Colorado Rockies: What happened to those 2012 Double-A All-Stars?

I have been fortunate to cover many former and current Colorado Rockies players long before they actually made it to Coors Field. While living in Tulsa, Okla., I had the chance to help cover the Double-A Tulsa Drillers for the Tulsa World newspaper during their affiliation with the Rockies from 2003 through 2014.

While looking through some boxes in my basement recently, I came across the 2012 Texas League All-Star Game program. The game was played on June 28, 2012, at ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa. It was the first All-Star Game hosted in Tulsa’s downtown venue (which opened on April 8, 2010) and proved memorable for a number of reasons.

Tulsa was well-represented on the North squad, meaning there were plenty of Rockies prospects on display. Among them was Nolan Arenado, who would play 134 games for the Drillers that season, putting together a .285/.337/.428 line with 12 home runs and 56 RBI.

That would be Arenado’s last full season in the minor leagues as he made his debut with the Rockies on April 28, 2013, at Arizona. That baby-faced picture at the top of this page was taken a couple of weeks later. And how about this young Nolan in this All-Star Game photo?

In the 2012 Texas League All-Star Game, it was reported that Arenado made the best defensive play of the game (no surprise there) and lined an RBI double to help the North to a 3-1 win. The player Arenado drove home with that double? Kolten Wong, who debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2013 season and still calls St. Louis home.

So we know about Arenado but what about those other Double-A All-Stars for the Drillers? Did they ever become Rockies or what happened? Let’s take a look.

Tulsa pitcher Dan Houston started the All-Star Game and faced the minimum number of batters over his two innings of work. He would reach Triple-A Colorado Springs in both 2013 and 2014 (seeing action in 33 games during that span) but never make it to the Majors.

Nick Schmidt earned the All-Star Game win by pitching a flawless fourth. However, like Houston, the southpaw would reach Triple-A in two different seasons but advance no higher.

Drillers closer Coty Woods entered the All-Star Game with a 0.56 ERA and picked up the save in the game. Shortly after that save, he was sent to Triple-A where he struggled. He was returned to Tulsa and then picked up by the Texas Rangers off waivers in the offseason. Texas returned him to Colorado and Woods developed elbow soreness as he would be on and off the injured list before stepping away from the game at the end of the 2013 campaign.

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Edwar Cabrera started two games for the Colorado Rockies in the 2014 season, lasting a combined 5.2 innings and logging an 11.12 ERA. He signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros before the 2016 season but was released in May.

Josh Sullivan posted a 2.76 ERA in 60 games for the Drillers in 2012. He was placed on the Colorado 40-man roster that November but was injured pitching the following April for Triple-A Colorado Springs. In August, he was designated for assignment.

Looking back, this trip down memory lane reminded me that minor league success and accolades certainly don’t always translate into a lasting career in the Majors. Tulsa’s three infielders (Arenado, Paulsen, and Rutledge) were the exceptions to the rule for the Drillers in 2012.