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

Jul 13, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; A general view of Coors Field as American League starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels (17) pitches to National League third baseman Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals (28) during the first inning during the 2021 MLB All Star Game at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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