SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ezequiel Tovar’s shirt bore the simple but unmistakable likeness of a Colorado Rockies legend.

It’s the only appearance Charlie Blackmon will be making this spring training.

The Rockies will find a way to move on from Blackmon as a player, as his production had slipped to below average for the past four seasons. But how do you replace a face of a franchise so distinct that he can be recognized on a T-shirt showing nothing but a Rockies’ hat, purple shades and facial hair?

The answer might be by committee, and it just might hearken back to some of the most memorable days since the organization sprouted in 1993.

“I think in order to win in Coors Field we need to get back to being the Blake Street Bombers,” first baseman Michael Toglia said. “I think we have a good young core group of guys who can do that, that can be productive, hit a lot of homers and play phenomenal defense. I think that’s what it’s going to take to win here.”

This current group, spearheaded by Brenton Doyle, Tovar and, potentially, Toglia, aren’t the Blake Street Bombers. Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Andres Galarraga and Larry Walker, the original core that earned that moniker, each posted seasons with at least 46 home runs and 130 RBIs for Colorado in the late 1990s. Those sorts of numbers were part of a bygone era of baseball and, particularly for this team, went away with the humidor.

But this nucleus — perhaps better coined the LoDo Leathermen or the Coors Fielders — brings skills with the bat, even better skills with the glove and has grown and won together through the system.

At a time when the franchise has experienced the worst two seasons on record and now faces a void when it comes to recognizable, marketable stars, this is the group that might best be suited to remedy those issues.

“That’s what we’re hoping,” manager Bud Black said.

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The glory of glove

Difficult to fathom for a center fielder who won Gold Gloves in each of his first two seasons, but Doyle was initially plopped in a corner outfield spot both for his NCAA Division II team and when he arrived in the Rockies’ minor league system.

At Shepherd University he took over in center field as a sophomore and won a Gold Glove. With the Rockies, it wasn’t until fellow prospect Bladimir Restituyo was pushed to the side that Doyle eventually took over in center.

“You’ve got to have a little chip on your shoulder, play a little scrappier, play a little more intense and do everything you can to show everyone you deserve that spot,” he said.

Now he’s perhaps the best defensive center fielder in the game, having led NL players at the position in putouts and assists in each of his two seasons.

“Just stupid tools across the board,” Toglia said of Doyle. “And now he’s put them all together and he’s an all-star.”

Tovar joined Doyle as a Gold Glove winner last season, taking the honors at shortstop.

Toglia was also a plus defender, registering .5 defensive wins above replacement by Baseball-Reference in 2024. Tovar, upon winning the Gold Glove, said he first thanked God, then he thanked Toglia and fellow first baseman Elehuris Montero for the plays they made that allowed him to look good.

It’s collectively a vastly different skill set than the Blake Street Bombers, most of whom were average, at best, defensively.

“I think defense is the most important side of the ball in almost any sport,” Doyle said. “If you’re holding teams to less runs and you’re able to score more, you’re going to win games. We know that and I think with defense, we take a lot of pride in it.”

At Coors Field, where the age-old problem has been pitching, perhaps this is the answer. And don’t forget, Doyle and Tovar are already Gold Glove winners at premium defensive positions.

“As a pitcher, knowing you have an elite defense behind you, that gives you the freedom to just kind of go for it,” Toglia said. “Go make your pitch, because you don’t have to be too fine because if they put it in play you’ve got one of the best defenses behind you.”

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Growing together

Doyle turns 27 in May. Toglia will follow him in August. Tovar is 23. But they all entered the professional baseball incubator at roughly the same time.

Doyle was drafted in 2019 in the fourth round and was sent to Grand Junction for seasoning at the now-defunct Rookie League level. That’s where a 17-year-old Tovar, a year after being signed as an international free agent in the Venezuela, was making his stateside debut.

Toglia was drafted that same year in the first round and made his debut at Low-A Boise. Tovar also saw action on that team.

After government-mandated COVID-19 restrictions wiped out minor league ball in 2020, the trio all saw action at High-A Spokane in 2021. The team went 67-49.

They all played at Double-A Hartford in 2022. The team went 77-60.

By 2023 Doyle was winning his first Gold Glove in Denver and Tovar was, by wins above replacement, the third-best player on the team.

Last year they were the Rockies’ three best hitters (by OPS) among players who logged at least 90 games. And Tovar and Doyle were the team’s most valuable defenders, according to Baseball-Reference. Toglia was fifth.

“It’s emotional,” Tovar said, through interpreter Edwin Perez, when asked about the trio. “It feels good to have that group that you’ve played with and grown up with.”

Added Toglia, “You kind of get to skip that awkward phase. We already feel like we have that culture – winning culture – and now we can go out and play.”

How much value can be placed on the comfort and camaraderie already in place within the Rockies’ nucleus? Tough to say, but Amir Mamdani of the team’s analytics department certainly wasn’t dismissive of the variable.

“I think there’s a lot of learning that happens from each other, and a lot of these guys have been together in the minors and won together in the minors,” Mamdani said. “I think that’s kind of a special thing because there’s a lot of youth, a lot of energy. Guys are hungry and want to earn a job or stick in the majors. And a lot of guys have played together in the minors, and I think that’s kind of a cool dynamic to observe.”

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Staying power

Maybe its folly to try to presume Rockies fans care about the name on the back of the jersey nearly as much as the one on the front. Or maybe they just care about the sunsets, the rooftop bar and everything else Coors Field offers outside the lines.

After all, the team averaged 2,574,065 fans over the last two seasons, the franchise’s only 100-loss campaigns. That’s only a 6.5 percent drop from what the past four Rockies postseason teams averaged.

But from a marketability standpoint, the year after Charlie Blackmon retires would seem an opportune time for a new crop of players to solidify their perch as the heads of this team.

“It’s the nature of professional sports, right? When Icons on certain teams move on,” Black said. “We’re to that point now with Charlie. Tovar and Doyle can, because of their talent, help offset the loss of Charlie with his whole charisma and his whole everything. Charlie was unique in that he was a really good player, but he was super recognizable with his beard and with his mullet.”

Tovar’s take is simply to worry about winning.

“When you win games, that’s when the fans are going to be happy and they’re going to be all about this team and everything,” he said.

But professional sports are also about entertainment. Doyle gets Tovar’s point, but he also makes a concerted effort to interact with fans in center field.

“I know I’ve got a good little following with some of the people who always sit out there,” Doyle said. “It’s fun. I think that’s not the most important thing for us. I think the most important thing for us is winning ballgames, but at the same time we want to make it enjoyable for the fans and we want to interact as much as we can and kind of give them that joy of coming to the games.”

It might be too early to anoint this trio as anything more than promising players.

Toglia has had just one full season in the major leagues. While his defense and his 25 home runs in 116 games were promising, his 33.0 percent career strikeout rate suggests he’s not yet on solid ground.

Doyle was tremendous last season, hitting 23 home runs, stealing 30 bases and wowing with his defense. But as a rookie the year before he hit .203/.250/.343.

Nolan Jones was even better at the plate in 2023 than Doyle was in 2024, and last year saw him plummet. Jones, still just 27, could well take his place among this group in 2025.

Or not.

And Tovar, for his many gifts, has yet to reach base at a .300 clip in a season and set a franchise record with 200 strikeouts last year.

It’s not a finished product, this young core. But this trio in particular has upside and time, with all under club control through the rest of the decade.

It’s been a while since Colorado had a wave of talent like this that grew up together and had an opportunity to change the team’s fortunes. If young players like Zac Veen, Adeal Amador or Drew Romo can make meaningful contributions, and if top prospects like Charlie Condon and Cole Carrigg can develop and join the fray …

That’s a lot of ifs.

Baseball offers no guarantees. But for the first time in a long time the Rockies can point to three young players with unique, marketable skills and visualize what building around might look like.

“I think, for sustainable team success to have that core of players where you sort of know what you’re going to get,” Black said.

“And then before you know it, if a couple other guys come up, some outfielders who are on the horizon … Then you’ve got a pretty good team.”