Tovar, So Good: Rockies Prolong Ezequiel Tovar

Up till now, the Rockies had made little or no noise this offseason. After agreeing to extensions with Germán Márquez and Charlie Blackmon simply earlier than the 2023 season wrapped up, Colorado spent a mere $3.5 million on main league free agent offers within the six months since, the fewest of any group within the majors. But, on the tail finish of a protracted, quiet winter, the Rockies lastly made headlines, when on Sunday they signed 22-year-old Ezequiel Tovar to a long-term contract extension. The deal, which begins instantly, pays Tovar $63.5 million over the following seven years. After that, the Rockies have a $20.5 million group possibility for 2031, the shortstop’s age-29 season.

Throughout three offseasons on the helm for Colorado, normal supervisor Invoice Schmidt has largely averted multi-year free agent offers, with one notable exception: Kris Bryant and the seven-year, $182 million pact he signed earlier than the 2022 season. Over the previous two winters, the Rockies are one in every of solely three groups to not have signed a single multi-year free agent deal; the opposite two golf equipment, the Pirates and Orioles, have outspent Colorado by totals of $37.71 million and $10.13 million, respectively. Nevertheless, free company isn’t the one means for groups to maintain gamers round for longer durations of time. Below Schmidt, the Rockies have signed eight gamers to multi-year extensions; solely the Braves have prolonged extra gamers on multi-year offers in that span. Atlanta has gotten way more extension consideration, however that is how Colorado operates, too.

Even so, the Tovar deal represents a special strategy for the Rockies as a result of it’s the first time that Schmidt has prolonged a participant with fewer than 4 years of service. It’s additionally the longest extension the Rockies have awarded since February 2019, once they signed Nolan Arenado to an eight-year, $260 million deal that started in 2020. Furthermore, whereas we’ve got began to see increasingly more pre-arb gamers signing long-term extensions across the majors, a lot of these gamers both are stars or have star potential. Maybe the one good comp for Tovar’s extension is the eight-year, $50 million deal Keibert Ruiz signed with the Nationals after placing up a 91 wRC+ and 1.8 WAR in 2022, his first full season. Then once more, even Ruiz arguably had the next ceiling on the time. Tovar is perhaps in a category of his personal on the subject of low-ceiling, high-floor kids signing profitable long-term offers.

Getting into the 2023 season, Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin ranked Tovar no. 41 on our High 100 Prospects checklist, describing him as “a implausible defensive shortstop” with “poor plate self-discipline” that “considerably undermines his wonderful bat-to-ball ability.” One yr later, Tovar is not a prospect, however that is still the prevailing report. He completed his debut season with the bottom stroll price and the second-highest O-Swing% amongst certified NL batters. He additionally completed with 16 OAA and 13 DRS; the one shortstop to outpace him in each metrics was Dansby Swanson. Regardless of his 70 wRC+, worst amongst certified NL hitters, Tovar completed his rookie season with 1.6 WAR. That’s hardly star-level efficiency, however a 1.6-WAR participant remains to be an enormous league common.

Let’s get the dangerous stuff out of the way in which first: Tovar’s offensive numbers final season have been pitiful. One of many solely areas by which he was above common was batting common, and Coors Area possible inflated that quantity. His plate self-discipline was dreadful, as anticipated, however so have been his contact abilities, which got here as one thing of a shock. Tovar ranked 66th out of 72 certified NL hitters involved price, and he wasn’t simply whiffing on pitches outdoors the zone. Whereas his O-Contact% was poor, his Z-Contact% additionally got here in beneath league common.

On the brilliant facet, when he did handle to place the ball in play, Tovar confirmed flashes of his promising hit instrument. His .378 xwOBAcon was a number of ticks above league common, because of his line drive tendencies. He ranked within the 71st percentile in Baseball Savant’s Candy-Spot% and completed seventh amongst certified NL gamers in line drive price. If he could make extra contact, particularly on pitches within the strike zone, his offensive numbers will enhance even when he by no means provides a lick of self-discipline to his recreation. If he can enhance his plate self-discipline, then all the higher. For what it’s price, he considerably improved his stroll price throughout his remaining season within the minor leagues, prompting his Double-A supervisor, Chris Denorfia, to rave about Tovar’s development. “He’s made this developmental soar,” Denorfia informed David Laurila in 2022. “One thing clicked to the place he’s recognizing conditions the place pitchers are going to attempt to get him to chase.” Plate self-discipline is a special animal within the majors than within the minors, however nonetheless, it’s price acknowledging that it is a ability he has efficiently improved prior to now.

Tovar additionally confirmed off 69th-percentile dash velocity in 2023. He gained’t ever be a weapon on the basepaths, however with velocity like that, he needs to be a greater base runner than his numbers final yr would counsel; he went 11-for-16 on stolen base makes an attempt and was price -0.6 BsR. Lengthy story quick, it is a participant with far more offensive potential than we noticed final season, and he has a robust sufficient glove to permit him to nurse his rising pains on the highest stage whereas nonetheless contributing optimistic worth to his membership.

Courtesy of Dan Szymborski, here’s what the ZiPS projections envision for Tovar over the following eight years:

With projections like that, ZiPS would give Tovar $92 million over seven years. That’s greater than he’ll make even when the Rockies choose up his group possibility for an eighth yr.

With all that in thoughts, it’s simple to see why the Rockies provided Tovar a long-term extension. We’ve already seen his flooring, and it’s moderately sturdy — he generally is a priceless participant even when he’s the worst hitter within the league. The Rockies might do a heck of quite a bit worse than pay $9 million per yr for seven seasons of a 1.5-win shortstop. What’s extra, it gained’t take a lot for this deal to pay dividends in Colorado. If Tovar’s hit instrument progresses in opposition to large league pitching, he would blossom into an above-average shortstop all through his twenties.

As for Tovar, his youth has gifted him the uncommon alternative to money in now with out giving up the prospect to signal one other long-term deal. His $63.5 million assure is greater than the overwhelming majority of gamers will earn of their careers, but he can nonetheless attain free company earlier than his thirtieth birthday. If Colorado picks up its membership possibility, Tovar must wait one other yr to check the open market. But, if the Rockies are comfy paying $20.5 million for his companies (even the Rockies, and even in 2031 {dollars}), that implies Tovar will likely be taking part in properly sufficient to money in on the free agent market at 30 years previous. The 2 or three free agent years he’s dropping aren’t nothing, particularly for a glove-first participant. Nonetheless, Tovar needed to sacrifice one thing for lifelong monetary safety, and it’s not obscure why he made that alternative.

In the end, it is a rock stable transfer for each side. The Rockies are betting they secured three further years with a superb shortstop at price ticket properly beneath market worth. If that doesn’t work out, they’re solely barely overpaying one of many higher defensive gamers in baseball. In the meantime, Tovar will get to work out his kinks on the MLB stage with out ever having to fret about cash, and if all the pieces goes in accordance with plan, he can nonetheless signal a profitable free agent deal within the 2030s. Now, each side can get to work on what they should do subsequent: Tovar will attempt to enhance his plate self-discipline, whereas the Rockies will look to accumulate, develop, and sure, lengthen the celebs who may also help them escape the NL West basement.