Rockies’ outfield renovation needs breakout player. Jordan Beck will get the first shot.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The rebuilding Rockies need another outfielder to pop in 2025.

Pop, meaning, burst onto the scene. Pop, as in, park some baseballs over the fence.

Jordan Beck just might be their man.

As Rockies position players hold their first official spring training workout on Tuesday at Salt River Fields, Beck is the leading contender to win the right field job. Colorado would dearly love for the 23-year-old to take a giant leap forward.

After all, the Rockies’ outfield offense has been sub-par for several years. In 2024, it ranked 22nd in the majors in home runs (52), 19th in batting average (.240), and 21st in OPS (.695). All of that while playing 81 home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Colorado outfielders also combined for a 28.6% strikeout rate, the highest in the majors.

But manager Bud Black sees better production on the horizon.

“We have some good, exciting talent coming up,” Black said. “Now it’s a matter of when they pop.”

Two-time Gold Glove winner Brenton Doyle is already a fixture in center field and the Rockies are hoping Nolan Jones can bounce back from a difficult 2024 season and start in left field.

That leaves right open for Beck, who debuted last season but saw success scuttled by a fractured hand in his 23rd big-league game. Now healthy, he’s confident that his time has arrived.

“I just need to go out there and play because I know what I can do,” he said. “I can hit singles, I can hit doubles and I can hit homers. I can steal bases and I can play good defense. I don’t think it has to be more complicated than that.

“That’s what I do, and that’s what I have done my whole life. Now, I just have to go out there and do it for the Rockies.”

Others will compete with Beck to see if they can bust through and make the big-league roster. The list includes Sam Hilliard (likely the fourth outfielder and backup in center),  Zac Veen, Yanquiel Fernandez, Benny Montgomery, Sean Bouchard, Cole Carrig and Sterlin Thompson.

But Beck has the inside track.

“He’s the guy who probably gets the first crack at what you would call everyday at-bats,” Black said. “The skill set and where he is maturity-wise makes him pretty adept at handling all of this.”

Beck exceeded expectations last spring.

He was initially penciled in to open the regular season at Double-A Hartford, but he wowed the Rockies’ staff during camp, slashing .370/.433/.519. So he started his season at Triple-A Albuquerque, hit .307 with five home runs and 28 RBIs in his first 25 games, and waited for his call to the majors.

It arrived on April 30, but his stint was short. He jammed his left hand in the turf while trying to make a diving catch in left field and was placed on the injured list on May 26 with a fractured left hand (fourth metacarpal) and missed 60 games.

He returned to the Rockies on Aug. 12 and slashed .187/.282/.242 with one home run over his final 32 games. Beck finished the season hitting .188, with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 55 major league games.

Those are not great numbers, but the Rockies are convinced that Beck’s talent is there. That’s why they drafted him out of the University of Tennessee with the 38th overall pick in 2022.

“Jordan got exposed a little bit in the big leagues, and he knows he has to do some things to improve his swing, just like Doyle did,” Black said. “We think Jordan has the aptitude to do that. He’s got power, and he can hit and he can field. He’s an all-around player.”

Plus, Beck has the intangible qualities that set him apart.

“What we like — we, meaning the coaches, and I think his teammates — is that there’s a self-confidence there,” Black said. “I‘ve said this same thing about (Gold Glove shortstop Ezequiel) Tovar. I think, with Jordan, there’s self-assurance about how he goes about things.”