The Colorado Rockies have almost always known who’s on first. Batting champions, an MVP, a Hall of Famer and the like. For nearly their entire existence, that position was on lockdown.

Not this year. This year, first base is one of the positions that’s up for grabs during spring training. Currently Edouard Julien, T.J. Rumfield, Blaine Crim and Troy Johnston are all vying to make that Opening Day lineup.

For more than three decades, that’s almost never been the case in Colorado.

It all started back in the day with Andres “The Big Cat” Galarraga, the 1993 National League batting champion, ’96 NL home run champ, two-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star, who played five seasons as a member of the “Blake Street Bombers” before being traded away to make room for… future Hall-of-Famer Todd Helton, who played left field during Galarraga’s final year in purple pinstripes. Helton took over when Galarraga left town and manned the post for the next 16 seasons, putting up stats that even Coors Field’s many haters couldn’t dispute.

After Helton retired in 2013, the Rockies had to search for a suitable replacement – someone capable with both the bat and the Gold Glove. Over the next decade, they ended up primarily going with four players, starting with former Minnesota Twin star Michael Cuddyer, who was a two-time All-Star in Denver and the 2013 NL batting champion. When Cuddyer moved on, the Rockies signed 2006 American League MVP Justin Morneau, a four-time All-Star who won the 2014 NL batting title with Colorado.

Converted third baseman Mark Reynolds, a former Arizona Diamondback, came over in 2016 and played Gold-Glove caliber defense for the Rockies’ playoff team the following season.

Reynolds’ stint was followed by the three-year, two-man disaster that was Ian Desmond and Daniel Murphy in purple pinstripes. Desmond proved that converted outfielders don’t make good first basemen, and Murphy proved that Colorado should have held on to former batting champ D.J. LeMahieu.

Things got back to normal with the signing of All-Star C.J. Cron, who with the Rockies for two seasons in 2021 and 2022 before he was traded, presumably to make room for the second coming of Helton. That was supposed to be powerful switch-hitter Michael Toglia, who, like Helton, began his Rockies career in the outfield. 2020’s top draft pick, Toglia was a wizard with the glove, but couldn’t make consistent contact at the plate, and is now with  Cincinnati Reds. If he ever learns how to stop striking out, his power and his glove work could lead to a great career. It’s just not going to happen here.

Toglia was released after last season, making way for… I don’t know.

For the first time in a very long time, the identity of the Rockies’ starter at first base in Miami on March 27th is TBD.

Depending on who you listen to, it could be that non-roster invitee Rumfield – acquired from the New York Yankees in the offseason – is the leader in the clubhouse. A left-handed hitter with 38 games of big-league experience over three seasons with the Yankees, he would have to fend off Crim, a fan favorite from last season, and newcomer Julien, who was acquired from the Twins and is currently playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada. Julien has played in the big leagues a little bit in each of the past five seasons in Minnesota. Johnston, brought over from Miami, is also on the 40-man roster. Like Julien, he has limited big-league at bats over the past four seasons.

The long-term plan looks very much like it will be 2024 first-round draft pick Charlie Condon taking over at first base in a year or so. Condon has shined at the plate in the spring, but still likely needs to prove he can consistently hit Triple-A pitching before he graduates to “The Show.”

Whoever lands the job has a legacy to live up to. Even during the times when the Rockies have been bottom-dwellers in the standings, they’ve almost always had a first baseman worthy of more.