MESA, Ariz. -- New Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta made several offseason acquisitions to “raise the floor” of the talent level of available players.
One of those signings, non-roster catcher Brett Sullivan, has aspirations way above the floor. In a quest to earn an Opening Day roster spot as backup to 2025 All-Star Hunter Goodman, Sullivan launched his second home run this week, a three-ruin shot in the first inning of an 11-6 victory over the Athletics on Friday afternoon at Hohokam Stadium.
Sullivan, 32, who has played in the Majors with the Padres (2023-24) and Pirates (2025), added a single during a 2-for-3 performance that lifted his Cactus League batting average at .533 (8-for-15) with two home runs, three doubles and six RBIs.
“I want to be on that team -- that’s the goal,” Sullivan said. “It was great to get a fresh start, to talk to them in the offseason and hear what they thought of me, then to come in and be completely myself and play my game.”
The skills that come with time involving the ability to mesh with pitchers are showing up, as well.
“You’re seeing everything that he offers -- athleticism, experience behind the plate, a left-handed bat and the ability to really work with pitchers,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s shown up well in camp.”
The Rockies didn’t become a veteran team overnight. In fact, some of the veteran flavor is here to give younger players time to marinate should they need it. That’s the case with the tandem catcher.
As last season progressed, Braxton Fulford earned the job. In 38 games, he batted .213 with one home run and 16 RBIs. He also carried the desirable trait of speed. According to Statcast, Fulford was the Majors’ fastest catcher, with a 29.1 feet per second sprint speed.
But the Rockies felt competition was needed. In Sullivan, who played mostly infield at the University of the Pacific before the Rays drafted him in the 17th round in 2015, there is a competitor with speed and athletic ability.
Fulford, 27, has batted .333 (4-for-12) with three RBIs this spring, so the competition is in full bloom.
Sullivan, who over 12 professional Spring Trainings has learned to not swing with the highs and lows of daily results, is happy for the opportunity.
Friday was big for another non-roster player.
Chad Stevens, 27, who hit 18 home runs at Triple-A Salt Lake and had a five-game Major League debut with the Angels last season, knocked a second-inning solo homer on a 3-for-3 day. Stevens also had a diving catch on a Ryan Lasko line drive while playing shortstop.
Stevens is part of a utility player group that also includes infielder-outfielder Ryan Ritter, who is off to a strong start this spring.
“Chad Stevens was incredible on both sides of the ball today -- crushed a homer opposite field, three hits on three hard-hit balls,” Schaeffer said.
A fast learner
Kyle Karros wore down physically at the end of his Major League debut last year. Even then, he left believing that he has enough ability, which showed on his second homer this spring, a Statcast-projected 444-footer off Brooks Kirksie on a 1-1 pitch.
“That’s good, because it went to right-center -- I wasn’t just completely selling out, I was still hitting,” Karros said.
A strong defender at third base, Karros is stacking good days to show he’s meeting the run-producing offense the Rockies are requiring.
“Kyle looks great -- he looks like a big-leaguer right now, and he’s going to be good for a long time,” Schaeffer said.
Results don’t bring satisfaction
Righty Chase Dollander, fighting to break camp with the Major League club, was down on himself for a couple sequences that were reminders of some struggles from his rookie year. There was a 1-2, two-out RBI single yielded to Max Muncy, followed by a walk in the first, and a count to Jeff McNeil that went from 1-2 to a second-inning walk. But Dollander stole an out with a pickoff, and held the Athletics to one run in three innings.
“That wasn’t a good outing for me -- my standards are very high for myself,” Dollander said. “My mechanics didn’t feel as right as they normally do but that’s something we can look at video and figure out what was wrong.”
Sullivan, though, saw a pitcher who could win while struggling.
“His ‘C’ stuff is better than some guys’ ‘A’ stuff,” Sullivan said. “For him to feel some things and still dominate like that, still make some great pitches, is going to help him in the long run.”