Colorado Rockies: The top 25 players under 25 years old

Last season, Drew Creasman, my former colleague at BSN Denver, and I started a 25 Colorado Rockies players under 25-years-old list. You can view last year’s list here and please check out Drew’s work because he is a very good follow for Rockies information.

This list was released today in conjunction with Minor League Opening Day. Happy Opening Day!

This list is not a clear prospect list, meaning it operates differently than others, so here are the parameters:

1. The list was created entirely by me and my sources, with some input from Creasman and other media members.
2. While giving credit for overall (or trade) value, there is a priority put on an ability to help the MLB club win immediately.
3. In accordance with this, there is also a priority on players with fewer question marks but potentially lower ceilings.
4. Statistics were considered with a skew towards level and information regarding such  statistics with scouting reports in addition to some field reporting being added into the equation.
5. The player must be 25 or younger on Opening Day 2018.

Honorable Mentions

The Rockies have a very young core. Jon Gray and Nolan Arenado just graduated from this list but there are still many players already in the Majors or Major League-ready on this list. That means many good quality prospects who will impact the organization in the coming years.

These are the players that just missed the list and a small piece of information about them (listed alphabetically):

Colorado Rockies

Willie Abreu: Left-handed 23-year-old right fielder with a big 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. He will start this season with High-A Lancaster. Last season, he slashed .283/.321/.463 with 14 home runs and 78 RBI at Single-A Asheville. The 2016 sixth-round pick from the University of Miami is someone to watch on the farm in 2018.

Ben Bowden: The 2016 second round pick from Vanderbilt was near MLB-ready when drafted from Vanderbilt. The big lefty could be a very good big league reliever if he gets healthy. He missed the entire 2017 season and it’s currently unclear where he stands within the organization.

Omar Carrizales: The center fielder’s first full season at Double-A Hartford was not terrific or horrible. He was very impressive in 2016 at High-A Modesto. He has played in the Venezuelan Winter League the past two seasons and this could be his make-or-break season with the Rockies as he’s Rule Five eligible after the season.

Parker French: He just turned 25 and he is headed back to Hartford for the second straight season. The left-handed throwing French never had an ERA over 3.72 at any level in the minors. That was until last year where he was 8-11 with a 6.37 ERA and a strikeout rate and walk rate that went in the wrong direction. There is still hope for him and his repeat year may go way better, which could push the Longhorn through the system quickly.

Josh Fuentes: The 25-year-old corner infielder is the forgotten part of the Arenado family. In two straight seasons, the right-handed hitting California native has hit .307 as he rose to High-A in 2016 and spent all of 2017 in Double-A. Smacking 15 homers and 72 RBI, Fuentes had a very impressive year which he parlayed to nearly 200 at-bats in the Mexican Winter League. He starts the year in Triple-A Albuquerque but is unlikely to make the Majors this season.

David Hill: The fourth-round pick in 2015 draft out of Cal State Long Beach did not pitch in 2017. His last playing time came with the Tourists in 2016 where he was pretty solid in 14 starts. If he gets healthy, the 23-year-old is someone to watch.

Mike Nikorak: Rox Pile wrote about him earlier this week. The 27th pick in 2015 draft is only 21 years old and has a ton of high-end potential. He has yet to get out of rookie ball and is currently recovering from Tommy John.

Wes Rogers: The 24-year-old right-handed outfielder is a speed demon. Stealing 70 bases for the High-A playoff-bound Lancaster JetHawks, he also slashed .319/.377/.488 with 82 RBI. He could make the big leagues this year just based on speed but he’ll work on his game this year starting in Double-A.

Chad Spanberger: The big Razorback who played first base for Rookie-level Grand Junction last year. He OPS’d .985 with 19 homers and 51 RBI in 60 games. He’s a long ways away but it looks like he can hit.

Robert Tyler: Another pitcher with a lot of potential, who did not throw in 2017. The 2016 first-round pick out of Georgia disappointed in his first five pro outings at High-A before being shut down. Tyler will start 2018 at Single-A Asheville.

Forrest Wall: For the third straight year, the 2014 first round pick will start at High-A. It looked like the now 22-year-old second baseman turned outfielder had finally figured it out. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. He was once a top 100 prospect in the game and grew up in Florida playing middle infield with Rockies top prospect Brendan Rodgers. This is a huge year for Wall and, if he gets right, the Rockies farm system may have its next top prospect.