Best Rockies to wear each uniform number

DENVER -- Plenty of players have put up big stats in a Rockies uniform and become synonymous with their jersey numbers, while others have had more modest tenures with the organization.

MLB.com is looking back at the best players to wear each number in franchise history since the 1993 inaugural season. In some cases, players wore multiple numbers in their Rockies careers. To include as many of the notable players as possible, MLB.com is listing the numbers used, and the years they wore that specific number.

0: RHP Adam Ottavino (2013-18)
The extreme movement on Ottavino’s slider made him a highly effective relief pitcher and a fan favorite.

1: INF Jamey Carroll (2006-07)
A versatile leader, Carroll’s sacrifice fly in the 13th inning drove in the winning run in the classic 2007 Game 163 against the Padres.

2: SS Troy Tulowitzki (2007-15)
For much of his time in Purple Pinstripes, Tulowitzki was on the short list of best players at his position in the sport.

3: OF Michael Cuddyer (2012-14)
A key free-agent signee and leader on young teams, Cuddyer won a batting title with the Rockies.

4: SS Juan Uribe (2001-03)
Uribe flashed his range and arm during the early stages of a career that would take him to several playoff teams.

5: OF Matt Holliday (2004-08), OF Carlos González (2009-18)
These All-Stars were swapped in a trade with the Athletics after the 2008 season.

6: OF Corey Dickerson (2013-15)
Dickerson made an immediate impact with the bat.

7: C Joe Girardi (1993-95)
One of the team’s earliest standouts, Girardi handled the pitching staff of the 1995 playoff squad.

8: C Yorvit Torrealba (2006-09, 2013)
Torrealba came up with big hits during the 2007 run to the World Series, and led the pitching staff during the '09 playoff run.

9: 3B Vinny Castilla (1993-99, 2004, 2006)
Castilla’s power at third base made him an All-Star and a key cog in a powerful lineup.

10: OF Dante Bichette (1993-99)
Forever remembered for his 14th-inning game-winning homer in the Coors Field opener in 1995, Bichette was a four-time All-Star.

11: OF Brad Hawpe (2004-10)
Hawpe was a mainstay in right field, and he represented the team in an All-Star Game.

12: INF Clint Barmes (2004-06, 08-10)
Barmes had long runs as a starter at shortstop and second base.

13: MGR Clint Hurdle (2002-03; 2005-09)
Hurdle wore 13 as a player because many believed it to be unlucky. He wore it as coach and manager for all but one year, when he went to 31 to accommodate lefty Jeff Fassero.

14: 1B Andres Galarraga (1993-97)
Galarraga won the National League batting title in the team’s inaugural season, and made two All-Star Games with the club.

15: OF Raimel Tapia (2018-present)
Tapia, a long-touted prospect, emerged as the team’s leadoff hitter in 2020.

16: RHP Huston Street (2009-11)
The closer during some solid seasons for the team, Street earned 84 saves for the Rockies.

17: 1B Todd Helton (1997-2013)
A Hall of Fame candidate, Helton was the first player in club history to have his jersey retired.

18: RHP Bruce Ruffin (1993-97)
A key bullpen member through the Rockies’ early years, Ruffin compiled 6.8 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference.

19: OF Charlie Blackmon (2013-present)
Blackmon, who wore No. 8 during his first two seasons, has played in four All-Star Games and won a batting title in 2017.

20: C Chris Iannetta (2006-11)
Iannetta, who wore No. 22 during his second go-round with Colorado (2018-19), is the team’s leader among catchers in home runs (75) and RBIs (281).

21: 2B Eric Young (1993-97)
E.Y., who returned as first-base coach from 2014-16, leads all Rockies with 180 stolen bases.

22: SS, MGR Walt Weiss (1994-97)
Weiss was a key member of the 1995 lineup that went to the postseason, when he tallied a .403 on-base percentage.

23: 1B Jason Giambi (2009-12)
Brought in for his experience during the successful 2009 postseason run, Giambi was a valued member for three more seasons.

24: CF Dexter Fowler (2009-13)
The switch-hitting Fowler’s 53 triples are most in club history.

25: MGR Don Baylor (1998-98; 2009-10)
The Rockies' original manager, Baylor was such a beloved figure that he was later brought back as hitting coach.

26: CF Ellis Burks (1994-98)
Burks, a key member of 1990s lineups, led the Majors in runs (142) and total bases (392) during his magical 1996 All-Star year.

27: SS Trevor Story (2016-present)
Story set records at the beginning of his rookie year, and has represented the Rockies in two All-Star Games.

28: 3B Nolan Arenado (2013-present)
Eight years, eight Gold Glove Awards -- plus three seasons at the top of the National League in home runs.

29: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (2008-16)
De La Rosa tops the Rockies in wins (86) and strikeouts (985).

30: RHP Kevin Ritz (1994-98)
A low-key fellow, Ritz became the team’s most dependable pitcher during the run to the 1995 playoffs.

31: OF Cory Sullivan (2005-06)
Sullivan’s speed and athletic ability were reasons he is regarded as the best center-field defender in Rockies history.

32: RHP Jason Jennings (2002-06)
Jennings wore No. 57 in 2001, when he shut out the Mets and homered in his debut. He won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in ’02.

33: OF Larry Walker (1995-2004)
In 2020, Walker, whose signing in 1995 legitimized an expansion club, became the club’s first Hall of Famer.

34: RHP Pedro Astacio (1997-2001)
Before the Rockies began storing baseballs in a humidor in 2002, Astacio was an unknown gem whose numbers were obscured by factors that made Coors Field even more offense-oriented than today.

35: RHP Chad Bettis (2013-19)
Bettis was one of the team’s most effective starters during his time, and his comeback from testicular cancer made him unforgettable.

36: PC Bob Apodaca (2002-13)
If people thought Coors was an impossible place to pitch, imagine what it was like for a pitching coach. Yet Apodaca lasted and thrived.

37: RHP Josh Fog (2006-07)
During the run to the World Series in 2007, Fogg was known as “Dragon Slayer” for his penchant for winning against the game’s most heralded pitchers.

38: RHP Ubaldo Jiménez (2006-11)
Jiménez owns the only no-hitter and All-Star Game start in club history, both during his standout 2010 season.

39: RHP Steve Reed (1993-97; 2003-04)
Reed appeared in 461 games and logged 499 relief innings in Purple Pinstripes.

40: LHP Brian Fuentes (2003-08)
Not only did Fuentes earn 115 saves in 138 opportunities, but he set a club record for relievers with three All-Star Game appearances.

41: LHP Brian Bohanon (1999-2001)
A late-90s free-agent signing, Bohanon earned 29 wins with Colorado.

42: RHP Armando Reynoso (1993-96)
Before MLB retired No. 42 in 1997 as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, Reynoso compiled a 4.65 ERA -- respectable for that high-scoring era -- in 89 games (87 starts).

43: LHP Mike Muñoz (1993-98)
A valued reliever, Muñoz went 15-14 with a 5.50 ERA in 300 appearances.

44: OF Preston Wilson (2003-05)
In his big 2003, Wilson made the All-Star Game and drove in a National League-leading 141 runs.

45: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (2009-14)
According to Baseball-Reference, Chacin’s 120 ERA+ is second in Rockies history to Jimenez’s 128.

46: RHP Jason Hammel (2009-11)
Hammel struck out 2.34 batters for every walk while with the Rockies.

47: RHP Dave Veres (1998-99)
In 1998, Veres posted a 2.83 ERA in 63 games, with 74 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings pitched.

48: RHP German Márquez (2017-present)
In 2018, Márquez set a Rockies single-season mark with 230 strikeouts.

49: RHP Jose Jiménez (2000-01)
Converted from starter to closer after arriving in a trade from the Cardinals, Jimenez set a then-club record with 41 saves in 2002.

50: RHP Jamie Moyer (2012)
Moyer’s brief time in Purple Pinstripes saw him become the oldest pitcher to win a game in MLB history (49 years, 150 days) when he beat the Padres on April 17, 2012.

51: LHP Jake McGee (2016-18)
McGee earned 19 saves and struck out 178 in 195 2/3 innings.

52: RHP John Thomson (1997-2002)
A seventh-round pick in 1993, Thomson threw six complete games for the Rockies.

53: LHP Randy Flores (2009-10)
Flores also saw time with the Rockies in 2002, and appeared in 82 total games for the club.

54: RHP Carlos Estévez (2016-present)
A setup man and sometimes a closer, Estévez is known for pitches exceeding 100 mph.

55: RHP Jon Gray (2015-present)
Gray is the only pitcher in club history to reach double figures in wins in four straight seasons.

56: LHP Franklin Morales (2008-11, 2014)
Morales was part of two playoff teams -- as a rookie starter in 2007 and as a key bullpen piece in '09.

57: RHP Darryl Kile (1998-99)
A much-anticipated free-agent signing, Kile struggled at Coors with weak teams. Since his death in 2002, the Rockies have not issued his number.

58: LHP Yohan Flande (2014-16)
A longtime Minor League pitcher, Flande broke through with the Rockies at age 28.

59: RHP Todd Jones (2002-03)
A former All-Star closer with the Tigers, Jones appeared in 112 games mostly as a setup man for the Rockies.

60: RHP Manny Corpas (2006-10, 2013)
Corpas will forever be remembered as the rookie closer during the 2007 run to the World Series.

61: RHP Ramón Ramírez (2006-07)
Ramírez made 61 appearances for the Rockies in 2006.

62: RHP Yency Almonte (2018-present)
Almonte had a breakthrough year in 2020 -- 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA in 24 appearances.

63: RHP Rafael Betancourt (2009-13, 2015)
Betancourt, whose acquisition helped set the bullpen for the 2009 playoff run, earned 58 saves.

64: RHP Simon Castro (2015)
Castro’s 11 games in 2015 (2-0, 6.10 ERA) marked the only times his number has been worn by a player or a coach.

65: OF Stephen Cardullo (2016)
Signed out of independent ball, Cardullo hit two homers during a 27-game trial in 2016. He switched to No. 16 in '17.

66: John Axford (2015)
Axford made 60 Rockies appearances and managed a 4.20 ERA in 25 saves.

71: RHP Wade Davis (2018-20)
Davis led the National League in saves and set a club record with 43 in 2018.

72: OF-1B Jordan Patterson (2016)
Patterson went 8-for-18 with a double and two RBIs in his only Major League action.

74: UTL Pat Valaika (2016)
Valaika broke in wearing this number and knocked his first big league homer during a 13-game cameo, then crushed 13 homers (wearing No. 4) in 2017.

77: RHP Matt Herges (2009)
Herges is best remembered wearing No. 34 as a key veteran reliever from 2007-08, but after beginning ’09 with the Indians, he threw his final career games with the Rockies wearing No. 77.

88: LHP Josh Outman (2012-13)
Fittingly, Outman threw 88 games for the Rockies, going 4-3 with a 5.99 ERA.

97: RHP Joe Beimel (2009-10)
Beimel posted a solid 3.56 ERA in, fittingly, 97 appearances with the Rockies.

99: RHP Turk Wendell (2004)
Known for effective relief pitching and many quirks, Wendell finished his career with 12 games for the Rockies.