2015 Season In Review: Albuquerque Isotopes

Sep 2, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies pinch hitter C. Adames (18) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

2015 Albuquerque Isotopes: Offense

The good: Hunt, Cristhian Adames, HUNT!! The shortstop/middle infielder in waiting made the All-Pacific Coast League team after slashing .311/.362/.438 over 463 at-bats, with 20 doubles, three triples, and eleven home runs. He predominantly played shortstop, but also saw time at third base and second base, so it’s fun to think about him as a possible floater as a utility middle infielder in the Major Leagues next year.

The bad: What the hell happened to Charlie Culberson? The same Charlie Culberson who spent all of 2014 on the Colorado Rockies’ active roster (despite doing, well, absolutely nothing) appeared in exactly zero Major League games in 2015 and appeared in only five games with the Isotopes. He went 4-for-20 in those five games and then promptly disappeared to disabled list purgatory. I’ve gotta believe he’s likely done with the Colorado Rockies.

[ Related: Cristhian Adames should start for the Colorado Rockies ]

Noteworthy: Both Tom Murphy and Trevor Story were rewarded with good work at AA New Britain in the first half of the year by getting call-ups to AAA Albuquerque for the second half (and Murphy just went a step further to the big leagues!). Those two each had relatively successful rookie half seasons in Albuquerque, too (Murphy slashed .271/.301/.535, and Story slashed .277/.304/.524). It remains to be seen whether Murphy and/or Story are ready for the big leagues at the start of 2016, but they certainly turned heads in Denver by jumping quickly to AAA and then proving they at least weren’t overmatched.

Big league ready: Angelys Nina. There may never be a big league spot for Nina, at least with the Rockies, but the 27-year-old second baseman had a very nice season for the Albuquerque Isotopes, and a few sings point to him being ready for a bigger challenge than the Pacific Coast League.

In 114 games/420 at-bats this year, Nina slashed .300/.333/.402, and even more encouragingly he only struck out 46 times all season. Add 20 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, and 18 stolen bases, and Nina is not far from the big leagues. Considering the Rockies’ middle infield options, Nina may not have a shot in Denver, though.

Next: The 2015 Isotopes' Pitching And Defense

Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; United States catcher T. Murphy (19) throws out a baserunner in the fifth inning against the Dominican Republic during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

2015 Albuquerque Isotopes: Defense

The good: Jon Gray and Aaron Laffey, in very different ways, put together decent years in the starting rotation. Each was in the big leagues for part of the year too (Gray more than Laffey), but both pitchers were consistent in an inconsistent starting rotation at a very hitter-friendly home ballpark.

In the bullpen, Simon Castro turned heads with a good year and eventually earned himself a call-up to the Colorado Rockies, while Jario Diaz, Justin Miller, and Miguel Castro all followed suit with their own decent seasons in 2015 and call-ups to the Major Leagues. Besides them, though, the staff was a disaster. The Albuquerque Isotopes finished third-from-last in the Pacific Coast League with a 4.97 ERA.

The bad: Jair Jurrjens and John Lannan didn’t impress at the end of the year, leading to the release of one (Jurrjens) and the quiet end of the season for the other (Lannan). Jurrjens allowed 105 hits in 70.2 innings, picking up a 6.88 ERA and 1.81 WHIP while striking out only 39 and walking 23. Lannan, who was throwing well in the middle of the year, faded hard at the end, and finished 6-10 with a 5.39 ERA and 1.64 WHIP allowing 40 walks and 209 hits in 152 innings. Yikes.

[ Related: Colorado Rockies prospect Jon Gray shows upside vs the Padres ]

Noteworthy: Tyler Matzek ended up with terrible numbers across the entire AAA season, but he threw much better in his second turn through Albuquerque than he did in the first. In 10.2 innings at the end of the year, he allowed just four runs, and even though he did walk ten batters (!), he gave up just four hits and struck out 16, too. Hopefully, he’ll start 2016 with the Albuquerque Isotopes and build on that as the Rockies figure out what he can do in the future.

Big league ready: Nelson Gonzalez. Nobody has made much of Nelson Gonzalez over the last few years, but he did make the Arizona Fall League last October, and he followed that up with a nice year with the Albuquerque Isotopes this summer. In 51 innings across 30 games, he went 4-3 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, striking out 51 while allowing just 17 walks. He’s certainly worth a shot as bullpen depth next summer.

Next: Looking ahead to 2016

Oct. 14, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop T. Story plays for the Salt River Rafters during an Arizona Fall League game against the Surprise Saguaros at Salt River Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2016 Albuquerque Isotopes: Looking Ahead

Keys to success: Wins and losses don’t matter at any minor league level, of course, but it will be interesting to see how the Albuquerque Isotopes develop players. They’ll have at least two big prospects to start the season (in all likelihood) in Story and Murphy, and there is of course the chance that Gray, Adames, Eddie Butler, David Dahl, Jordan Patterson, Kyle Parker, Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, and Harrison Musgrave may all spend tim with the ‘Topes in 2016.

Obviously, with names like that, there’s a lot of pressure riding on the Albuquerque Isotopes to develop talent and the Colorado Rockies to analyze it during the big league club’s rebuild. This should be fun!

Biggest challenges: Pitching in Albuquerque. The Pacific Coast League is an absurdly hitter-friendly league, and it’s always tough to determine exactly how good a pitcher is despite questionable numbers in Albuquerque (hey, just like Denver!). Gray made it through. Matzek and Butler didn’t. Can the next crop of guys, like Musgrave and Harrison, figure it out in Albuquerque? Only time will tell.

[ Related: Down on the farm: Trevor Story ]

What to expect in 2016: As is always the case in AAA, expect the Colorado Rockies to sign some veteran former Major Leaguers for depth next year, just like they did in 2014 with Roger Bernadina and John Lannan, to use two notable examples.

More than that, though, there’s this to think about: in 2014, the Asheville Tourists won the South Atlantic League championship series. This year, many of those players spent time between Modesto and New Britain, moving up levels in the Rockies’ minor league family tree. Next year, many of those players (some listed just several paragraphs above this) will likely spend at least part of the season with the Isotopes.

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