Future Colorado Rockies: Boise Hawks July 25 Update

The Boise Hawks are in the midst of their first season as members of the Colorado Rockies’ affiliate tree, in the short-season A Northwest League. 

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The Boise Hawks keep chuggin’ along, probably still dealing with that whole setting sun thing, although the news on that has sort of gone by the wayside. What they are absolutely doing is hitting the hell out of the ball in short-season rookie ball, but that’s true of pretty much every team in the Northwest League.

So let’s get caught up on the Colorado Rockies’ brand new short-season A affiliate in Boise, Idaho…

The last week (3-4): This is an improvement for the Hawks, who actually just came off a streak where they had lost seven of eight games, but going into play on Friday evening, they had won three of their last seven contests — all home games.

The season isn’t really going how the Hawks had planned, though; the team is just 12-23 entering play on Friday and they’ve already been eliminated from first-half contention in the Northwest League’s South Division. Luckily, they can right the ship in the second half, but an uninspired first 35 games have been an unfortunate way for many of these players to start their very, very young careers.

The Hawks are currently the second-best hitting team in the league, but they are the very worst pitching team (by a landslide)… does that sound familiar to anyone, Rockies fans?

Next: Trending Up And Down For The Hawks

May 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; General wide view of Coors Field in the fourth inning between the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 9-5. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Trending up (Hamlet Marte): I know man, I know, I usually write up this section about Yonathan Daza or Kevin Padlo, but Daza’s been promoted to Asheville so we can’t really talk about him any more in this section, and Padlo is having a great year but we’re going to give him this week off.

So, that leaves us Hamlet Marte, a 21-year old catcher from the Dominican Republic who is in Boise for the first time after spending 2014 in Grand Junction, and the three seasons before that in the Dominican Summer League. Marte’s last ten games have been a thing of beauty, as he’s slammed three home runs and driven in seven runs.

He’s now hit 11 doubles in 29 games, too, and has an .844 OPS and a .491 SLG… for a catcher. We’ll take that, even at this level as he develops and grows into his 5’10”, 180-lb. frame. Marte was a star in Grand Junction last season, slashing .329/.404/.509 with a .913 OPS and fourteen doubles in just 167 at-bats, so hopefully his gap power isn’t just a short-season thing.

Trending down (Luis Castro): The 19-year old Venezuelan is having a tough time in short-season ball after succeeding in his first two professionals seasons in the Dominican Summer League (2013) and the Pioneer League (2014). Sure, to be a 19-year old Latin American player in short-season ball already says something about what the Rockies think about Castro, but thus far he hasn’t made their confidence in him look good.

In 73 at-bats this year, he’s struck out 20 times, walked just six, and has only six extra base hits. His slash line of .205/.298/.329 is bad enough, but his last ten games in Boise are worse: just 6-for-37 (.162) with nine strikeouts.

Again, he’s young. Really young. But after slashing .301/.380/.374 with fifteen walks and five extra base hits in 34 games last season, the Rockies no doubt expected more from Castro one year older and wiser in the minor league chain. Fortunately, he won’t turn 20 until the end of September and he has plenty of time to correct the downward slide.

Next: Notes And A Player To Watch