Future Colorado Rockies: New Britain Rock Cats July 29 Update

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The Colorado Rockies’ Eastern League affiliate has some exciting prospects to watch, though they’ve had so much success, several have already been promoted to AAA. 

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The New Britain Rock Cats, in their first season as the Colorado Rockies’ AA affiliate in the Eastern League, are coming down to the end of it. Come next season, the club will have moved up the road to Hartford, Connecticut, to become the Hartford Yard Goats, playing in a brand new stadium in Hartford.

I hear conflicting things about Hartford (like, does it suck? I hear a lot that it sucks), but I also hear that New Britain sucks, so I’m kinda confused about Connecticut as a place. Does the whole thing suck? I went to New Haven once and it sucked. I hear Bridgeport sucks. Is there no redeemable place in Connecticut? WHAT’S GOING ON?!

Ahem. Sorry. Ok, let’s talk Rock Cats.

The last week (4-3): The Rock Cats were a pretty standard just-above-.500 this past week, winning a series at home against the Reading Fightin’ Phils before heading out on the road to Binghamton to play the Mets’ AA affiliate for a mid-week series. The Rock Cats will host the Erie Sea Wolves for a series over the weekend.

All told, the Rock Cats have faded a bit since their hot start this year (everybody got promoted!), and the club is now 49-53 on the season, which puts them seven games out of first place in the Eastern League’s Eastern division.

Next: Trending Up And Down For The Rock Cats

Sep 25, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; General view of Coors Field before the start of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Trending up (Will Swanner): The first baseman from Cardiff, California started the season slowly, but he’s come on lately, hitting fourteen home runs in total (that leads the team) and three in his last ten games. In those last ten, he’s gone 9-for-29 with five RBIs, three walks, and four runs scored, too.

All told, he’s getting on base 35% of the time, but unfortunately, he has struck out 93 times in 259 at-bats. Nevertheless, the 15th round draft pick from 2010 is still just 23 years old and has a shot to move up to AAA Albuquerque next season. Sure, the Rockies are first baseman-heavy, but a solid season in AAA could open up several career options for him beyond the Rockies’ organization.

Trending down (Harrison Musgrave): The lefty continues to have a solid season altogether after being promoted from class-A Advanced Modesto, but on Wednesday, uh, he did not have his best stuff.

The Rock Cats made two key errors behind him during his start against Binghamton, but Musgrave allowed eight second inning runs (only one was earned!) after being unable to work out of the jam his defense put him in. Altogether, he allowed six hits, two walks, and a home run in the inning, which, damn.

Again, though, seven of those eight runs were unearned, so things could’ve been worse for his stat line, I suppose, but he sure didn’t fool Binghamton at all after defensive miscues extended the inning in the first place.

Next: Rock Cats Notes

Jun 6, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of Coors Field prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

One to watch (Carlos Estevez): Ok so we have written about Carlos Estevez before, and he is one to pay attention to — after being promoted to New Britain a few months ago thanks to a dominant start to the season in class-A advanced Modesto, Estevez has settled into his bullpen role for the Rock Cats.

In 20 AA games, he owns a 3.97 ERA, and has struck out 27 hitters in 22.2 innings, allowing just one home run and six walks in the process. He also has five saves, asserting himself as the Rockies’ new AA closer (all five saves have come in his last ten games in New Britain).

Considering Estevez’s numbers in both Modesto and New Britain this year (all total, he’s 5-1, 2.76 with 10 saves and 52 strikeouts to 11 walks in 42.1 innings), he’s certainly opened up some eyes with the Rockies. And considering he still won’t turn 23 until December, Estevez is a guy who ought to have some kind of future in Denver.

Assuming his season ends roughly as it’s been going thus far, expect him to get a legitimate shot in AAA Albuquerque to start the season in 2016.

Quick hits: The pitching prospect the Colorado Rockies received in the Troy Tulowitzki trade, Jeff Hoffman, has been assigned to AA New Britain. He will begin his stint there when the Erie Sea Wolves come to New Britain for a series beginning Thursday, July 30 … The series win against Reading was the Rock Cats’ first series victory since June. What a bad time to have a bad month, after starting the season out so strongly … The Hartford Yard Goats have announced their 2016 schedule. They will play from April 7 through September 5 next season, including 19 games against the New Hampshire Blue Jays.

Socials:
RockCats.com
@RockCats
FB.com/NBRockCats

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