Road To The Colorado Rockies: August 28 Minor League Updates

2 of 7

Albuquerque Isotopes — AAA

Last week (3-5), Overall (57-75): This has been a tough year for the Isotopes, in their first season as the Rockies’ AAA affiliate. They’ve long been eliminated from the playoffs, they are 16 games back in their division, and they hold the fourth worst record in the Pacific Coast League.

As you’d probably expect considering their location and the PCL’s proclivities towards offense, the ‘Topes have thrown out the fourth-worst ERA in the league at 5.01, and have a staggeringly bad 1.57 WHIP across the entire season. They don’t make up for it on offense, though, ranking middle of the pack in the PCL in most offensive categories. (And now you know whey they are nearly 20 games under .500.)

Trending up: Cristhian Adames. Adames has done more than enough to earn a call-up this September (and frankly, it should’ve been sooner, but the Colorado Rockies are stuck with Jose Reyes and Daniel Descalso for the time being). In his last ten games, Adames is 13-for-36 (.361) with a home run, four RBIs, five runs scored, and four walks.

Against the Oklahoma City Dodgers in the Isotopes’ most recent series he was dominant, going 6-for-14 in four games, with the home run, three RBIs, and three runs. For the season, Adames is slashing .315/.367/.443 with 19 doubles, 11 home runs, and 11 stolen bases as the Topes’ middle infielder.

Most encouraging, Adames has been tough to strike out, whiffing just 54 times in 451 at-bats, while walking 36 times. Call this man up, already!

Trending down: Charlie Culberson. Culberson isn’t trending down, he’s completely disappeared. After sticking on the big league roster against all odds for the entire 2014 season, despite very little production, Culberson got just 20 at-bats in AAA Albuquerque in June after a groin injury sidelined him for the first two months of the year.

After going 1-for-5 with a run and a strikeout at Salt Lake on June 7, he never played in a game again. Talk about a lost season.

One to watch: Miguel Castro. Castro of course was acquired by the Colorado Rockies in the trade for Troy Tulowitzki, and in nine AAA games at Albuquerque, he’s thrown 11 innings and allowed only two runs, giving up just five hits while striking out nine. (He’s walked seven, but three of those were intentional.)

With his stuff, and the fact that he’s already been in the Major Leagues this year with Toronto — the Blue Jays were hoping he’d be their closer at the start of the year — it seems Castro is a lock to come up in September as the Rockies attempt to put together a set of power arms in the back end of their bullpen going into 2016.

Next: New Britain Rock Cats (AA)