Colorado Rockies Ranked Eighth in Prospect Rankings

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN’s Keith Law, a former writer for Baseball Prospectus and assistant to the Toronto Blue Jays GM, released his ranking of each of the 30 MLB team’s prospects today (Insider subscription required), and the Colorado Rockies finished a respectable eighth. Law had this to say about Colorado’s organization:

"A sneaky-good system, although with Eddie Butler and Jonathan Gray throwing 98 mph tablets by hitters I doubt the Rockies can keep their prospect depth on the QT. They’ve generally been a productive club in Latin America despite avoiding the biggest bonus babies, and I’m in the camp that assumes that 2012 first-rounder David Dahl will return this April without missing a beat."

Law voices something that resonates with a lot of Rockie fans: the lack of respect and recognition other fans give to this outstanding farm system. Law also predicts that Colorado will get some publicity soon thanks to the arms of Eddie Butler and Jonathan Gray. Both young pitchers are among the best prospects in baseball, and both should get plenty of headlines as the year goes on, especially if either of them makes the big leagues this season.

The Rockies farm system has really improved, largely because of Gray. Last year, Law ranked Colorado 23rd among the 30 organizations. He spoke kindly of David Dahl in his 2013 piece, and the fact that Dahl is now the Rockies 3rd best prospect

speaks volumes of the improvements this team has made through the draft in the past few years.

The Rockies probably won’t be in contention for the NL West this season, which makes the development of their prospects even more important. They are clearly trending in the right direction. Now let’s hope that the Rockies make another big jump in the rankings next year.