Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag. Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag. Not surprisingly, we have several questions regarding oft-injured designated hitter Kris Bryant, who’s off to a slow start. How much longe r do you think the Rockies will ride with Kris Bryant? With our young outfield depth, it’s getting disappointing seeing Bryant taking up a spot while he is underperforming and spending two-thirds of the year on the injured list. Is there a point this year when the Rox say enough is enough? — Thomas, Norwood Thomas, many fans share your frustration. Bryant is 0 for 10 with five strikeouts and two walks over his first three games. That’s a tiny sample size, but that slow start comes after he hit .129 (4 for 31) with one home run and one double in spring training. He’s looked bad at the plate, too. Pitchers feed him pitches down and away, and he’s waving over the top. He’s also getting beat by fastballs. I’m told that Bryant’s bad back is OK. The explanation from the Rockies is that Bryant’s timing is off: late to the fastball and early on off-speed pitches. Bryant is not taking any outfield time away from prospects because he’s just a designated hitter now. Still, he’s taking up a roster spot and playing time. The Rockies are not going to bail on his massive contract (four years left at $107 million), at least not yet, but I don’t understand why he’s hitting cleanup. If the Rockies hold onto Bryant the entire season, they should sit him on the bench when he’s not producing. Hi Patrick. For some reason, I thought about your dad and how great a newspaperman he was! He would be so proud of your work, which is great. I must admit I have given up on Kris Bryant. I hope he will take a longer-term buyout and let a younger player get an opportunity. His back keeps holding him back with no real hope of it holding up over a long season. At some point, let’s move on. What are your thoughts? Is he on the bubble to not make the final roster? Or on a trajectory where the Rockies would make a move with him? — Paul, Aurora Related Articles Phillies rip Rockies bullpen to negate German Marquez’s dazzling season debut Rockies’ poor defense costs them game, series vs. Tampa Bay Rays Rockies’ defense rules in 2-1 win over Rays Rockies Journal: Sean Bouchard is Colorado’s best-kept secret Renck & File: Bud Black leaves Rockies red-faced with wrong decision Paul, first off all, thanks for the kind words about my dad, the late Dusty Saunders. He’s been gone almost three years. I love the term “newspaper man.” He indeed was that. Unfortunately, those days are gone for good. In his later years, he despaired about what was happening to the newspaper industry. Anyway, to continue the conversation about Bryant, there is no way he’ll take a “buyout” at a discount. The Rockies will give him a long leash before they say that enough is enough. I don’t know how long that leash is, but if Bryant isn’t producing by the end of April, they have cut him loose. Back in 2022, during Bryant’s first season with the Rockies, a front-office person told me that the contract was “an albatross.” How right he was. Hey Patrick, what are your thoughts on Mickey Moniak? It seemed like he was going to be an absolute stud coming out of high school, but his career never seemed to take off. Would this be his diamond-in-the-rough year, like Nolan Jones in 2023? — Marshall, Parker Marshall, I’m not sure what to make of Moniak. He did launch a pinch-hit homer on Sunday in Tampa Bay, but I don’t think the Rockies see him as a potential starter. General manager Bill Schmidt told me that the Moniak signing “gives us some quality depth on the bench,” but I would be shocked if Moniak becomes more than a role player unless there are injuries. Moniak, a No. 1 pick by the Phillies in 2016, was traded to the Angels in 2022 as part of the Noah Syndergaard deal. He’s struggled to live up to the hype of being a top prospect, putting up just 0.9 WAR over his five seasons. He seemed to be turning things around in 2023, posting a .802 OPS and hitting 14 home runs in 85 games. But he struggled last season, slashing .219/.266/.380 with 14 homers over 124 games. What have the Rockies done to address their differences on the road vs. home games? — Nathan Ryno, Artesia, Calif. Nathan, that has been a question for 33 years. The Rockies’ dilemma of hitting at altitude at Coors Field vs. hitting on the road has never been solved. Early this season, the Rockies say they will be more aggressive on the bases, even though they have stolen just two bases in four attempts over four games. That relatively low number is primarily due to the team not getting on base enough. Colorado has enough speed and athleticism to play a version of small ball on the road, but they have to get on base first, and that’s been a problem. Through their first four games, the Rockies had struck out 44 times at a 30.8% clip. Only the Nationals (32.4%) had whiffed at a higher rate. Two questions: 1. Why would the Rockies trade Nolan Jones for Tyler Freeman? After all, if Nolan Jones has a great season like in 2023, he could be crucial to the Rockies doing well with his offense and defense. Tyler Freeman has been a pretty average player and will probably not help too much. 2. Do you think that there is a chance that someone can make it to the Home Run Derby in 2025? Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia all hit over 20 homers in 2024 and still can improve a lot. — Weston K., Golden Weston, regarding the Jones trade, the Rockies concluded that he was never going to be the player he was in 2023. With the injury to Thairo Estrada, they needed infield depth, hence the trade. Long term, Colorado believes Zac Veen will surpass anything Jones would have done. Regarding the Home Run Derby, the Rockies have no legitimate candidates. I suppose Toglia could get hot and sneak into the derby, but I doubt it. It became the hot take of the year that the Rockies ditched the youth movement by choosing Nick Martini over Zac Veen, but I see Martini as the veteran bench bat and not a starter. It seemed that Veen was outplayed by another young player looking for a chance, in Sean Bouchard, and they decided Jordan Beck was ahead of Veen on the depth chart. If one of the two does badly, I’m sure Veen gets his shot. What did you think of the move? What would Patrick Saunders have done as Rockies GM? — Isaac Bowen, Fort Collins Isaac, my initial thought would have been to put Veen on the roster and start him as a corner outfielder. Why not give him a chance at the big-league level? If he fails, send him back down to Triple-A. I thought the Rockies were being much too conservative, as is often the case. However, after talking to several people in the organization, I understand why the club is holding Veen back for a while. He doesn’t have many plate appearances in pro baseball, is a bit reckless on the bases and needs to fine-tune his defensive skills. During spring training, the Rockies thought he needed more seasoning. He missed some signs at the plate and had too many empty at-bats against established pitchers. Plus, the Rockies believe Jordan Beck is more major-league ready. I predict Veen will be up sooner rather than later. By that, I mean we’ll see him before the end of May. Can you please make sense of the Rockies’ plan for the outfield? I thought there was plenty of depth and a healthy mix of young guys and veterans pushing each other in spring training. And in the blink of an eye, they banished Zac Veen to Triple-A, shipped out Greg and Nolan Jones, and replaced them with underwhelming outsiders in Tyler Freeman and Mickey Moniak. What’s the harm in throwing homegrown young guys into the fire for a losing franchise with a 0.001% chance of making the playoffs this season? — Dan, Denver Dan, you make some good points. See my responses regarding Veen and Jones above. The key question is, why aren’t the Rockies going all-in with their youth movement? To reiterate, they gave up on Jones being their starter in left field and don’t think Veen is quite ready for the majors. Did the Rockies miss out on this young man? Isaac Collins was a Brewers Rule 5 claim from the Rockies. — John Paul, Denver John, I’ll admit I didn’t pay attention to Collins’ career after Milwaukee selected him in the first round of the Rule 5 draft in December 2022. But, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal article you sent me, he’s a “success story.” Time will tell if the Rockies “missed out” or not. Hi Patrick, thanks for all your informative information all season. Will the Rockies ever give up on Tyler Kinley and Kris Bryant?  Do you think Dick Montfort will ever hire a president for the team. Thanks so much. — Allan Bock, Boulder Allan, Kinley has good stuff and it’s too early to give up on him as a set-up man. He’s not the only reliever hit hard in the first four games. See above for my thoughts on the Bryant topic. Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis. ...read more read less