Colorado Rockies: Who are their top 6 minor league pitchers?

I asked for fans to ask questions about the Colorado Rockies minor league system and, being the best baseball fans on the planet, you did not let me down. With that in mind, we’re going to take a deep dive into the future of the pitching staff of the Colorado Rockies.

Our good friends Tyler and Clint both asked very good questions. I want to start with Clint (@Clintrnz on Twitter) who asks, “Where is Riley Pint?” And, well Clint, there’s a very simple answer to this. He’s in High-A Spokane trying to lower his amount of walks.

Being the fourth overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft, you’d expect the right-hander to make a rapid rise through the system and be pitching on the corner of 20th and Blake today. However, Pint has battled tremendously with injuries and walks. In 166 innings pitched, Pint has walked 134 batters. It’s just something that he’ll have to lower if he wants to make the big jump, because as we know, walks at Coors field can — and will — hurt you.

One of our site experts, Kevin Henry, talked to Pint during his recent trip to Spokane to see the Indians. You can hear that interview here. Thanks for the great question Clint.

Breaking: Pint announced on Tuesday afternoon that he was retiring from baseball.

Next question is from Tyler (@RoxDontRake on Twitter). He asks “Aside from (Ryan) Rolison, who are your top 5 pitchers in the system?” This question can be controversial, as that there have been a lot of up and down years across minor league baseball after a year off.

With that in mind, I am going to give you six because there are guys who easily could replace each other on this list.

Here are my personal top 6 that, again, does not include Rolison, who was discussed heavily in this article. The left-hander, listed as the second overall prospect in the Rockies system by MLB.com, was recently promoted to Triple-A and is seemingly on the fast track to make his Major League debut.

Note: All stats listed are through action of Monday, June 7

#6 Jake Bird — No. 29 on the MLB.com Rockies top 30 prospect list

Jake Bird has been extremely solid coming out of the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats bullpen and has been put in some tough situations that he’s inherited or created for himself. However, no matter how tough the situation, he’s found a way to get out of it with minimal damage created. His 10 games pitched along with a good era at 2.21 is enough to earn himself a spot on my list.

#5 PJ Poulin Unranked

PJ Poulin is a left handed pitcher for the Spokane Indians, the High A affiliate of the Colorado club. For those who don’t know, Poulin was an 11th-round pick back in 2018 and has been dicing up batters left and right since arriving on the scene. In 15 games this season, the left-handed reliever has posted a 1.84 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 14.2 innings pitched. He’s also struck out 28 while walking just six.

#4 Nick Bush Unranked

Nick Bush might be one of the most underrated prospects in the entire organization. He was an 8th round pick back in 2018 and has provided very good starts throughout his professional career. In 6 starts in 2021 he’s 2-1 with a very solid 2.81 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 28.1 innings pitched. Nick also carries a modest .240 batting average against him.