot of half-measures.”

Pressure on No. 4 pick in ’25

The Rockies’ last two first-round picks, Condon and Dollander, have shown early signs they could be part of the long-term solution. Colorado will get an opportunity to snag another such player when it picks No. 4 overall on Sunday.

Anti-taking measures ensure that Colorado cannot select higher than 10th in the 2026 draft, which makes hitting on that top-four selection all the more important.

This year, there’s a trio of pitchers atop the draft rankings in LSU southpaw Kade Anderson, Florida State southpaw Jamie Arnold and California prep right-hander Seth Hernandez. Oklahoma prep infielder Ethan Holliday, son of ex-Rockies star Matt Holliday, is the draft’s by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

“If the Nationals don’t take Holliday at 1, then the Rockies will have the opportunity to take him,” Mayo said.

The two agents who spoke to The Post for this story think that stockpiling pitchers at the top of the draft, as the Rockies have done lately, is the best continued course of action for a team unable to sign prominent starters in free agency.

Schmidt remains steadfast in ignoring the outside noise and speculation about his job status at season’s end — “That’s for other people to decide,” he says — while the Rockies try to take a small step toward getting back on track on Sunday.

And after the draft, identifying and focusing on an organizational area of strength would be a good place to start.

“As an organization, you want to be able to say, ‘We feel like we’re as good as anybody at X (in development),'” Cooper said. “You want to have something your organization is, if not best-in-class, top-tier in. If you ask people in other organizations about the Rockies, it’s hard to say there’s something the Rockies are clearly top-tier in right now.”

Just because the Rockies promoted Walker Monfort to executive vice president does not mean that baseball’s worst team is moving in the right direction.

They need to repo the franchise, not a nepo hire.

If the Rockies aspire to mediocrity in five years, then this move makes sense. And when team president Greg Feasel officially exits at season’s end, they will be better for his absence.

But Monfort, who is humble enough to know what he doesn’t know about baseball, will not make a difference without bringing in an outside mentor. The Rockies must hire an external president for baseball operations, a window left open with Walker’s new title (Former Rangers, Twins and Rockies executive Thad Levine should be a candidate).

Walker, remember, has learned under his dad, Dick Monfort, and Feasel. That doesn’t inspire confidence.

You know what would? If the first directive to his father is to fire general manager Bill Schmidt. Feasel’s exit needs to be a domino, not a single tree falling in the forest behind the center field fence at Coors Field.

Everyone knows Schmidt will get canned. The only question is when. All layers of insulation are gone with Feasel on the way out and manager Bud Black pink-slipped. Schmidt has proven he is not good at his job, which extends beyond the record to a roster that features roughly nine to 12 big leaguers on a given night.

The MLB draft and trade deadline remain the two most important days to reshape a franchise. It makes no sense to leave Schmidt in charge of these decisions. He lost that privilege with too many empty early-round picks and letting Jon Gray and Trevor Story walk in free agency.

The Rockies will argue that Schmidt should stay for the draft on July 13 because, unlike good general managers, he immerses himself in the process. That should be left to scouts and their directors, which it is in effective organizations. But Schmidt was forever in charge of the selections and continues to be involved by all accounts.

Keeping him in place empowers the silo thinking that has doomed this franchise (and yes, that is why Walker Monfort’s new title deserves extreme skepticism). Schmidt has whiffed too many times to be in a position of power. He needs to go, and take assistant GM Zack Rosenthal with him.

Scouts surely know Schmidt will get axed, which normally would create freedom to take chances. But if Schmidt stays in the room and on the text chain, it will prevent them from disagreeing or veering from his mindset.

If you want the food to taste differently, you hire a new chef. You don’t sprinkle salt and pepper.

There is nothing to be gained by Schmidt staying, other than Dick Monfort staying loyal for all the wrong reasons.

And the trade deadline on July 31 only strengthens the argument for Schmidt����ap dismissal.

He has a history of operating out of fear, afraid to make seismic changes. He is not completely to blame. The Rockies, for years, have cultivated a leadership style of CYA and self-preservation. Better to sit tight and play the victim than take a risk with independent thinking and innovation.

Baseball industry folks insist that Schmidt is serious about making trades this July, looking to ship out Ryan McMahon, German Marquez, Austin Gomber and possibly even Jake Bird. For McMahon, it is a year too late, but he could fetch a decent prospect because of his power and defense. Marquez and Gomber have minimal value and Bird, the Rockies’ best chip, likely will be kept because this is how Schmidt operates (see Daniel Bard, Brent Suter).

So again, why do they need him around?

Schmidt is not in a high-stakes staredown with franchise icons like Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado. He is playing at the penny slot machines. Anyone in pro scouting and baseball operations — ideally, a fresh set of eyes from a consultant — can execute these moves. Heck, a few more teams might call if Danny Montgomery, the assistant GM of scouting, is in charge.

Regardless, Schmidt should not be the one charting the future.

For all of my criticism of Feasel and Schmidt, Dick Monfort put them in positions where they were not capable of doing the job or challenging authority. This mess is on him more than anyone.

Walker Monfort must take that into consideration. Don’t act like you hit a triple because you were born on third base. This job, more than any other time in franchise history, demands humility and transparency.

Walker has always been open to new ideas. And he has strong opinions. That cannot change now because of his new title. If anything, that part of his part personality must be amplified because the obvious question lingers: Will he become a yes man to his dad like so many before him?

The Rockies finally did something Thursday that almost hints at self-awareness. But this first step off the porch will be another rake in the face without a complete overhaul and Dick Monfort empowering the front office to make decisions without his influence.

You could field at least half a starting nine, and a salty one, out of the players Dick Monfort let walk away since 2018. DJ LeMahieu at first or second. Brendan Rodgers at second. Trevor Story at short. A battery of Jon Gray on the mound and Elias Diaz behind the plate.

Which is why we’re on our knees, Mr. Monfort. We’re begging here.

If you truly love Ryan McMahon, let him go.

If you truly love German Marquez, let him go, too.

As in, find them a trade to greener pastures.

Far be it for us to suggest how to run a 17-58 baseball team, let alone one that could clinch a third-straight 100-loss season by August.

Most MLB clubs operate in one of two modes: 1) “We’re trying to win now,” or 2. “We have no chance of winning now, but holy cow, look at our farm system.”

The Rockies, of whom Monfort is CEO, have somehow managed to live outside either realm for the better part of a half-decade now. Just know that wherever Monfort sets the bar in January for what this team should be — 2025’s theme was, “We’ll catch the ball, by golly” — rest assured, the Rox will inevitably land several rungs short.

Haven’t RyMac and Marquez been through enough already? The pair have been good, loyal troupers while the S.S. Monfort caught fire, then sank. They’ve said the right things. They’ve watched friends leave. They’ve watched friends retire.

Shouldn’t they be rewarded? And by that, we mean, set free? Now that they’re finding some mojo again, it’s time to build a boat that gets them off of baseball’s loser island.

You don’t think there’s a market and a decent prospect return for McMahon? The Tigers could use a third baseman right about now. That goes double for the Yankees and Mariners. It ranked Seattle No. 5, Minnesota No. 10, New York No. 24.

Marquez’s numbers are getting better by the week, and he’s staring at a “walk” year. The Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers could use more starting pitching. MLB Pipeline ranked their farm systems eighth, third and fourth, respectively.

Colorado was 18th.

Charlie Condon is at least two years away. Chase Dollander’s already here.

At 30, McMahon should be hoovering up grounders for a contender. Not trying to beat the Dodgers, Giants, Padres and Diamondbacks all by his lonesome.

After a frigid, turgid April (.147 average), everything’s starting to come to life again for one of the good dudes in the game. Since May 1, McMahon’s hitting .278 with nine homers while posting an OPS of .907.

His glove, meanwhile, never left. Baseball Savant, as of Thursday afternoon, while the Fielding Bible credited him with six Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). That last number was tied for third across all of MLB with the Giants’ Matt Chapman.

A “plus” defender — and a “plus” guy — on a contract that’s worth $12 million this season and $16 million each in ’26 and ’27?

Let’s put it this way: Chapman’s in line to rake in $25 million each of the next three seasons. Compared to that, RyMac’s a steal. Heck, he even averaged five of those per season from 2021-24.

Marquez is in the final season of a two-year contract extension. Like McMahon, he’s warmed up with the temperatures. The hard-throwing Venezuelan shut out woeful Washington over 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday night. Which was the sixth start out of his last eight, dating back to May 11, in which he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer.

Marquez’s ERA in June is 3.48.

According to Baseball Savant, his four-seam fastball averaged more MPH against the Mets (95.5) and Braves (96.3) this month than he did over his last two starts of 2023 (94.7, 95.8) before Tommy John surgery. His strikeout-to-walk ratio over the last 20 days is 3.6-to-1. He just turned 30.

You know what they call that on Wall Street? An appreciating asset.

The Rockies open a six-game homestand Friday night against Arizona. Don’t let the last road trip lull you into false hopes. Yes, the local nine are kinda-sorta playing their best ball of the season — which, granted, isn’t saying much. They’d won a season-high four straight before the Nationals homered in the 11th inning to snatch a 4-3 win on Thursday.

Let’s keep our eyes on the prize here. Of Colorado’s 17 victories, four have come against Washington. Against teams that aren’t the Marlins or Nats, the Rockies are 7-55.

You don’t need McMahon and Marquez to sell tickets. You need McMahon and Marquez to keep their respective sanities. Is trading away an ace and one of your middle-of-the-order bats admitting defeat? Absolutely. But what kind of argument is that?

On 20th and Bleak, defeat isn’t just assumed. Defeat orders room service, on Monfort’s tab, three times a day.

The shame isn’t admitting it. The shame is denying it.

Entering Wednesday night, the Rockies lost 40 of their first 48 games. The only teams who started in a similar fashion played in the 1800s when bats were made with wagon tongue wood and fans arrived by horse and buggy.

However awful you think the Rockies are, they are worse. On any given night, their roster features roughly 10 big league players. They don’t do anything well. Their hitters lead MLB in strikeouts, rank second to last in on-base percentage and third worst in batting average, while posting the third fewest stolen bases. And their pitchers own the worst ERA with the most hits allowed.

To be this awful is not an accident. It is the result of several years of misguided decisions and front office employees, coaches and scouts in the wrong positions.

Worse, the Rockies’ professional incompetence comes with arrogance even as their deterioration has unfurled for all to see. The record reveals an organization that has a flawed process of identifying, acquiring, drafting and developing players that has been repeated annually without consequence for too long.

Owner Dick Monfort and general manager Bill Schmidt entered the season with delusions of adequacy. The Rockies boast a minus-153 run differential — a testament not just to a horrible team, but a full organizational failure.

With that in mind, after talking with multiple executives, former big league players and scouts, I provide five ways to fix the Rockies. The abbreviated list is a concession to space, and I fully acknowledge has no chance of happening without Monfort looking in the mirror and admitting a complete overhaul is needed:

Conduct third-party internal audit

The Rockies have done things the same way for so long, they cannot be trusted to recognize their flaws. Bring in an outside expert today — for argument����ap sake, former Twins president Thad Levine — to determine what has gone wrong.

Forever, the Rockies have taken credit when players succeed and blamed the players when they fail. That type of thinking has skirted responsibility and led to repeated mistakes, and is why Schmidt must be fired sooner rather than later.

Let the outside voice establish what is wrong, and implement the recommendations. Because every day the Rockies continue business as usual only elongates what is already a historically challenging rebuild.

Hire new baseball president

Greg Feasel is woefully miscast in this position. He is not Keli McGregor. Not even close.

Feasel has been with the Rockies since 1996, and is an example of Monfort valuing loyalty over performance. They need someone with baseball acumen in this position to create a buffer between Monfort and the GM, while hiring someone separate for the business operations. A former baseball executive is required.

Interview 5-to-10 people — the Rockies reject outside voices, so this would be jarring — make them sign a non-disclosure agreement and use their pitch on succeeding at altitude to help the person who is ultimately hired.

Win in the margins

The Rockies, at their core, are a draft-and-development organization that doesn’t draft or develop well. Their most successful first-round pick since 2014 is Brendan Rodgers, a player they let walk instead of trading when he had value, joining Trevor Story and Jon Gray. Perhaps, Chase Dollander and Jordan Beck might change this, but this is the Rockies’ reality despite six straight losing seasons that netted high selections.

So, why not double-up on the scouting staff both domestically and internationally by paying more than anyone in the industry? Get extra evaluations on players. Form stronger relationships. Find out more about makeup, if a player has the fortitude to pitch and play at altitude.

The Rockies are understaffed from a scouting perspective. Unfortunately, Monfort takes pride in this lean business model, wanting a new collective bargaining agreement to cap the number of scouts to even the playing field. It won’t. That’s because good scouts matter. The more of them a team has, the less likely it is to fail repeatedly in the draft.

And overpay your minor league coaches, including adding former big league managers and coaches, if possible. These types of eyes know what it takes to reach the big leagues and can identify traits and create plans that produce more linear growth.

The Rockies love to tell everyone how the party deck has been a great return on investment. You know what else is? Winning. Treating the team like a civic institution because the Rockies would not exist without taxpayer-funded Coors Field. So, invest $6 million in scouting and minor leagues and analytics, and see what happens. It would be better than wasting money on another utility player.

Embrace technology

The Rockies have been the equivalent of a flip phone when it comes to assimilating analytics into their operation. They have a small staff and zero innovation because fresh ideas are not welcomed in an organization that operates in a silo of groupthink. It is why they burn through employees in the department. No one wants to be unseen in a competitive environment.

Coors Field is a Rubik’s Cube. It demands the best and brightest. Look at organizations that consistently succeed and poach younger minds — the old heads at Blake Street are not going to wake up and figure out this equation — from the Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rays, Guardians and Brewers. Then, get out of their way.

Create a player profile, identity

The Rockies have no identity. Their pitching staff is full of arms who don’t get carry on their fastball, and their lineup lacks power to take advantage of Coors Field without professional vagabonds like C.J. Cron and Mark Reynolds.

So, what is the prototype pitcher and player? For years, they wanted sinker/slider arms as a way to limit home runs, but pitching to contact is a liability in MLB’s biggest field that awards balls in play and makes it impossible to hide poor defenders. You need swing-and-miss stuff with mental toughness, and a directive to starters: your job is to out-pitch the other guy, not worry about your ERA.

With hitters, getting players with long, loopy swings is not working. Pick a lane. Go after power, while demanding a two-strike approach that emphasizes contact. Or lean totally into athleticism and win with extra-base hits, stolen bases and stellar defense.

Opposing teams should be afraid to come into Coors Field. Now, they have more fans cheering for them than the Rockies. It is another example of the embarrassment that demands a completely new way of doing business.

Entering the weekend, 6,319 home runs had been launched at Coors — 3,187 by the Rockies and 3,132 by the visitors — one no-hitter had been thrown, and a few other no-nos nearly came to be. An announced 81,896,843 fans have witnessed countless memories over that time. Here are the 30 most unforgettable:

30. Spoiler alert

Date: Sept. 27, 1998

The Giants needed a win on the final day of the season to clinch a wild-card berth. Neifi Perez had other ideas, hitting a walk-off homer in the ninth off Robb Nen to beat the Giants, 9-8. The Giants were forced to play the Cubs in the wild-card tiebreaker game, which they lost, 5-3, at Wrigley Field.

29. LoDo snow job

Date: April 16, 2013

The Mets and Rockies woke up to 9 inches of snow but managed to play a doubleheader. Rockies owner Dick Monfort and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson were among those who grabbed snow shovels. The Rockies warmed up by sweeping the Mets, 8-4 and 9-8.

28. A 20-spot vs. BoSox

Date: July 24, 2024

There wasn’t a lot to cheer about during a 101-loss season, but Colorado rocked the Red Sox on a 93-degree day, mashing four home runs, including the first grand slam of Brenton Doyle’s career in a 20-7 win. The Rockies’ 20 runs tied a franchise high.

27. Catcher pitches a win

Date: Aug. 22, 2000

Catcher Brett Mayne delivered a victory for the Rockies in the 12th inning against the Braves. He became the first position player in 32 years to record a big-league pitching victory. Mayne stranded two runners by retiring Chipper Jones on a check-swing grounder for the final out. Rocky Colavito had been the last position player to win a game from the mound, pitching 2 ⅔ shutout innings as the Yankees defeated Detroit on Aug. 25, 1968, the year Mayne was born.

26. Avs ice Red Wings

Date: Feb. 26, 2016

A crowd of 43,319 showed up to watch Avalanche alumni beat the Red Wings’ old-timers, 5-2, on the eve of the Stadium Series regular-season game between the rivals. Avs defenseman Ray Bourque had a goal and two assists, and Joe Sakic, the Avalanche’s longtime captain and the team’s general manager, had a goal and an assist. Goaltender Patrick Roy, then the Avs’ 50-year-old coach, stopped 20 of 21 shots in two periods.

25. Opener in time of COVID

Date: July 31, 2020

It was 85 degrees at first pitch, and there were no fans in the stands, but they played baseball at Coors for the first time in 2020.  A smattering of fans showed up, set up camp chairs on the sidewalk on Blake Street, and peered through the gates. The Padres beat the Rockies 8-7 when closer Wade Davis gave up four runs in the ninth.

24. Alonso shells Coors

Date: July 12, 2021

Mets slugger Pete Alonso pronounced himself “the best power hitter on the planet” and then proved it in the Home Run Derby. Alonso successfully defended his 2019 crown — there was no event in 2020 due to the pandemic — by topping Trey Mancini of the Orioles in the final round, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Céspedes (2013-14) as the only back-to-back derby champs.

23. Independence Day Marathon

Date: July 4, 2010

The Giants and Rockies played a 15-inning game that took 5 hours and 24 minutes, making it the longest game in Coors Field history. Colorado won 4-3 when Dexter Fowler led off the 15th with a triple, and Johnny Herrera and Carlos Gonzalez were intentionally walked to load the bases. Todd Helton drove in Fowler with the winning run, hitting a sacrifice fly to left.

22. In-game fireworks

Date: July 4, 2008

Colorado trailed 13-4 coming to bat in the fourth inning but beat the Marlins 18-17, scoring two runs in the ninth for the walk-off win. The Rockies hit six home runs, with Ryan Spilborghs and Matt Holliday each clubbing two. Catcher Chris Iannetta hit a weak groundball past third base to score Holliday for the walk-off victory.

21. Nine-run ninth

Date: July 6, 2010

Colorado erased a six-run deficit in the ninth, scored nine times, and stunned St. Louis, 12-9, on sweet-swinging Seth Smith’s two-out, three-run, walk-off homer. At the time, no team in the modern era had ever scored nine runs in the bottom of the ninth to win a game.

20. Helton belts 2,500th

Date: Sept. 1, 2013

Todd Helton drove a 3-2 pitch the opposite way for a double and the 2,500th hit of his career. He became the 96th player in major league history to reach the milestone.

19. Spilly’s walk-off slam

Date: Aug. 24, 2009

Fan favorite Ryan Spilborghs hit a grand slam in the 14th for a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory over the Giants. His walk-off granny was sweet redemption. Spilborghs failed to deliver with men on base in the 10th inning, grounding into a double play with a man on third. In the top of the 14th, he misread the carom off the wall on Edgar Renteria’s triple that started the Giants’ three-run rally.

18. Grand larceny

Date: June 30, 1996

Eric Young tied a big-league record with six stolen bases, Quentin McCracken swiped two, and Ellis Burks and Dante Bichette each stole one as the Rockies notched a wild, 16-15 walk-off win over the Dodgers. Colorado’s 10 stolen bases remains a franchise record.

17. Helton’s grand finale

Date: Sept. 25, 2013

In the 1,148th game of his career at Coors, including seven postseason games, Helton went out with a bang. In his first at-bat, on a 1-1 count, Helton blasted an 87-mph cutter from Boston starter Jake Peavy over the right-field scoreboard for the 369th, and last, home run of his career.

16. Lansing’s four-inning cycle

Date: June 18, 2000

There have been a major league-record 19 cycles hit at Coors Field, but Mike Lansing’s was the fastest. He completed it with a single in the fourth inning after ripping a triple in the first, hitting a two-run homer in the second, and a two-run double in the third. Colorado bludgeoned Arizona 19-2 on Father’s Day.

15. Nomo’s no-no

Date: Sept. 17, 1996

Los Angeles Dodgers legendary broadcaster Vin Scully was on the call on that cold, drizzly night in LoDo: “Hideo Nomo has done what they said could not be done. … Not in the Mile High City. Not at Coors Field in Denver. He has not only shut out the Rockies, Nomo walked four and struck out eight in the Dodgers’ 9-0 victory.

14. K-Free’s near no-no

Date: July 9, 2017

Rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland came two outs away from pitching the Rockies’ first no-hitter at Coors. Chicago White Sox All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera broke up the no-no with a single to left. After Cabrera’s single, Freeland, who fanned nine, was relieved by Jordan Lyles, who closed out Colorado’s 10-0 victory.

13. Marquez’s near no-no

Date: June 29, 2021

German Marquez pitched eight hitless innings, but the Pirates’ Ka’ai Tom singled to lead off the ninth. Marquez recovered quickly after Tom’s single, inducing a double play followed by a groundout to end his 8-0, complete-game victory. Marquez struck out five, walked just one, and needed 92 pitches.

12. One hell of a Story

Date: Sept. 5, 2018

All-Star shortstop Trevor Story mashed three home runs, including a 487-footer, in Colorado’s 5-3 win over the Giants. Story’s three dingers traveled a combined 1,362 feet. All three of Story’s homers came off San Francisco right-hander Andrew Suarez.

11. Chuck Nasty’s grand opening

Date: April 4, 2014

Charlie Blackmon was on the roster bubble at the end of spring training, but he ignited his All-Star career in Colorado’s 12-2 home-opening win over Arizona. Blackmon went 6 for 6 with a homer and three doubles, becoming the first player since the Pirates’ Dick Groat in his MVP season of 1960 to have three doubles among six hits in a game.

10. Jon Gray’s 16K gem

Date: Sept. 17, 2016

The “Gray Wolf” let loose a howl at the end of Colorado’s 8-0 victory over the Padres. In his complete-game shutout, the right-hander struck out a club-record 16, the most by any single pitcher in Coors Field history. Gray allowed four hits and walked none.

9. Humidor’s debut

Date: March 31, 2002

Coors remains the most hitter-friendly park in the majors, but the installation of a humidor changed things. From 1995 to 2001, Colorado’s average team ERA was 6.14, and the pitching staff gave up an average of 126.7 home runs per season. But in the first 20 years of the humidor (2002-2021), the ERA shrank to 5.06, and home runs dropped to 98.8 per season. Before the humidor, the Rockies’ batting average at Coors was .328, and they averaged 128.3 home runs per season. Post-humidor, the average fell to .295, and home runs tumbled to 103.2.

8. CarGo’s walk-off cycle

Date: July 31, 2010

Carlos Gonzalez hit a leadoff, walk-off, 462-foot homer into the upper deck in right field off Sean Marshall to beat the Cubs, 6-5. CarGo became the first player since Boston’s Dwight Evans in 1984 to hit a walk-off home run to complete the cycle. CarGo singled in the first, tripled in the third, doubled in the fifth and hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

7. 1998 All-Star fireworks

Date: July 6-7, 1998

In the highest-scoring All-Star Game to that point, the American League beat the National League 13-8 in a wild affair that included a record-tying 31 hits. The day before, Ken Griffey Jr., who had initially declined to participate, won the Home Run Derby. Griffey hit 19 homers to beat Jim Thome in the finals.

6. Helton’s walk-off ignites Rocktober

Date: Sept. 18. 2007

Todd Helton smashed a two-run, walk-off homer off closer Takashi Saito for a 9-8 victory, capping a doubleheader sweep of the Dodgers and keeping the Rockies’ faint playoff hopes alive. Helton, displaying rare on-field emotion, ran around the bases with his finger signaling No. 1 and then leaped into a mosh pit at home plate.

5. 1995 wild-card clincher

Date: Oct. 1, 1995

The Rockies rallied from a six-run deficit as Larry Walker and Eric Young hit two-run homers to spark a 10-9 victory over the Giants and clinch the wild-card berth. Curtis Leskanic struck out J.R. Phillips and Tom Lampkin before allowing a single to Glenallen Hill. Then Leskanic induced a groundout to clinch the win. No expansion baseball team ever qualified for the playoffs quicker than the Rockies, who did it in their third year of existence.

4. Dante’s walk-off inferno

Date: April 26, 1995

In the first game played at 20th and Blake, Dante Bichette delivered a magical moment. In the 14th inning of a cold and frosty game, with runners at first and second and one out, Bichette hammered a 2-1 pitch off left-hander Mike Remlinger.

“A high drive, way back, and there’s the storybook ending for the Rockies!” ESPN’s Jon Miller shouted as Bichette’s blast landed halfway up the bleachers in left-center for Colorado’s 11-9 victory.

3. Arenado’s Father’s Day cycle

Date: June 18, 2017

Third baseman Nolan Arenado, blood dripping down his face from a cut above his eye, screamed to the heavens after blasting a walk-off, three-run homer off closer Mark Melancon to beat San Francisco 7-5 in front of a delirious sellout Father’s Day crowd of 48,341.  Arenado became the fifth player in big-league history to hit a walk-off homer to finish his cycle. Arenado’s face was cut during the celebration at home plate.

2. Rockies clinch NL pennant

Date: Oct. 15, 2007

Troy Tulowitzki scooped up a grounder hit by Eric Byrnes and rifled a throw to first baseman Todd Helton, who caught the ball and then raised both arms over his head in jubilation. The Rockies were going to the World Series after beating the Diamondbacks, 6-4, to sweep the National League Championship Series. Colorado won 21 of 22 games to reach baseball’s promised land, becoming the first team since the 1935 Chicago Cubs to win 21 of 22 after Sept. 1.

1. Game 163, Holliday crash-lands at home

Date: Oct. 1, 2007

The wild, 9-8, 13-inning wild-card play-in victory in Game 163 over the Padres ranks as one of the greatest games in Colorado sports history. The Rockies squandered leads of 3-0 and 6-5, and their season was on the brink when Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer off Jorge Julio, giving San Diego an 8-6 lead in the 13th.

In the bottom of the inning, Kaz Matsui ignited the rally off super-closer Trevor Hoffman with a double, and Troy Tulowitzki followed with a double of his own, cutting the lead to 8-7. Then Matt Holliday ripped a line-drive triple off the out-of-town scoreboard in right field. With the score tied 8-8, Hoffman intentionally walked Helton to set up the right-on-right matchup with Jamey Carroll.

Carroll hit Hoffman’s first pitch into shallow right, Giles caught it, and Holliday tagged up from third. Holliday charged home, catcher Michael Barrett couldn’t handle Giles’ throw, but Barrett blocked the plate with his left foot, making it unclear whether Holliday touched home with his left hand as he slid headfirst, bloodying his chin. Holliday was called safe, and the Rockies earned the NL wild card, completing a magical run in which they won 14 of 15 regular-season games.

A player returns from injury, and he is praised for working hard. A slumping hitter trying to find his way in the batting cage is regaled for his hard work. The manager throwing batting practice between filling out lineup cards and meeting the media is a hard worker.

No one rolls up their sleeves like those in purple. It comes across as a hollow humblebrag. Surprisingly, #workhard is not their hashtag.

You know what would be a better one? #stinkless.

The Rockies have been rebuilding since 2019, 161 games under .500 since their last winning season and playoff berth. Six years later, they should be entering a golden period of maturing prospects, buoyed by high draft picks across the diamond.

And while they possess a few good young players — shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, center fielder Brenton Doyle and first baseman Michael Toglia, to name a few — none of them are starting pitchers. This is what will hold them back, leaving them irrelevant by the Broncos’ June mandatory minicamp.

Fire-breathing Chase Dollander should arrive soon, providing a sliver of hope. He is their best pitching arm, and if you are a Rockies fan — there are true diehards who go to the games for more than the party deck — you need him to succeed, especially with top-hitting prospect Charlie Condon sidelined with a broken wrist. Dollander has talent not seen at his age since Ubaldo Jimenez. In spring training, he has felt the weight of expectations, trying to do too much, leading to a 7.59 ERA after his first four starts.

The good news: We’ve not seen the best of Dollander. Not even close. Watch the late life on his fastball and disappearing changeup, and it is clear it will work out.

But who else will join him? Where is the wave of young starters who should be reaching the shore after so many high draft picks the past five years?

This is where the whiffs on Riley Pint as the fourth overall pick in 2016 and Ryan Rolison with the 22nd selection in 2018 hurt. The Rockies can ill afford to miss with pitchers given the reluctance to spend on premium free agents and inability to convince reclamation projects to take their money. Some loyal emailers insist left-handers Sean Sullivan and Carson Palmquist will become impact arms in the big leagues. And down the line, maybe Brody Brecht will reach his potential.

Forgive me for not holding my breath.

The number of standout homegrown starters the Rockies have drafted requires squinting, a list that includes Kyle Freeland, Aaron Cook, Jon Gray, Jeff Francis and Jason Jennings.

The Rockies’ rotation is deep on hard workers, but shallow on star performers. projects the starting five — Austin Gomber will start the season on the IL with a shoulder injury — to post a 25-37 record with a 4.70 ERA. Gomber is the only starter predicted to eclipse 150 innings.

Freeland earned the Opening Day assignment, and he loves the makeup of this group. Manager Bud Black and general manager Bill Schmidt stress how the return of a healthy German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela will make a difference.

But it never does.

No one puts on the hard hat like the trio of Freeland, Marquez and Senzatela. But in 22 combined years with the Rockies, they have produced four seasons with a 3.0 WAR or better.

It is easy to root for them because they have overcome a variety of injuries and, with no excuses, taken the ball at altitude, which wrinkles pitchers faster than a daily carton of smokes.

Even owner Dick Monfort conceded something has to change during spring training — identifying the macro issue of the league needing a salary cap. He is not wrong, but that is not going to change until the 2027 season, at the earliest.

It does nothing to address the issue of a lack of prospects, of winning on the margins with more money devoted to scouting and analytics.

We can count on the Rockies to work hard. They always do. But logging a good day’s shift is not admirable in pro sports. It is all about results.

And the starting rotation is a reminder of why they will finish last again in the National League West.

German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela, side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, roommates, best buddies, always backing each other up.

The Venezuelan right-handers never leaned on each other more than they have over the past two years, when injuries derailed their careers and contributed to the Rockies’ slide to the bottom of the National League. Now the duo is back, looking good, throwing heat and aiming to revitalize Colorado’s rotation.

“I couldn’t be happier about where those two guys are now after the two years they have been through,” pitching coach Darryl Scott said. “And I couldn’t be prouder.”

Marquez and Senzatela, who both turned 30 this winter, have been joined at the hip for nearly a decade. They were central to Colorado’s playoff seasons in 2017-18 and witnessed six consecutive losing seasons thereafter.

The duo started out together at Double-A Hartford and were roommates during their first Cactus League spring training in 2016.

“Yeah, man, we’re close,” Marquez said. “We have great respect for each other and always support each other. Then we had to push each other to get out of our situations.”

Those “situations” were dire.

Marquez, a workhorse for six seasons and an All-Star in 2021, suffered an elbow injury four starts into 2023 and underwent Tommy John surgery. Although he recovered relatively quickly and returned to the rotation last July, his comeback lasted a scant four innings. Marquez’s rebuilt elbow ligament was fine, but the strain of pitching caused a stress reaction in his elbow. The Rockies shut him down for the rest of the season.

“It was frustrating, but it is what it is,” Marquez said. “It����ap friggin’ hard to pitch with pain. But now I feel ready.”

Senzatela’s 2022 season ended when he tore his left ACL on Aug. 18 during a game at St. Louis when he took an awkward step rushing to cover first base. He returned in May 2023 but made just two starts before elbow pain forced him off the mound. He later was diagnosed with a torn UCL and had Tommy John surgery on July 26.

Senzatela returned late last season and made three starts. Although he was limited to 12 1/3 innings and posted a 6.57 ERA, it was a necessary stepping stone in his comeback.

“Senza’s” attitude sustained him during his difficult recovery.

“My frustration (level) was really high,” Senzatela said. “I mean, you work really hard, but then it����ap something followed by something else. But it’s part of the baseball life, and sometimes it����ap hard. I just wake up every day and look forward. There is nothing I can complain about.”

Early results from spring training have been encouraging. Both pitchers say their rebuilt elbows feel good, with Marquez adding, “It feels like I have a new arm.”

“I’ve been really, really happy with both of them,” Scott said. “And I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Marky’s velocity. Coming off of surgery, you wonder, ‘Is that velocity going to come back?’

“But it’s been really good. And it’s been easy velocity. Throwing in the games and throwing in the ‘pen, it doesn’t look like he’s forcing it. It’s his natural velocity.”

In early Cactus League action, Marquez’s four-seam fastball touched 98 mph, and his command was sharp.

“Now it’s about him getting the mound time to get that pitching feeling back and getting that fine touch back,” Scott said. “His slider and curve are showing well, but he’ll have to throw it enough in camp to get that true command back.”

Senzatela’s fastball has reached 97 mph, and he’s given up no runs in three games (eight innings), surrendering just two hits and one walk while striking out five. He’s been Colorado’s most impressive spring starter.

“I feel really good right now, and my mindset is just to go out and do the best job I can,” Senzatela said. “I want to work my (butt) off every day to try to make the team in spring training.”

It seems like a no-brainer that “Senza” will be part of the rotation, but with a corps of young starters close to graduating to the majors, he’s taking nothing for granted. His commitment doesn’t go unnoticed.

“That guy works, man,” Scott said. “He’s a grinder. He’s not somebody who you ever question about their work ethic. That’s showing up in the games.”

During the pitchers’ two-year absence, manager Bud Black missed their camaraderie.

“There are times when, in a game, when it����ap hot, there’s a crisis, the game is in the balance, and they both will encourage each through Spanish,” Black said. “It’s loud enough that the other guy can hear it, from the dugout to the mound … cheering them on, pulling for them hard. It����ap cool. You can tell that they really care for each other.”

Senzatela grew up in Valencia, Venezuela, about 450 miles from San Felix, where Marquez was raised. Senzatela was born Jan. 21, 1995, and Marquez was born 32 days later. Marquez made his big-league debut Sept. 8, 2016. Senzatela’s debut came April 16, 2017.

But their time together in Colorado purple could be nearing an end.

Marquez is entering the final year of his contract. He’s making $10 million, but the deal is structured so that he can earn up to $20 million if he stays healthy and pitches well enough to reach incentives. A trade is possible if the Rockies are out of the playoff hunt by the end of July and Marquez is pitching well.

“I don’t want to think about it,” he said. “I just want to play baseball and see what happens. Whatever it is, I’ll be ready for it.”

Senzatela’s future in Colorado is more secure. Following the 2021 season, he signed a five-year deal worth $50.5 million, including a club option for the 2027 season. He’s scheduled to make $12 million this season, $12 million in 2026 and, if the Rockies pick up his option, $14 million in ’27.

The duo knows this could be their last hurrah together. They want to make the most of it.

“I feel we have a good team to go out and compete,” Senzatela said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys with veteran guys. The young guys are more experienced, more relaxed. I like our mix.”

Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

Although I’m not expecting much from the Rockies this season, I do feel like there is a lot of young talent on this roster. So, out of the young guys who got significant playing time last year (Brenton Doyle, Michael Toglia, Ezequiel Tovar, Nolan Jones) and the young prospects who didn’t see a lot of MLB time (Jordan Beck, Drew Romo, etc.), who do you expect the biggest jump from and who will break out? Thanks, Patrick!

— Zach, Fort Collins

Zach, that is the multi-million-dollar question of this camp.

I will assume you’re asking about position players instead of pitching prospects such as Chase Dollander, Carson Palmquist and Zach Agnos.

Before spending time at spring training, I would have said Jordan Beck would be the breakout player. He still might be, but Zac Veen is the player who’s sparked my interest. he brings energy and fire to the team. He still makes some mistakes — he thought he’d hit a homer the other day and stopped to admire his handiwork before realizing it was a double — but he’s maturing. I hope the Rockies don’t try to rein him in too much. Let him color outside the lines once in a while.

I also think it’s a good sign that young players like Michael Toglia, Beck and Veen are a little ticked off that most people are writing off the Rockies already. They think they’re going to surprise a lot of pundits. We’ll see.

Patrick, I’m excited about Chase Dollander. I can’t remember a time we’ve ever had a pitching prospect so highly rated (I don’t think Ubaldo Jimenez ever had this kind of hype before reaching the majors). Do you think we’ll see Dollander on the opening day roster, and what do you think his ceiling will be?

— Colton, Parker

Colton, I’m excited, too. So are the Rockies. When Dollander made his Cactus League debut on Monday, it was clear that he’s special. His fastball jumps at hitters and his off-speed pitches are already polished.

So, yes, barring injury or a significant setback, I expect him to be in the rotation when the regular season begins. Why waste his talent in the minors if he’s ready to pitch and learn at the big-league level?

Plus, the Rockies are not watering down their expectations regarding Dollander, and that speaks volumes.

In some ways, Dollander reminds me of Jimenez, but Dollander’s delivery is simpler and more repeatable.

If you recall, there was a lot of hype around Jon Gray when the Rockies took him with the third pick in 2013, but he arrived as a powerful fastball-slider pitcher with much to learn. Dollander is far ahead of Gray at a similar stage of their careers.

Dollander has the talent to be the best starting pitcher in Rockies history. But there are so many variables — health, pitching at altitude, dealing with setbacks that are sure to come — that it’s far too early to say he’s going to be a true ace.

Will the Rockies ever consider trading from a surplus of prospects to progress more quickly in their rebuild? Right now they have Nolan Jones, Zac Veen, Yanquiel Fernandez, Jordan Beck, Benny Montgomery and others (including Charlie Condon) competing for two spots. It seems like an organization more confident in its player development and evaluation would pick one guy it really likes to hold onto and send the other four off for a high-impact, established slugger who can stick around for the other spot. Instead, the Rockies treat prospects like throwing spaghetti at a wall — they hope one player will be good, but prove to the league that the other guys won’t stick so that they no longer have any trade value. Do you see the Rockies ever proactively using prospect depth? Or will they continue to let them wash out at the major league level?

— Isaac Bowen, Fort Collins

Isaac, the short answer is yes. General manager Bill Schmidt has told me that he’s open to trading prospects if the right deal comes along and the timing is right.

While I understand your frustration with many of the Rockies’ moves (or non-moves) over the years, I don’t agree with your premise about the current crop of prospects. I think the smart move is to develop the young players this season to determine what they have. Then, in 2026, when the Rockies’ playoff window might open, they could trade prospects for an impactful, difference-making veteran.

If the Rockies shock baseball by playing .500 or better this season, trading a top prospect this summer would be wise.

When should we expect the Rockies TV schedule to be announced? Is it gonna be the same as last season?

— Daniel, Louisville

Daniel, from everything I’ve been told, the Rockies will again be televised by Rockies.TV and most of their games will be shown. Here is a link to my story from last year about how fans can watch Rockies games.

Who leads the Rockies in saves this season?

— Greg, Syracuse, N.Y.

Wow, Greg, that’s a tricky question. As I wrote recently, the Rockies would like one of their hard-throwing young right-handers, either Seth Halvorsen or Victor Vodnik, to win the job. But there is a lot of competition and youth in the bullpen. That will mean a lot of growing pains, forcing manager Bud Black to mix and match the back end of his bullpen for much of the season.

Ideally, one pitcher owns the closer’s job and leads the team in saves. I’m going with Vodnik.