The Colorado Rockies had never sent a catcher to the All-Star game until Elias Diaz in 2023 who ended up winning the game’s MVP award.

It was a great story, and Diaz was an underrated defender and phenomenal teammate during his time in Denver, but he was always streaky and was getting older. In the midst of a frustrating 2024 campaign, the Rox would even shop Diaz in trade conversations but his precipitous drop in production meant that nobody would even claim him off waivers once he was designated for assignment.

It was a bit of whiplash for anyone who has observed this team, and that position for a long time. For years, the best fans could hope for was that the man wearing the tools of ignorance could be a plus with the glove because none of them were providing much with the bat.

Then, suddenly, with the entire rest of the offense struggling, there were days when not only would manager Bud Black have to use the DH to get two catchers into the lineup, some days they were hitting right in the middle of the order.

Diaz, combined with newly acquired veteran Jacob Stallings, spent a decent amount of time as the Rockies best hitters, anchoring the lineup. 

But now that Diaz is gone, and Stallings is the heir apparent to start the majority of the time, a window has opened up to take another run at a young catcher who might someday blossom into something special.

This isn’t to overlook Stallings. At 35 years old, though, he isn’t the future of the position for this team. Hunter Goodman and Drew Romo, however, have the chance to stake that claim.

Goodman will get the first crack at it with the news announced today that Romo will start the season in Triple-A. Despite the fact that Romo is typically seen as the player with the higher potential here, this move makes a lot of sense for a few reasons.

First, Romo is younger, more raw, and less experienced. He has developed an odd hitch in his throw back to the pitcher that needs to be ironed out and his offense is developing nicely but still very much a work in progress.

Goodman, meanwhile, has been stuck in a kind of purgatory for a while. The Rockies struggled to get him playing time in a crowded outfield and inconsistent at-bats didn’t seem to do him any favors. Once he started getting time, though, his power potential shined through and he smacked 13 home runs in 70 games. With black praising his work behind the plate, the team felt comfortable giving him reps and he stepped up nicely.

Now Goodman has spent the offseason catching and has started Spring Training by tallying seven hits and four walks in 23 plate appearances, striking out only three times. If he can take to the finer nuances of one of the toughest positions in all of sports, the Rockies have a real wild card on their hands here. Even if his defense ends up as slightly below the average, if he can realize his potential with the bat, Colorado might have a 30-HR guy behind the plate for the first time ever.

The Rockies can afford to give Goodman an earnest chance to prove he can handle regular catching duties and provide pop at the plate, maybe even to take over for Stallings as the season wears on.

They have the luxury of knowing that if it doesn’t pan out, they still have Romo chomping at the bit and ready to prove his own worth.

Does this mean that the veteran will become a trade chip at the deadline the the team rolls with two young catchers, another extreme rarity for them? Not necessarily, but all the options are currently on the table for the Rockies who have very quickly gone from scrambling to find one guy to get excited about at this position to having three.

Obviously, Stallings isn’t in this for the long haul but his attitude and experience are fun for the fans while he is around and important for these other two guys to be able to learn from. 

Now that the depth chart has been clarified, it’s time to see if finally, for real this time, the Rockies might have a star player at catcher.