Colorado Rockies: Ranking the 40-Man Roster: 37-40

The first installment of our ranking of the Colorado Rockies includes young guys adding depth to the roster, both in the rotation and in the field. We also give a shoutout to a player who will likely make not only the 40-man roster but be part of the opening day 25-man roster.

As a note, we compiled this list by asking each of our six contributors to Rox Pile to rank each member of Colorado’s 40-man roster from 1-40. To reach our final standings, we combined the points to see who fit where. The more points, the lower the ranking.

Without further delay, let’s dive in.

Honorable Mention

Mark Reynolds (not currently on 40-man roster)

Colorado Rockies

Reynolds, 33, was recently signed by the Rockies to a one-year minor league contract with a spring training invite a couple of weeks ago. He is not currently part of the 40-man roster but if he is able to prove himself worthy in spring training, he will likely be added at the expense of one of the other guys.

Personally, I don’t see a way that Reynolds isn’t on the 25-man roster for opening day in Milwaukee. He was very successful in 2016 before suffering a broken hamate bone in early August. Prior to the injury, Reynolds was putting together a solid campaign as the Rockies primary first baseman. He was slashing .283/.354/.446. His improved ability to get on base came at expense of his home run numbers as he hit just 14 over 118 games. Reynolds impressed many with his defensive play, which earned rave reviews from his fellow infielders.

We love the Mark Reynolds signing by the Rockies, and he seems likely to be a big contributor for the major league team this year. I expect him to start around 70 games filling in at first base when Ian Desmond needs a day off or is filling in at another position. Reynolds gives the Rockies the versatility to keep solid bats throughout the lineup as well as a good option for late inning at bats as a pinch hitter. I think his slash line will be similar to in 2016 and break double digits in home runs once again.

Number 40

Rayan Gonzalez: Relief Pitcher Points: 231 Highest Rank: 36 Lowest: 40

Gonzalez is a 26 year-old from Puerto Rico who was drafted in the 21^st round in the 2012 draft by the Rockies. He was added to the 40-man roster last fall.

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In 2016, Rayan made the jump to double A and spent the entire season with the Hartford Yard Goats, facing competition about the same age. He appeared in 46 games and pitched 52 innings for the Yard Goats. His ERA of 3.12 was a huge improvement from 2015 where he posted an ERA over 6 with the Class A Modesto Nuts. This came largely from an improved ability to keep runners off base improving both in hits allowed and walks. Still, his career ERA over five seasons in the minors is 4.02 and he struggles a bit with control still, walking more than four an inning last season. His ability to get strikeouts declined against the higher caliber batters in the Eastern League. His K/9 dropped below 10 for the first time in his career, moving from 10.1 to 8.5.

Gonzalez will likely see some time in Albuquerque this year, especially if he is able to regain his ability to miss bats while maintaining the progress he made in 2016. However, with the number of options ahead of him for the Rockies bullpen, it seems unlikely he will see any time at the major league level barring a multitude of injuries.

Number 39

Zach Jemiola: Starting Pitcher Points: 227 Highest Rank: 37 Lowest: 39

Jemiola was also a player drafted in 2012, but he was taken in the 9^th round from Great Oak High School in California. He is only 22 and spent the whole year in the Hartford starting rotation after being aggressively promoted through single A in 2015 starting 10 games for Asheville and 14 for the Modesto Nuts.

He pitched well enough to stick in the Yard Goats rotation in 2016 but was not outstanding. He threw 162 innings over 27 starts with an ERA of 4.39. His relative struggles were in part because he lacked a true out pitch, which kept his K/9 fairly low at 5.1, the lowest value in his minor league career. However, his control was fairly good, walking only two batters per nine innings.

The other good news with Jemiola is he was pitching against players on average 2.5 years older than him. I think he will start the year in Hartford again and it will be an important year for his progression. He has shown flashes of dominance, such as a seven-inning, two-hit gem for the Goats in August. He needs to build on outings like that.

Jemiola like Rayan Gonzalez is likely on the 40-man roster as an option for a worst case injury scenario at the major league level. There is too much high quality depth for the Rockies at starting pitcher (weird to say) for Jemiola to factor in unless he is dominates at the start of the year. I think he has one of the highest ceilings of the players being ranked in the bottom five, so his 2017 season is one to watch.

Number 37

Pat Valaika: Shortstop/IF Points: 218 Highest Rank: 31 Lowest: 40

Valaika was the Rockies’ 9^th-round pick in 2013 out of UCLA. The 24-year-old has travelled through the minors quickly, starting 2016 in Hartford before a mid-season promotion to the Isotopes and a call to the show once rosters expanded in September. Combined results from the three levels in 2016 had Valaika slashing .257/.297/.425 over 589 plate appearances.

He only appeared in 13 games for the Rockies, most of which were pinch-hitting appearances. Over a ridiculously small sample size of 19 at-bats, Valaika hit .263 while striking out eight times. Among his five hits were a home run and a double, so his initial time in the big leagues wasn’t a total disaster.

Primarily a shortstop, Valaika has shown the ability to play all infield positions in the minor leagues except first base, increasing his value. His offensive ceiling is relatively limited with a career average of .261 and a slugging percentage of .414 in his minor league career.

I thought prior to the Alexi Amarista signing that Valaika would have a good shot in a spring training battle with Cristhian Adames to win the utility infielder spot on the roster. With double the competition, I would be surprised if Valaika broke out of spring training with the Rockies and is more likely to start the year with the Isotopes. I think, as the year wears on, he could see some time in the majors, especially if Adames loses his roster spot in spring training.

I don’t see Valaika factoring in as a starter in any scenario but could be a quality utility infielder if called upon. I expect him to get around 100 at bats in the majors this year with modest success.

Next: 5 Bold Predictions for Colorado's Spring Training

Our next installment will include players 36-31. Be sure to comment on if you agree with the rankings so far!