A Minor Review of 2017: Colorado Rockies

The organization is rich in third bas prospects. MVP candidate and Gold Glover Nolan Arenado isn’t going anywhere, which is causing a backlog with MLB-ready Ryan McMahon looking for another position to play. Behind him, the club has 2016 draft pick Colton Welker (.904 OPS in low-A) and 2017 draft pick Ryan Vilade (.934 OPS in Rookie), who played shortstop in his debut but is expected to move off the position shortly.

The Graduate: German Marquez, RHP: The Rockies graduated an impressive number of starters to The Show in 2017 including Jeff Hoffman, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and Marquez. The other three arms generally got more love at the beginning of the year but I put my money on Marquez and he responded with a 2.3 win season – pacing all Rockies starters. Using predominantly a two-pitch repertoire (mid-90s fastball and curveball), he showed swing-and-miss stuff as well as above-average control. Marquez has been understandably better on the road (4.50 vs 3.86 ERA) but hasn’t really been that bad at home. He’s a good bet to continue to get better in 2018

First Taste of The Show: Ryan McMahon, 3B: After a rough 2016 season at double-A, the Rockies sent McMahon back to the same level to open 2017. He responded in a big way with a .926 OPS and a BB-K rate of 20-39 in 49 games. The young third baseman was even better at triple-A with an OPS of 1.023 and a batting average of .374 – although his walk rate dropped from 9.8 to 6.7%. He absolutely stung the ball at both levels with line-drive rates of 23.4% and 27.7%. McMahon has just 12 plate appearances in The Show so far as we enter into early September but he’s almost assured of regular playing at the big league level in 2018 – either in right field to replace Carlos Gonzalez or at first base to supplant Ian Desmond (who could potentially move to the outfield to better utilize his athleticism).

The Stud: Brendan Rodgers, SS: The third overall selection in the 2015 draft, Rodgers has consistently hit well as a pro – although he did admittedly hit a bit of a speed bump at double-A. After opening 2017 in high-A ball, he produced a 1.084 OPS and .387 average in 50 games (the California League is notorious for being a hitter’s league). His BB-K rate of 6-33 hinted at issues to come and it didn’t get any better at double-A at 8-36. Fourteen walks in 88 games just isn’t going to cut it. At the higher level, Rodgers output dipped to an OPS of .737 and average of .260. Still, he showed good pop at both levels and combined for 18 homers. The young shortstop will likely return to double-A in 2018 and Mission #1 should be to show better patience at the plate.

The Draft Pick: Ryan Vilade, SS/3B: The Rockies have shown a consistent ability to develop highly-regarded, teenaged baseball players and Vilade is positioned well to be the next in line. Selected 48th overall in ’17, he’s done everything well in his debut: .308 average, .934 OPS, 27-31 BB-K and a 26% line-drive rate. He was even better than expected at shortstop and made just six errors in 30 games. Vilade will move up to full-season ball in 2018 and everything points to a quick ascension through the minors but there really is no reason to rush with the likes of McMahon and Rodgers — not to mention Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story — ahead of him.

The Riser: Garrett Hampson, MIF: As outlined above, the Rockies organization is flush with infield prospects and Hampson deserves to be included in that group even if you probably haven’t heard of him. A third round pick out of Long Beach State in 2016 (the same place the Rockies found Troy Tulowitzki), this young infielder has shown a wide range of skills as a pro. After a strong debut in 2016, he’s had nearly identical success in ’17 at high-A ball. He’s hitting .323 with an .838 OPS and 51 steals in 65 attempts. Hampson, 22, doesn’t display a ton of pop but he sprays the ball all over the field and understands his strengths and weaknesses. He should develop into an impact baserunner and table-setter for the Rockies’ young power hitters.

The Tumbler: Tom Murphy, C: At the conclusion of the 2016, it looked like Murphy had a strong shot at regular playing time for the Rockies in ’17. He slugged five home runs 49 plate appearances after going deep 19 times at the triple-A level and everyone was salivating at the thought of a full season of Murphy in the clear Colorado air. Unfortunately, injuries struck the young catcher (fractured wrist) and he’s appeared in just nine big league games (with a .048 average) and 38 triple-A games. With veteran Jonathan Lucroy now in town, Murphy will have to wait until 2018 for another shot at regular playing time in the Majors — although he’s got a lot to prove.