Colorado Rockies: 3 interesting quotes from the top 3 draft picks of 2021

At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Jaden Hill makes an impact when he walks into the room. His physical presence is a far cry from New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, listed at 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds. While there may not be similarities in their statures, Hill is a big fan of what Stroman brings to the mound before and during his outings.

“I love Stroman,” Hill said. “I just connect with him and his work ethic and how serious he takes the game, on and off the field. To me, he’s an example of a professional. He takes care of his body. He puts in the work and he’s a competitor.”

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Hill is already putting in the work to recover from Tommy John surgery, and that injury is one of the reasons why Hill was still available to the Rockies with the 44th overall pick.

The right-hander has all of the tools necessary to succeed, including a changeup that Hill called “a natural pitch” for him and said it was the first pitch he ever learned. He also said it was a pitch that he felt comfortable enough throwing on any count to keep hitters off balance.

Once he completes his rehab, the Rockies will be able to see exactly what Hill can bring to the mound. With Stroman to look up to for work ethic and professionalism, expect Hill to be on the fast track to recovery.

Former University of Ohio pitcher Joe Rock grew up as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan and had never been to Coors Field until this week. While the 68th overall pick had never seen Colorado’s home ballpark in person, he had seen it plenty of times while playing MLB The Show.

“I usually play it on PlayStation and Coors Field is my go-to stadium. It’s actually cool to see it in person,” Rock said.

So wait, a pitching prospect plays at Coors Field on his video game because …

“I like to hit home runs,” Rock laughed.

OK, so the new guy is in on the whole Coors Field narrative as well. Good to know.

Of course, in real life, Rock’s goal is to make it to Coors Field and not give up home runs. A 6-foot-6 left-hander, Rock has drawn comparisons to Chris Sale on the mound with his look and delivery. Last season for Ohio, Rock struck out 117 batters in 88.2 innings of work and opponents hit just .209 against him.

While Hill talked about Stroman’s work ethic in his interview, Rock put in plenty of work himself to climb the draft boards and get Colorado’s attention. His interesting summer routine and some great quotes from his college catcher about Rock on the mound can be found in this article.