Michael Toglia

Toglia played in 45 games for the Rockies last season but spent the final month of the campaign in the minors. He had a .163/.224/.284 slash line with four homers in 152 plate appearances, and he had a 34.6 percent strikeout rate through 76 career big-league contests. The 2019 first-round pick had an .842 OPS with 16 homers in 78 games at Triple-A in 2023, so he has little else to prove offensively at the minor-league level. Toglia should have a chance to earn a place on Colorado's Opening Day roster, but his opportunities are likely to be inconsistent without a significant improvement.

Toglia has a path to playing time at Coors Field, which by itself is enough to put him on the fantasy map. Whether he has anything to offer beyond his role and home park remains to be seen. The 2019 first-round pick's first taste of the big leagues last year didn't go particularly well. He got the call at the tail end of August and went on to hit .216/.275/.378 in 31 games while struggling to a 36.7 K%. To be fair to him, he'd only played in 17 Triple-A games to that point, and those couldn't have gone much better, as he posted a 1.171 OPS. His struggles in the majors suggest he could use more seasoning in the minors, and the Rockies aren't famous for moving young players quickly, but the lack of quality options in front of him means a good camp could nonetheless earn him a starting role. Even if he wins one, however, he might not be good for anything other than power, as he struck out 28.7 percent of the time throughout his minor-league career and offers little with his legs or glove.

The No. 23 overall pick in 2019, Toglia has yet to make his full-season debut and he is already 22, but he is still one of the best hitting prospects in Colorado's farm system, somewhat by default. The 6-foot-5, 226-pound first baseman can also play the outfield, and unlike most sluggers his size, he projects to add value with his glove. A switch hitter, Toglia does more damage from the left side, where he displays plus power to all fields. He projects to walk at a high clip, but given his size and the 25.6 K% he logged in short-season ball after signing in 2019, strikeouts should also be a noticeable part of the equation as he moves up the ladder. The Rockies seem to be half-heartedly entertaining a rebuild, which would clear the way for Toglia in a year or two. He played at the alternate site and in the fall instructional league. Look for him to split the 2021 season between High-A and Double-A.

On the one hand, it is immensely valuable in fantasy to have an everyday position player who plays half his games in Colorado. On the other hand, the Rockies' organizational depth chart is quite crowded and the front office has shown a willingness to bring in washed up veterans to block promising players like Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson. It's impossible to know if Toglia will get a fair shake at first base in a few years, but he has the type of offensive upside that is easy to dream on. Selected out of UCLA with the No. 23 overall pick, Toglia has easy plus power to all fields and a patient approach (15.9 BB% in the Northwest League). The 6-foot-5 switch hitter's swing is a little long, which will probably always lead to strikeout percentages in the mid-to-upper 20s, but the OBP and power of a middle-of-the-order masher should be consistently on display as he climbs the ladder.