Colorado Rockies prospects: A conversation with Niko Decolati

Born in Boulder, playing in the Colorado Rockies farm system is a dream come true for Niko Decolati. The 21-year-old outfielder made the 2018 season even more of a dream by helping power the Grand Junction Rockies to their first-ever Pioneer League title.

While the way the season ended was fantastic, Decolati admits that the start of his first year of professional baseball had a few question marks sprinkled in there. During his junior year at Loyola Marymount (Calif.), he had posted his lowest batting average and the highest number of strikeouts of his college career. He wasn’t sure what that might do to his draft value but he was still selected in the sixth round by the Colorado Rockies.

“I was coming off a not-so-great spring,” Decolati recalled. “I tried to play in the spring with no expectations but I put pressure on myself. It was nice to be able to reset and get away. Grand Junction was awesome.”

With family in Denver and Boulder, the pick and location was perfect for Decolati on a number of levels.

“It’s a pretty cool story. To say I was born in Boulder and was drafted by the Rockies is so cool,” Decolati said. “The first baseball game I ever went to was a Rockies game. Being able to go to Coors Field when I was young and hopefully make that my home later on down the road is absolutely awesome.

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“My family are big-time Rockies fans. My grandpa loves the Rockies. He called me crying on draft day. It goes a little deeper than just playing professional baseball.”

Decolati rewarded the Rockies for their pick, earning a mid-season Pioneer League All-Star selection and finishing the season with a slash line of .327/.414/.532 and an OPS of .947. His three RBI pushed Grand Junction to a 6-5 win over Ogden on September 9, earning the team a berth in the finals.

“I wouldn’t say it was a surprise. I hold myself to that standard,” Decolati said of his All-Star berth and recognition. “Growing up, I always made All-Star teams. That’s a testament to my work ethic. I work as hard as possible. That’s why I try to do to separate myself. Going into the year, I had my goals. Making the All-Star team and making a name for myself were things I wanted to do. When my name was called, it was more of a grateful feeling. I was grateful for such an opportunity to be playing with the top guys in the league.”

He would go 4-for-9 with a home run and three RBI in the championship series against Great Falls, pacing the Rockies to the title. He also did all of this while holding down right field, a monumental task considering he had only played outfield one previous time, as a sophomore in college.

“I wanted to do whatever I could to play,” Decolati said. “My sophomore year in college, they asked me to pitch and I said I’d do it. I love to play. They (Rockies) asked me to move to the outfield and I said, ‘OK, here’s my outfield glove.’ I was ready for the switch. It was a fun switch. I enjoyed it.”

Decolati explained that, while he enjoyed the championship run, there was more to the season than just winning.

“We made some great friends with each other. I think that’s what set us apart from other teams,” he said. “There was a camaraderie. We had good chemistry as well as good talent. It was nice to have solid dudes on the team, both in character and talent. When you enjoy the people around you and the sport you’re playing, it’s great.”

One of the biggest bonding experiences? It was the initiation of any Minor Leaguer … the bus rides.

“You have to be a band of brothers going through one of those long bus rides,” he said. “You don’t want to get on a 15-hour bus ride but that’s your job. You have to make the most of it. This is the opportunity ahead of me, make memories, bond with my friends and try to get some sleep. I’m a professional baseball player. There are so many kids who would love to be in this situation.

“You have to be grateful and put things in perspective. I can’t be more grateful for where I am now.”

Having completed his first professional season, Decolati is already looking ahead to the future and how he can better himself in 2019.

“I want to get better every day. I want to get stronger,” he said. “Offensively, I want to challenge myself in the cages. I have a bunch of drills to work on and get better. I don’t have one thing to work on offensively. I want to continue to develop my swing. I want to work on continuing to have good at-bats and putting the ball in play.”

Our sincere thanks to Niko for taking the time to speak with us. You can follow him on Twitter at @NeeksBeenHadEm.