Jon Gray still considered a top prospect

Jon Gray is considered the top pitching prospect in the Colorado Rockies‘ system, and he continues to receive accolades as a top prospect in all of baseball.

Remember the days when we were super excited about Eddie Butler and Jon Gray? We were so young then.

Those were the days, huh? And, of course, what a difference a year makes.

Now that the prospect shine has worn off Eddie Butler because of three whole bad starts, we can shift all of that unfair and irrational pressure onto Jon Gray, right? It’s crazy to think that, in a game that is full of failure, all it takes is the slightest setback and we get bummed out about prospects.

We certainly shouldn’t be bummed about Butler, as he deserves much more of a chance to compile an actual track record before we decide if he has met his promise as a top prospect or not. In the meantime, we’re still in the prospect hype stage for Gray, so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

MLB Pipeline is putting together its updated prospect lists and Gray is still near the top. He is no. 11 overall and finds himself in the top 10 for writer Bernie Pleskoff.

As for the lesson that we have learned from the experience with Eddie Butler last season, it might be to temper expectations a little bit with Jon Gray. For the Rockies, hopefully the lesson is that it doesn’t pay to rush Gray up to the big leagues, no matter what the temptation is to call on him for a spark.

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The Rockies called Butler up in 2014 in the middle of a significant losing streak. They still had the chance to be relevant, however, so they essentially called on Butler to be part of the efforts to save the season. That did not work out: Butler got roughed up, got hurt, and posted a 6.75 ERA in three starts.

It’s OK if Jon Gray doesn’t pitch for the Rockies until 2016. No matter how high Gray rises on various prospect rankings and lists, and no matter the high expectations set for him as the top prospect in the organization, it is truly OK if the Rockies do not deem him ready to contribute until next season.

As for the rest of us, let’s back off the expectations for Gray to be a savior and let’s avoid the pitfalls of prospect fatigue. Let’s be appropriately excited for Jon Gray’s arrival in the big leagues, whenever that might happen.

Next: Should the Rockies pursue James Shields?