Yard Goats Broadcaster Jeff Dooley is in Scottsdale for a First Look at the 2025 Yard Goats - VOLUME 3

Dooley’s Diary (Volume 3)
Spring Training 2025

Scottsdale, AZ- Greetings from Salt River Fields, the official Spring Training home of the Colorado Rockies and Hartford Yard Goats. The Yard Goats roster is starting to come together as we approach the final full week of spring training games for Hartford. Triple-A Alburquerque breaks camp on Sunday so much will be decided by then. The Yard Goats will play evening games next Monday through Friday. The Rockies play their final Cactus League spring training game on Monday and then head to Florida. They will play an exhibition game in Ft. Myers against the Twins before opening the season in Tampa on Friday, March 28th against the Rays. The games will be at the Yankees spring training site due to the roof damage to Tropicana Field.

ROSTER CANDIDATES FOR YARD GOATS OPENING DAY ROSTER
I met with Colorado Rockies Senior Director of Player Development Chris Forbes and he is excited about some of the prospects that we will see in Hartford this season. RHP Gabriel Hughes is set to return to Hartford after having Tommy John surgery. He will be part of the Yard Goats starting rotation. First year prospects Kyle Karros and Cole Carrigg will be dressing in the Yard Goats blue and green for the first time after stellar seasons at High-A last year. “We think they are ready for a challenge at the Eastern League ranks, which is quite challenging,” Forbes said. “Not only the talent level, but navigating the weather and everything else that make it to me the hardest Double-A league in baseball.”

COLORADO ROCKIES TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING YARD GOATS
Three 2024 Yard Goats pitchers Chase Dollander, Jaden Hill and Zach Agnos had solid spring training’s and put together nice bids to make the MLB club out of spring training. However, both were optioned to the minor leagues on Saturday. Dollander and Agnos were reassigned to Minor League camp Jaden Hill optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado has 35 players remaining in Major League camp, including six non-roster invitees.

BENNY MONGOMERY LATE ADDITION TO ROCKIES LINEUP ON SATURDAY
Outfielder Benny Montgomery who will most likely start the season with the Yard Goats was added to the lineup on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox. The Rockies prospect started last season at Hartford but suffered a season ending injury while diving for a ball in Somerset. Montgomery had a nice afternoon with an RBI single, walk, stolen base, and scored a run in Rockies victory.

TWO-TIME NL GOLD GLOVE AWARD WINNER BRENTON DOYLE REFLECTS BACK ON SEASON WITH YARD GOATS
Rockies gold glove outfielder Brenton Doyle loves the fact that he won the gold glove award with someone this shared the Dunkin’ Park field with in Hartford, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. “I’m pretty stoked about it and its even cooler that my teammate and former Yard Goat Ezequiel Tovar was able to win as well,” Doyle said. “Tovar and I go way back and that 2022 season in Hartford was pretty special. We had a pretty good squad there and it’s great to see more and more guys from that team come up here.”

POTENTIAL YARD GOATS PLAYER FOR OPENING DAY ROSTER:
The spring I thought it would be cool to profile a potential Yard Goats player that fans may have the opportunity to see play in Hartford this season. The third potential Yard Goats player we will look at is outfielder Benny Montgomery.

Benny Montgomery
22 YRS
Rockies 1st round pick (8th overall) in 2021 (Red Land HS, PA)
Awards: EL POW 4/14/24, ‘23 Org All-Star, ‘23 AFL Rising Star, CAL POM 9/’22
Prospect: Rockies #15 (MLB.com)
*Invited to MLB Spring Training as non-roster player
*5th season in MiLB... Played for Ponce (PRWL) in Nov-Dec 2024... Only full season played was 2023 (injured in ‘22 & ‘24)
*Named first EL Player of Week of 2024 (April 14)... Hit home runs in first two games at Dunkin’ Park, April 9-10, 2024 vs Bowie
*T-3rd highest draft pick (Kyle Freeland) to play for Yard Goats (8th overall)... Brendan Rodgers (3rd overall), Riley Pint (4th overall)
*Injured on April 20, 2024 @ Somerset and missed remainder of season (shoulder surgery)
*Spent 2023 at Spokane (.251, 182B, 10HR, 51RBI, 18SB 109G) Ranked 6th NWL in walks, 7th-hits, T-8th-runs, and 9th in OBP
*Played in Arizona Fall League in 2023 (.333 3HR 14 RBI