How do we judge the 2026 version of the Colorado Rockies fairly?
On one hand, the answer to this question is simple. It’s wins and losses. This is professional sports and while plenty of elements of the game are important and worthy of analysis, they are all supposed to be in service of winning games.
On the other hand, the MLB club that calls Denver home hasn’t done much winning of late. Three straight 100 loss seasons. Last year dropping 119. Breaking records that have stood for over 100 years. And not in a good way.
When that is your starting point, how do you earnestly assess this team?
For me, it comes down to two words: Progress and Fun.
Fun can be difficult to measure and vary from person to person. Back to the original point, some folks can’t have fun without winning so let’s start with “progress” which is much easier to measure.
Of course, one might be inclined to start right back in the W/L columns and so we must. At 6-11, as of the publishing of this piece, the Rockies are tied with San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox for the worst records in MLB.
Not a ton of progress to be found here. Bottom of the standings. But at least they have company! Many have noted that it took quite a bit longer in 2026 for the Rox to win six games or their first series. So their current five-game losing streak doesn’t look quite as terrible in that context.
A current winning percentage of .353 is considerably better than their .265 a year ago. If held for the season, it would amount to a 104-loss campaign. Bad. But a 15 game improvement.
Another stat that goes a long way toward helping predict future wins and losses is run differential. This, it could be argued, tells the true story of how epically terrible the team was a year ago.
They couldn’t quite match the Cleveland Spiders 1899 record of a -723. Nobody is touching that. But they did obliterate all modern records with a -424.
Obviously, it’s early and all these stats should be kept in that context. But so far, this is the biggest sign of positive progress. The Rockies currently sit at a -7 run differential which is pretty excellent for a team with five more losses than wins. Compared to the other last-place clubs, the Rockies are doing quite well.
The Red Sox are at a -13, the Giants at a -22 and the White Sox are at a whopping -33.
Meanwhile, the Rockies already have lost five one-run games on the season. They also dropped a pair in San Diego by a total of seven runs despite not losing those games until the final batter.
The most recent tough one to take came in Houston against the Astros. It was an ugly game that at times looked reminiscent of a season ago. Most especially, the sixth inning. They committed two errors, a balk, and a fielder’s choice mistake that added up to six runs for the Astros. It all felt so familiar. But what happened next was not.
Colorado turned to Antonio Senztela after that nightmare inning ran Michael Lorenzen from the game. Senza proceeded to dominate. He kept his scoreless 2026 going with 3.1 innings of fantastic pitching. And that allowed the Rockies to climb back into it over the next few innings.
Clawing back over the rest of the game, the visitors were down just one run going into the ninth. Then, with two outs, two consecutive players delivered two consecutive two-strike base hits. This put the tying run at third base. Jordan Beck would ultimately strike out and the rally was cut just short.
Just one year ago? No way does that team recover from their truly embarrassing gaffs early on to put the tying run 90 feet away for the final at-bat. Progress.
But is it fun?
That is a measure that everyone will have to decide for themselves. In a season where the club is playing with house money, I’m inclined to argue that every little positive can be a source of fun. None of us were under any illusions that this team might win the NL West this year. So why not enjoy Beck making one of the best catches in recent memory?
Why not enjoy the emergence of TJ Rumfield? Why not bask in the renaissance of Antonio Senzatela? Surely, there’s a ton of excitement left in the story of Chase Dollander.
When the team swept the Astros as home, it was tempting to declare them a brand new ballclub. And in many ways, literally and figuratively, they are. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
Similarly, getting swept by the Padres and dropping a tough one in Houston might lead some to suggest that nothing has changed. Same old Rockies. After all, how much should we care about run differential if they keep losing games?
That’s up for everyone to decide for themselves. The team seems to be having more fun. I think most fans are too.
But more importantly, they’re making progress.