Colorado Rockies: 15 players to protect in a hypothetical expansion draft

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 16: Ryan McMahon #24 and Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies smile after a 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Coors Field on August 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 16: Ryan McMahon #24 and Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies smile after a 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins at Coors Field on August 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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Peter Lambert of the Colorado Rockies
ST. LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 23: Peter Lambert #23 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on August 23, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) /

There’s a few young guys that would need to be protected too.

13.  Peter Lambert

Lambert struggled some in his freshman season in the majors in 2019 but the Rockies were a bit thin on the pitching front due to some injuries and struggles of others.

However, Lambert has been one of the Rockies’ top three prospects in recent years, and considering that he just turned 23, he has plenty of time to develop either in Albuquerque or in the majors.

14. Ben Bowden

He’s one of the Rockies top prospects entering 2020 and he has already played some at the Triple-A level.

He struggled after the promotion but he pitched really well at Hartford and the Rockies need relievers, and left-handed relievers in particular.

He’ll likely make his MLB debut in either 2020 or 2021 so the Rockies would protect him from the expansion draft.

15. Colton Welker

Welker is a bit closer to the major leagues that Vilade so he may be of more help in the near future for the Rockies infield.

He’s the Rockies third-best prospect heading into 2020 via MLB.com and he’s the 10th best third base prospect out there so if the Rockies wouldn’t protect him, he might be picked up by another team.