Colorado Rockies’ Draft One Of The Strongest In Baseball

Jun 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; General view of rain falling on the third base bag during the ninth inning of the game between the St. Louis Cardinals against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies had four of the first 44 picks in the MLB Draft this week, and according to experts around the game, they didn’t miss on acquiring impact talent.

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The Colorado Rockies went into the MLB Draft hoping to make an impact with first-year general manager Jeff Bridich at the helm, and depending on how you view sports experts from MLB.com, Sports Illustrated, and other publications and outlets, the Rockies walked away with one of the strongest drafts in all of baseball.

Jim Callis, from MLB.com, ranked the Rockies as the second-strongest draft class this year, writing for the site on the club’s decision to take projectable, high-ceiling high school athletes who could impact the club down the road on the mound and across the diamond:

"Owning the Nos. 3 and 27 choices left Colorado perfectly positioned to grab the high school position player and pitcher with the highest ceilings in the entire Draft. Lake Mary (Fla.) High shortstop Brendan Rodgers, the No. 3 overall pick and MLBPipeline’s top-rated prospect, has 20-plus homer potential and solid tools across the board.Prep right-handers tend to slide a bit in the first couple of rounds, and Stroudsburg (Pa.) High’s Mike Nikorak fell into the Rockies’ lap at No. 27 despite his obvious athleticism and the makings of a mid-90s fastball and a plus curveball.The rest of Colorado’s best picks all hailed from California: projectable Poway High third baseman Tyler Nevin (supplemental first), polished San Dimas High right-hander Peter Lambert (second) and advanced San Diego right-hander David Hill (fourth)."

Hey, that’s a good thing!

The guys from Sports Illustrated joined in on the fun, arguing the Rox were solid with their extra picks:

"As far as teams go, the Astros and Rockies, with their extra picks and their execution, certainly stand out… The Rockies couldn’t get the college pitchers they wanted but instead got perhaps the best overall talent in shortstop Brendan Rodgers at No. 3, then picked up a couple of outstanding high school arms in righties Mike Nikorak and Peter Lambert and finished by taking third baseman Tyler Nevin in the competitive balance round."

What’s all this mean? Well, not much. It takes a few years to evaluate a draft and see how all these players shake out (remember, the Rockies have to actually sign these high school guys in the first place), but it’s interesting to see MLB analysts reacting positively to Bridich’s first draft.

So, for now, feel decently good about the Rockies’ picks. Much, much, much more from the draft coming from us over the next few weeks, so be ready for information on every single player the Rockies drafted in 2015.

Colorado Rockies’ Draft One Of The Strongest In Baseball

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