Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar has been in baseball’s spotlight the entire year, but sometimes that light shined on some numbers that are not at the level that is expected of the 24-year-old shortstop.

The highs have been there in 2026, including leading Venezuela to the World Baseball Classic title in March. Tovar led his home country in batting average (.471), on-base percentage (.500) and OPS (1.147) on his way to earning all-WBC honors at shortstop.

Bookend that with the two-run walkoff homer that Tovar slammed on Friday night to give the Rockies an 8-6 home victory over San Francisco and it is a story that seems picture perfect.

However, it’s the middle part of the tale that shows the reality that is the rollercoaster of a 162-game MLB schedule.

Coming off the high that was the WBC, Tovar struggled throughout the month of April, batting just .174 in 92 at-bats during the month and striking out in 31.5% of those at-bats.

Tovar also saw his power dissolve during the month, finishing April without a home run. He endured a career-high stretch of 48 games without a long ball, easily beating the 32-game stretch he endured as a rookie in 2023.

Rather than sink into a hole, Tovar decided to adjust.

“This is a game that is about all about adjustments,” Tovar said through interpreter Edwin Perez. “You’re always going to be making an adjustment. For me, I’m going to continue to make adjustments when things are not going to go that way.

“This is a game where you just have to be competitive. You have to have good results, and just continue to grow. The results will come, and the adjustments will come every day.”

The adjustments have made a difference, and they have resulted in a power surge.

Tovar smacked a home run Monday at Dodger Stadium, then hit two in a two-inning span during Friday’s comeback win at Coors Field. Over a three-week stretch starting on May 8, Tovar posted a .290 batting average with six extra-base hits, 11 RBI and an .832 OPS in 18 games.

“If you watch his at-bats the last two weeks, he’s been doing an awesome job of controlling the zone better, swinging at good pitches and putting good swings on pitches,” catcher Hunter Goodman said. “It couldn’t be happening to a better guy.”

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer credits Tovar’s constant tweaks behind the scenes for finding the right swing and better plate discipline.

“The hard work that he’s been putting in, and the adjustments that he has been making, that’s a big deal,” Schaeffer said. “He looks more comfortable in his approach.”

Part of that comfort, Tovar said, comes from not focusing completely on the results of an at-bat. Even a hard-hit ball can find its way into a glove, turning what seemed like the right swing into the wrong outcome.

There’s where the frustration level can grow, so Tovar chooses to change the mentality of how he truly views success.

“I know that it’s a whole process,” Tovar said. “The process is going, so as long as I’m working hard and I’m doing everything I can do in practice and I continue to progress, the results will eventually show when you keep that progression. I always have to keep my head up high, and I always do, and no matter what.

“The results are going to come, and they’re starting to come.”

Colorado needs those results to continue to come consistently from Tovar, who is viewed as a key part of the Rockies’ long-term core. Signed to a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension that runs through the 2030 campaign, it’s clear Tovar is the centerpiece of an infield that has been in flux over the last couple of seasons.

That infield is starting to take shape now, with TJ Rumfield establishing himself as a viable offensive and defensive option at first base and Kyle Karros showing the glove skills to hold down third base. However, the Rockies greatly value up-the-middle defense, meaning Goodman, Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle are young pieces who must live up to their potential.

Tovar understands that, but also is quick to admit he is “not a robot.” Mistakes will happen and 0-for-5 nights will show up on the box score, but the focus must shift from a bad game into not making it a bad stretch.

“You always want to execute,” Tovar said. “Obviously that get annoying (when you don’t) and that’s going to frustrate you, but you can’t let that completely frustrate you. This is a game where if you’re going to get frustrated every time you don’t execute a play or where you don’t get a hit, it’s going to eat you up and it’s going to get worse.

“It’s a long game, and there are going to be times where things are not going to be going your way. You have to pause yourself and understand that, if I didn’t execute correctly this one time, I’m going to have to do it the next time and continue to do that.”

Tovar is learning, and with that learning comes growing pains that are tempered with reminders of long-term goals and faith.

“I’m not always hyper-focused on the results,” Tovar said. “I’m not a robot. I know that it’s going to eat at me sometimes when I’m not executing the way that I want to. It’s going to hurt me a little bit, but I understand that, no matter what happens, I have to trust in God, and that good things are going to come.”