Road To The Colorado Rockies: August 28 Minor League Updates

Boise Hawks — A-

Last week (6-1), Overall (27-40): The Colorado Rockies’ short season A affiliate in Boise has gotten hot lately. The Hawks have won four in a row and seven of eight, but that mini-streak can’t overcome the poor start to the season, and the club is still in the basement of the Northwest League.

The Hawks pitch poorly — they’ve got the worst ERA and WHIP in the Northwest League — which should tell you everything you need to know about the tough season up in Boise. (This is the Colorado Rockies’ first with this particular affiliate.)

Trending up: Jack Wynkoop. Wynkoop, the Rockies’ sixth round draft pick this year out of the University of South Carolina, has done what a college player should do in short season ball: throw strikes. In nine games/seven starts, he’s walked just six hitters while striking out 25 in 38.2 innings. Expect to hear more from him in the future.

[ Poll: Will Tyler Matzek’s time in Boise be beneficial to the Colorado Rockies? ]

Trending down: Kevin Padlo. For maybe the first time since he’s been in Boise, Kevin Padlo has hit a rough patch. In ten games most recently for the Hawks, Padlo is just 7-for-32 (.219) with seven strikeouts, though it should be noted that he has walked an astounding 11 times in the last ten games.

Padlo, who was a Northwest League All Star this season, is .308/.418/.520 in Boise overall this year, after being demoted from full-season Asheville several months ago when the NWL season started.

One to watch: Hamlet Marte. The 21-year-old catcher from the Dominican Republic has hit well in Boise this year (.297/.344/.448 in 172 at-bats), in what is his fifth professional season (!).

The Colorado Rockies need all the catching help they can get (like Tom Murphy, Dustin Garneau, and Ryan Casteel up in AAA and/or the big leagues, and Dom Nunez in Asheville), and although Marte is a good bit further away, it’s good to see him succeeding behind the plate.

Next: Grand Junction Rockies (Rk)