Colorado Rockies: Scouting fifth-round pick Jack Blomgren

In the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected infielder Jack Blomgren. Let’s take a look at what he brings to the organization.

When the Colorado Rockies entered the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft having spent their first five picks on three pitchers and two position players. It would only make sense if they followed the pattern of balance and made their sixth and final pick an advanced bat from the college ranks. That’s exactly what unfolded.

Blomgren is the high-character, high-floor prospect you take a flyer on late in any draft. Blomgren is the leader of a national champion at a premium position. This kid is a throwback, a glove-first, fiery field-general of a shortstop.

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He was actually the fourth University of Michigan player to be drafted in the five-round 2020 MLB Draft. This is the first time the Wolverines have had four or more players selected in the first five rounds. Blomgren joins:

• Pitcher Jeff Criswell (2nd round, Oakland A’s),
• Outfielder Jordan Nwogu (3rd round, Chicago Cubs)
• Outfielder Jesse Franklin (3rd round, Atlanta Braves)

Blomgren is also the highest-drafted Michigan shortstop since Barry Larkin (fourth overall in 1985). No matter who you spoke to at the university, they all had the same narrative: Blomgren was the glue and fire-starter of that national championship team. I love how Thomas Harding of MLB.com boiled it down to one sentence to begin his profile of Jack.

Put away the calculator, radar gun and stopwatch and ask a simple question: Can he play?

I also like how the kid seems to get it. He completely understands his limitations and how to amplify his strengths. See how he breaks it down himself in the same article:

“One thing that not everyone has that I have is overall competitiveness and the will to win,” Blomgren said. “When I step between those lines, all I care about is winning. That’s what takes me over the edge.“I might not have the loudest tools on the scouting reports, but I think I do everything pretty well. I can run pretty well. I can bunt. I can make things happen. I’m a pretty solid defender.”

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This will serve him well as he navigates the minors as the low-risk/high-reward overachiever he will be viewed as. He will have that chip firmly cemented on his shoulder when he reaches the Majors around late 2023/spring training 2024.

He is highly comparable to Garrett Hampson in almost every way. The only major difference being Hampson is faster, and Blomgren’s arm/fielding is better. This is also going to be used in an exercise of how one above-average tool can have in the draft stock of a prospect. Hampson’s aforementioned speed is why he went in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft, as opposed to Blomgren lasting until the fifth.

Here’s a visual to see just how that one tool can stand out in simple numbers, let alone to the eye while on the field (all numbers are courtesy of MLB.com):

Hampson’s speed stands out no matter the context. But as with Hampson, his size and overall “average” profile, his heart and scrappiness should never be counted out. This tweet from Michigan Baseball sums it up pretty well:

MLB.com even seems to agree on the prospect comp preemptively:

Garret Hampson’s scouting report from 2016:

Hampson is the quintessential scrappy college gamer type, but one with some tools he can count on. Hampson has plus speed, his carrying tool on both sides of the ball. It allows him to have enough range to stay at shortstop defensively and to be a base-stealing threat offensively. He has enough arm to play the premium position, though his best chance at being a regular might come at second baseman in the future.What kind of profile Hampson has will depend on his bat. There’s no power to speak of, but if he hits he could be a speedy every day guy on the right side of the infield. At worst, there’s a high probability of him becoming a valuable utilityman at the big league level.

Jack Blomgren’s scouting report from 2020:

A classic glue guy who helps hold a team together, Blomgren won Michigan’s shortstop job as a freshman and has started 137 of the Wolverines’ 141 games over the last three seasons.Blomgren’s speed and pure arm strength are just average, but his range and throwing are better than that. He has reliable hands, good instincts that help him reach grounders and a quick release and internal clock that allow him to get the ball across the diamond in plenty of time. He’s capable of playing shortstop at the next level and has the skills to serve all over the infield in a utility role if needed.It remains to be seen whether Blomgren can provide enough offensive impact to profile as a big league regular. He makes consistent contact with a flat right-handed swing and his patience and knack for getting hit by pitches enhance his on-base skills. He sprays line drives to all fields but offers ordinary bat speed and little power, as evidenced by his .357 slugging percentage in college.

This is why I haven’t placed any caveats in this piece. I can’t find it in me to count the kid out for anything. This bears repeating, he won the starting shortstop position at Michigan his freshman year and started all but four possible games over the next four years, winning a college baseball national championship along the way.

The bat has the potential to improve as his 11- and 33-game hitting streaks can attest too. He is unafraid in the box and more than willing to “take one for the team.” He profiles as a Tony Wolters type hitter from the right side, while playing the middle-infield to the level of Clint Barmes. He will more than likely never give you much in the way of power (.357 slugging percentage in four seasons), but he will continue the beloved history of scrappy overachievers at a Mile High. Joining the likes of the aforementioned Barmes, Jamey Carroll, and Ryan “Spilly” Spilborghs to name a few.

All of this equates a great use of a final pick in an abbreviated draft. He was quickly signed for the exact slot value of $394,300.

I am sure you have figured out by now I am giving the Rockies another solid A for this pick. I do not see a single one of the six picks not to end up in the show, with a few making possible franchise-changing impact. Blomgren just might be the glue that brings it all together.