It’s official, MLB players say Colorado Rockies have the worst reputation in baseball
Jun 29, 2026, 3:57 PM | Updated: Jul 1, 2026, 10:49 am
If you’re a Rockies fan, you might want to sit down for this one. Actually, you’re probably already sitting, because it’s hard to stand up for a team that the rest of the league just voted the least desirable organization in baseball.
In an anonymous survey of more than 100 Major League Baseball players conducted by The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, the Colorado Rockies were named the team with the worst reputation in the sport, receiving 28 votes from 73 respondents — more than the Pittsburgh Pirates (23), the Athletics and Chicago White Sox (tied at 21), the Los Angeles Angels (14) and the Miami Marlins (11). Players were allowed to vote for multiple teams. One anonymous player told The Athletic that the Rockies lacked resources to help players stay in the big leagues for roughly a decade, describing the organizational philosophy as essentially, “Okay, you’re here. If you produce, you can stay.”
On the flip side, the Los Angeles Dodgers — who have won three World Series titles in six seasons — topped the favorable list with 59 of 93 votes, followed by the New York Yankees (38), Chicago Cubs (28), Toronto Blue Jays (16) and Atlanta Braves (15).
The timing is particularly rough for a Rockies organization that is 32-49 on the season, dead last in the NL West, 20 games behind the Dodgers and owners of the worst ERA in Major League Baseball at 5.48. The club has not made the playoffs since 2018 and has largely been noncompetitive in free agency, which is the kind of thing players tend to notice when filling out anonymous surveys. Coors Field remains one of the most electric ballparks in the sport — the Rockies are 18-22 at home versus 14-27 on the road — but “the ballpark’s awesome” can only carry an organization so far when the on-field product and player support aren’t matching.
For what it’s worth, the Foul Territory crew noted that the Rockies’ reputation appears to be “starting to change,” citing recent improvements in player development and technology. Whether that shift comes fast enough to move the needle with the next wave of free agents remains to be seen.
