MLB Insider: Kevin Henry takes you inside the Rockies’ clubhouse and around baseball

What’s in a number? More than you might think.

The New York Mets said Tuesday that prospect Nick Morabito would wear No. 8 when he made his MLB debut against the Washington Nationals. That announcement sent some shock waves through the Mets community as the number hasn’t been worn by any Met since 2001.

One of the big reasons why the number was taken out of the rotation in Queens was an unofficial tribute to Gary Carter, who wore the jersey during his time with the franchise from 1985-89. Carter was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. So, while the number was never officially retired for Carter by the Mets, there is a code in MLB that a number may be shelved under circumstance deemed worthy by the club.

The same holds true in Kansas City where No. 29 hasn’t been awarded since Mike Sweeney played for the franchise from 1995-2007. A member of the Royals Hall of Fame inducted in 2015, he was the first Royal to wear the “C” on his jersey as a team captain.

Kansas City has only retired four numbers, and Sweeney’s 29 isn’t one of them. However, it seems the team is honoring him year after year by keeping the number off the backs of current players.

So how do you decide what numbers are given out and which ones stay on the sidelines? Mike “Tiny” Pontarelli, clubhouse manager for the Rockies, gave The Denver Gazette some insight.

Colorado has officially retired three numbers — 17 for Todd Helton, 33 for Larry Walker and 42, a number retired across MLB, for Jackie Robinson. However, there are certain numbers being held back for various reasons.

One of those is No. 28, worn by Nolan Arenado during his eight seasons with the Rockies and a number he has worn since with the St. Louis Cardinals and now Arizona Diamondbacks.

In Arenado’s case, there is a consideration about what may happen in the future with the 10-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman. The 35-year-old Arenado is likely on his way to the Hall of Fame — something Walker and Helton have in common. Would the Rockies want to hand out that number to someone who had anything less than a Hall-of-Fame career building?

There’s also a level of respect for what a player or two might have given to the franchise to cause the number to be sacred as well. While Matt Holliday and Carlos Gonzalez won’t be enshrined in Cooperstown, their contributions to the Rockies can’t be underscored, which is one of the reasons why the No. 5 hasn’t been worn since Gonzalez left in 2018.

And don’t forget that Holliday and Gonzalez were both on Colorado’s last postseason team in 2018, with Holliday coming back for 25 games and wearing No. 7, a number he wore with the Cardinals from 2010-16.

Arguably the most historic number for the Rockies is the No. 9, which has been worn by Vinny Castilla and DJ LeMahieu in the past and currently is worn by Brenton Doyle. The number was given a one-year break in 2000 after Castilla left the team but has been an everyday number since Ian Stewart donned it in 2009.

There are also numbers that are held for other reasons. Darryl Kile wore the No. 57 when he was with the Rockies in 1998 and 1999 and was also wearing it with the Cardinals when he passed away during the 2002 campaign. Pontarelli said the number was pulled from the rotation out of respect to Kile until St. Louis issued it again in 2022. Once the Cardinals brought it back, the Rockies did as well — in 2023 to Tommy Doyle.

Also, the Rockies have never had a player wear No. 69 due in part to some of the social connotations that go along with the number.

Every franchise has a different way of approaching how it hands out its uniform numbers, but there’s a lot that goes into the decision before a new player gets to choose the number that could define him for his entire career.

Quick hit: Should the Dodgers be worried about their three-peat bid?

Yes, thanks in part to pitching depth issues once again this season. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have been sidelined and the Dodgers are looking for answers on how to rebuild their rotation in mid-May.

Los Angeles will be active at the trade deadline. The Dodgers always are. And pitching will likely be a key part of what is desired inside Chavez Ravine. The big question is how the Dodgers will be able to keep moving forward until the deadline hits in early August.