Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar, Brenton Doyle Score Solid Pre-Arbitration Bonuses

MLB's $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool was split up amongst 101 players on Friday, with shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and outfielder Brenton Doyle earning the largest paydays on the Rockies.

Sep 26, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (14) celebrates his two-run double in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle are heading into the offseason with a little extra cash in their pockets.

The pair of Colorado Rockies standouts were among the 101 players who were awarded 2024 pre-arbitration bonuses, according to a list published by the Associated Press on Friday. This marks the third year that the league has gone through the process, splitting $50 million between the most accomplished players who have not yet reached salary arbitration.

Players with between zero and three years of MLB service time are eligible to cash in on the annual bonus pool, excluding international free agents. Performance in end-of-year awards voting gives players extra bumps, while the rest is calculated by a WAR formula.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. led the way with a $3.08 million bonus, followed by Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes' $2.15 million and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson's $2.01 million.

Tovar picked up $486K, which was good for the 25th-highest bonus awarded for the 2024 season. The 23-year-old shortstop hit .269 with 26 home runs, 78 RBI, six stolen bases, a .763 OPS and a 3.8 WAR.

Thanks to one ninth-place and one 10th-place vote, Tovar finished 19th in the NL MVP race. He also won a Gold Glove and led the NL with 45 doubles.

Tovar had a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension kick in this season, but he was eligible for his bonus nonetheless. He adds it to a $1.7 million salary and $1.5 million signing bonus, giving him $3.7 million in total on-field earnings in 2024.

Doyle, meanwhile, was awarded a $485K bonus after winning his second consecutive Gold Glove. That placed him right behind Tovar and 26th overall out of the 101 players who received bonuses.

The 26-year-old center fielder hit .260 with 23 home runs, 72 RBI, 30 stolen bases, a .764 OPS and a 4.0 WAR. He led the league in several defensive metrics, including putouts, outfield assists, Total Zone Total Fielding Above Average and Range Factor per nine innings.

Ryan Feltner snuck in with a $242K bonus of his own, ranking No. 93 on the list. The 27-year-old pitcher put up a handful of career-highs for Colorado in 2024, going 3-10 with a 4.49 ERA, 1.337 WHIP, 138 strikeouts and a 1.1 WAR in 30 starts.

No other Rockies player earned a pre-arbitration bonus.

In 2023, Nolan Jones led the way with a $539,046 payday. Tovar earned $270,785.

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