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Colorado Rockies: The top 25 players under 25 years old

By Jake Shapiro

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the first inning of an interleague game against the Detroit Tigers at Coors Field on August 28, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the first inning of an interleague game against the Detroit Tigers at Coors Field on August 28, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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Pat Valaika of the Colorado Rockies
DENVER, CO – JULY 23: Pat Valaika #4 of the Colorado Rockies is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field on July 23, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

10 Pat Valakia

The right-handed hitting utility man is 25-years-old and is a winning player. That’s not a great term because it can mean something else to every single player. For me, it means whatever team Valaika is on, that team succeeds. It’s been that way for Valaika from UCLA to his first season in the majors.

He’s extremely clutch and it’s fair to say he was one of the best pinch hitting rookies in baseball history in 2017. He had 13 homers and 40 RBI playing pretty much everywhere on the diamond. Bud Black fell in love with the way he plays and it became clear that he is going to be a solid depth piece throughout the Rockies contention window.

His middle name is Ryne which is reference you should all get and he could be the future everyday second baseman if DJ LeMahieu leaves after this season. He needs to work on his defense to get to the level of Sandberg but he still has a bright future and has already contributed valuably to a playoff run.

Click here to see some Valaika highlights.

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