Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The "Ranking" is an organizing principle that's drawn from Baseball Reference's WAR (rWAR). It's not something the staff debated. We'll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
During the 2025-26 offseason, the Colorado Rockies were busy trying to fill out the depth of the roster with a variety of minor league signings. Players capable of playing multiple positions while being able to raise the talent level, specifically in Triple-A Albuquerque, were a key component of the first offseason under president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.
In December, the Rockies signed 27-year-old infielder Chad Stevens to a minor league deal. Stevens ability to play nearly every infield position, along with his .281/.354/.459 slash over the last two seasons that translated into a 110 wRC+ and 28 stolen bases. Stevens also had a brief five-game stint with the Los Angeles Angels in 2025 where he picked up a pair of singles and seven strikeouts in 14 at-bats.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the Rockies infield situation, the door was wide open for players like Stevens to make an impact and perhaps find a home with the rebuilding Rockies.
In spring training, Stevens made a decent impression. Despite hitting just .200 in 40 at-bats, it was his on-base percentage of .429 along with his 13 walks against 18 strikeouts that must have given the Rockies hope that he could have been a steal of a signing and useful depth piece.
Heading to Triple-A Albuquerque, Stevens settled in nicely with the Isotopes, where he was on fire. Through his first 168 plate appearances, he slashed .362/.435/.523 (.958 OPS) with three homers, 13 doubles and a triple. He also set an Isotopes franchise record on May 19 with his 39-game on-base streak.
When Brenton Doyle was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain on May 21 , the Rockies had no choice but to reward Stevens with a call-up to the big leagues, where he started at second base against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Unfortunately, the red-hot bat that Stevens showcased in Albuquerque didn't carry over to his second big-league stint. He appeared in 16 games and batted .036/.176/.036 in 28 at-bats, collecting just one hit and three RBI while striking out 13 times with five walks. That hit for Stevens came in his second game with the Rockies, meaning he went 0-for-23 over his next 14 games.
While the bat didn't show up for Stevens, the glove definitely did. Across 78 innings in the field, primarily at second base, he recorded 1 Defensive Runs Saved and had a perfect fielding percentage. In 63 innings at second base, he had 2 DRS as well as 2 Outs Above Average and 2 Fielding Runs Value. Had the offense followed Stevens, he very likely could have gotten more opportunities to utilize his glove to make more stellar plays.
Unfortunately, because of the lack of offense, Stevens was optioned back to Albuquerque when Tyler Freeman came off the concussion list on June 14.
He continued to thrive with the Isotopes through the rest of the season. In the 59 games after his return to Triple-A, Stevens slashed .284/.392/.423 with 10 doubles, four triples, and four home runs with 28 RBI. He also drew 35 walks against 74 strikeouts while collecting 11 stolen bases.
In total, Stevens hit .316/.409/.464 with 23 doubles, five triples and seven home runs in 423 plate appearances over 99 games. He struck out 118 times, but managed 51 walks and was a key contributor to the Isotopes' improvement as a club this season.
It's hard to tell what the future holds for Stevens. Should the Rockies retain him on the 40-man roster, he can continue to serve as a utility infield depth piece with minor league options intact and several years of team control. On the other hand, 40-man roster spots are precious, and he may end up on the chopping block if the Rockies decide they want more room to protect players. The glove definitely demands big league opportunities, but the bat needs to follow and replicate some of the success in the minors.
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