2013 Fantasy Baseball Prospects Recap: Colorado Rockies

We leave the Arizona desert and make the climb to the Rocky Mountains and find ourselves a mile high above sea level, as our Prospects Recap series will now focus on the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have been sort of a disappointment with their farm system lately. Last season, the results were mixed as they brought up pitcher Drew Pomeranz and catcher Wilin Rosario. Pomeranz posted a respectable K/9 of 7.7, but had control and command issues in the big leagues. On the other hand, Rosario displayed his big bat in Colorado last year, but struggled with plate discipline and defense. This year, after putting aside perceived attitude problems, highly regarded, hitting prospect Nolan Arenado finally got called up, but it’s looked more like a baptism by fire than an anointment of the next big baseball phenom. And top-ranked team pitching prospect, Chad Bettis, is already up in the big leagues–struggling, of course. So it is with this backdrop that we introduce what’s left of a seemingly, dilapidated farm system.

Be sure to read the rest of the Prospects Recaps. You can catch up by reading all about the Arizona Diamondbacks.

David Dahl–OF–2015 2013 Outlook: All-around hitter, with potential to be a combination of power and speed.

What would be a Rockies’ recap without mentioning their once, top-rated prospect (per preseason rankings at MLB.com), has been limited to only 42 plate appearances for the entire 2013 campaign? Dahl has been out with a hamstring injury since early May. Tough to judge a player based on very limited play, but on the optimistic side, he’s only 19 years-old so time is definitely on his side. Keep in mind that he was selected number 10 overall in the 2012 draft.

Kyle Parker–OF–2015

2013 Outlook: Improved approach in 2012; Raw power; not very fast

Make it three consecutive seasons that Parker has posted 20+ home runs and a slugging percentage higher than .480. The BB/K is not very ideal, but he’s posted a respectable 18% Strikeout Rate. The ETA is for 2015, but he may get called up a lot sooner than that, as he most likely will start the year in Triple-A next season. The time is also ticking for Parker who will be turning 24 years of age at the end of this month so a mid-season call-up in 2014 is highly likely.

Trevor Story–SS–2015

2013 Outlook: May only be 20 years-old, but has leadership attributes; needs to cut back on strikeouts; can hit for average; average speed; versatile

The Rockies sure do love their shortstops to have leadership qualities. Unfortunately for Story, he doesn’t share Troy Tulowitzki‘s approach at the plate. His Strikeout Rate comes out to 33 percent. Can’t hit for much average when you’re swinging through pitches. On the bright side, he does have 30+ doubles and 20+ steals. So he can post some numbers, but definetly needs to refine his swing and approach. At least his defense is coming along well: he was named the California League’s Best Defensive Shortstop and Best Infield Arm.

Tyler Anderson–SP–2014 2013 Outlook: Nice four-pitch mix; limited upside, but knows how to pitch

Anderson was kind of the default, second best pitcher in the Rockies’ organization at the beginning of the season in most prospects’ rankings. So far, he’s been solid, but unspectacular, struggling to keep control of his home runs. He definitely is a decent starting pitcher and his changeup is a superb pitch. But as of right now, Anderson fits the profile of a fantasy baseball pitcher that will be used at the backend of rotations.

FRESH OFF THE DRAFT

Jonathan Gray–SP–2016: It appears as if the Rockies might finally have a true ace in the making. Drafted with the third pick overall of the 2013 draft, Gray is huge (6-4, 255 lbs.), fastball/slider pitcher. He struggled with command in Rookie League play, but was tremendous in five starts in High-A ball. He is currently shut down for the season, but it appears as if Gray might be the rare Rockies’ starting pitcher that may be worth grabbing once he gets called up to the big leagues. However, for those in dynasty or keeper leagues, Gray may be worth a roster spot now before it’s too late.

ROSY-COLORED GLASSES

Rosell Herrera–3B/SS–2016: Herrera will only be 21 years-old for the 2014 season and is a long-term project in terms of having raw skills and having to develop bulk in his body, but his 2013 breakout year is worth the mention. So far, he has a .944 OPS, 33 doubles, and a BB/K of 0.64. He’s not projected to be a superstar player in the mold of Tulowitzki, but based on how he has performed this year in A-ball, being named to the South Atlantic League’s All-Star Game and named the league’s Best Batting Prospect and Most Exciting Player, Herrera has earned the attention of fantasy leaguers in long-term leagues.

Scouting Reports courtesy of mlb.com, baseballprospectus.com, and baseballamerica.com

Stats courtesy of Baseball Prospectus and are good through August 28, 2013.

Felipe Melecio

Felipe Melecio was the managing editor for the blog Pathological Hate. He believes that math is your friend and numbers can be fun, especially when it comes to baseball. Keep tabs on all his knee-jerk reactions on Twitter: Follow @pathological_h8 !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

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