Gold Glover Doyle focuses on elevating his offense

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Brenton Doyle made a good deal of history in 2023. He became the first National League outfielder to win a Gold Glove Award for his rookie season and he set a Statcast record when he unleashed a 105.7 mph missile from center field to home plate last September.

While he’s all for elite defense, Doyle would like to add some offensive accolades to his resume. He hit .203/.250/.343 with 10 home runs in 431 plate appearances last year, and while the Rockies had long been in search of their center fielder of the future -- one who could man the cavernous center field of their home ballpark -- they need him to hit some, too.

So they’ve been happy to see how well Doyle is hitting through the first couple of weeks of Cactus League play. He continued that trend in Friday afternoon’s 8-7 loss to the Angels in Tempe, driving in a pair of runs with a second-inning single. With his 1-for-2 performance (he also walked), the 25-year-old is batting .429 (9-for-21) this spring.

All of those hits are singles. But let’s not get picky.

“I’m gonna get on base and use my speed to get into scoring position,” Doyle said. “The homers and extra-base hits, they’re gonna happen.”

The Rockies identified some mechanical adjustments Doyle could make toward the end of last season. It’s only early March, but the early returns have been good.

Doyle has focused on being more efficient with his swing, positioning his hands in such a way that he has a more direct path to the baseball. He’s also been keeping more weight on his back leg during his set-up at the plate.

“It’s about giving my eyes a little more time to react to pitches,” Doyle said. “And the point right before I get my barrel through the zone, just keeping that a little tighter than I usually do. It helps me stay inside the ball -- that’s been a big emphasis.”

With how well he plays defense, even a league-average offensive production makes Doyle worth his weight -- or, in this case, his glove -- in gold. The Rockies didn’t have a positive number in the defensive runs saved category for center field in any season from 2017-22, averaging a -14.

Doyle’s DRS last year was +19, highest among MLB center fielders. He also led all outfielders in Statcast Outs Above Average, with +15.

If the bat comes around, Doyle could quickly become one of the best players on the roster.

“He worked really hard this winter,” manager Bud Black said of Doyle. “Bam-Bam [hitting coach Hensley Meulens] and the hitting coaches were in constant communication with him all along the way. They identified some things and he took those to heart. We’re thinking that it’s going to translate into the regular season.”

Gomber bounces back
Austin Gomber’s third Cactus League outing of the spring went much better than his second. After getting hit hard for five runs over 1 1/3 innings against a star-studded Dodgers lineup last Sunday, the left-hander tossed three scoreless frames against the Angels on Friday. He yielded three hits, walked one and struck out three.

The difference this time was that he had a feel for all of his pitches instead of trying to get by on mostly fastballs.

“Between last time out and this time out, it was more just trying to get the ball out of my glove maybe a touch -- a millisecond -- earlier,” Gomber said. “I think earlier I was kind of coming around late and it was affecting my command. Today, all four pitches were in the strike zone at times. So, not much more you can ask for in spring.”

Gomber has shown glimpses of dominance since arriving in Colorado as part of the trade that sent Nolan Arenado to St. Louis in 2021. But injuries -- particularly back troubles -- and inconsistency have prevented him from any sort of sustained success.

The 30-year-old southpaw did make some rather imperceptible, but nonetheless important mechanical changes in the offseason that seem to be working, both to alleviate pressure on his back and improve the consistency of his command.

The Rockies are hoping that Gomber’s adjustments, coupled with the newfound velocity and new changeup Kyle Freeland is featuring, will buoy a starting rotation that will be without Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela to open the season. Both are recovering from Tommy John surgery, with Márquez aiming to be back this summer and Senzatela expected to miss all of the 2024 campaign.