Brenton Doyle showcased his fielding and throwing prowess as a defensive center fielder for the Rockies last season, clinching a gold glove in his rookie year in the majors. Yet, his offensive game needed a boost to solidify his impact on Colorado’s roster. However, through the initial 24 games of the 2024 MLB season, Doyle has demonstrated significant improvement at the plate.
In 126 games last season, Doyle struggled with a .203 batting average, .250 on-base percentage, and .593 OPS. Yet, in 23 games this season, Doyle boasts a stellar .313 batting average (leading the Rockies), .352 OBP, and .882 OPS. Doyle has already amassed 26 hits, including three home runs—quite a leap from the 10 homers he managed all of last season—along with 7 RBIs and four walks, albeit coupled with 27 strikeouts. If Doyle can maintain control over his strikeouts, it could greatly bolster his offensive consistency throughout the season.
After striking out at a 35% clip last season, Doyle has managed to reduce that rate to 30% this season. Given Doyle’s exceptional speed, strikeouts can’t afford to be a frequent occurrence. His agility on the base paths is formidable, with BaseballSavant.com rating his base running run value in the 91st percentile and his sprint speed in the 94th percentile. While Rockies fans are familiar with Doyle’s speed in the outfield, they’ve been treated to frequent displays of it on the base paths early in the season.
Doyle has been a prolific generator of extra-base hits this season, tallying seven doubles and one triple so far, a marked improvement from his 16 doubles and five triples last season. This surge in extra-base hits could be attributed to Doyle’s increased hard contact this season. According to BaseballSavant, Doyle’s hard-hit rate has risen to 46.4% and his sweet-spot rate to 42.9%, up from 35% and 29.9% respectively last season.
His improved hitting comes at a crucial time for the struggling Rockies, who have stumbled to a record of 6-18, with Doyle standing out as one of the few bright spots. The Rockies are hopeful that Doyle can sustain this impressive start throughout the season. He can fulfill his potential as a five-tool outfielder and becoming a linchpin of the team’s young core, alongside shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and fellow outfielder Nolan Jones.
