Colorado Rockies Prospect Brenton Doyle: “I’m a competitor.”

Sometimes a scout just knows talent when he sees it–regardless of what others might say.  It appears Rockies scouting may have stumbled upon a gem last draft when they took outfielder Brenton Doyle out of Shepherd University in West Virginia in the fourth round.

What made Doyle’s selection notable was that Shepherd is a Division II school and teams rarely select Division II players in the preliminary rounds of the draft.  Now, Doyle plays with a chip on his shoulder, claiming he’s always had doubters, and he’s grateful for the chance to prove them wrong.

“You don’t see a many guys from a Division II school going early on in the draft, and the Rockies definitely put their trust in me,” said Doyle in an exclusive conversation with Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry on Wednesday.

After 51 games with the Rockies’ rookie affiliate in Grand Junction, Doyle said he believes he’s already proven a lot of people wrong, including several scouts.  A prospective 5-tool player, Doyle posted a 1.088 OPS in Grand Junction, hitting .383 with 8 home runs, 33 RBI, and 17 stolen bases.

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Doyle said the pace of play and higher saturation of talent in his first exposure to professional baseball helped him improve as a player.

“I’m a competitor, and facing the better competition, it only strengthens me,” Doyle said.

It is a good thing that Doyle sees adversity as a chance to grow.  After being hit in the face with a foul ball while standing on the top step of the Grand Junction dugout late in June, Doyle missed a few weeks of games.

Rather than dwell in his misfortune, Doyle said the time off gave him a chance to work with his hitting coach and make adjustments to his stance.  Doyle said he came back even better than before.

Though he only has half a season of pro ball under his belt, Doyle has high praise for the team that took a chance on a Division II star.

“I couldn’t have gone to a better organization,” Doyle said.

Heading into 2020, Doyle said his main focus is improving each of his five tools to become an even bigger threat in every aspect of the game.

Note: You can follow Doyle on Twitter by clicking here.