Colorado Rockies minor leagues: Early September recap of all levels

The season seems to be sprinting to a close with under a month left before the regular season comes to a close. The Rockies could well see both the Spokane Indians (High-A) and Fresno Grizzlies (Low-A) representing them in the MiLB playoffs.

As usual for these bi-weekly recaps, the upper-minors are scarce in terms of depth, whereas the lower-minors are absolutely loaded. The following stats are from August 31 until September 13 (8/31-9/13).

The latest from the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Albuquerque Isotopes

Beginning with the Isotopes, there isn’t much to write home about with no real headline performances from any Rockies prospects.

Hitters:
Ryan Vilade: 54 PAs, .275/.296/.392, 66 wRC+, 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 11 K
Elehuris Montero: 46 PAs, .267/.283/.422, 69 wRC+, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 11 K
Taylor Snyder: 35 PAs, .303/.343/.455, 97 wRC+, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 8 K

Ryan Vilade notched an acceptable couple of weeks, though he saw his walk rates dip without any compensation in the power department. The recently promoted Elehuris Montero performed similarly to Vilade, although he notched a long ball. The hope is these two can finish hot to boost their chances of cracking the MLB roster next spring.

Utility man Taylor Snyder posted quality numbers, racking up hits and getting on base while also producing some extra-base hits. The 26-year-old Snyder has ascended this season and, like Vilade and Montero, has a lot to gain these last few weeks.

Pitchers:
Reagan Todd: 3.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 2 BB, 5 K
Jake Bird: 3.1 IP, 8.10 ERA, 6.37 FIP, 1 BB, 4 K

The pitching side was void of action with most notable AAA pitchers taxiing between the Rockies and Isotopes.

Reagan Todd effectively navigated through a handful of appearances while Jake Bird got hit around. The stock of these two 2021 MLB bullpen candidates is worth keeping an eye on.

The latest from the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Spokane Indians

Down a level, the stacked Spokane roster turned in quality performances across the board though many notable prospects sputtered, as well.

Hitters:
Grant Lavigne: 38 PAs, .280/.474/.520, 164 wRC+, 3 2B, 1 HR, 10 BB, 8 K 🔥
Jack Blomgren: 26 PAs, .476/.577/.619, 225 wRC+, 1 3B, 3 BB, 4 K 🔥
Hunter Stovall: 39 PAs, .281/.395/.500, 139 wRC+, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 6 K
Niko Decolati: 39 PAs, .343/.410/.400, 126 wRC+, 2 2B, 3 BB, 9 K, 6 SB
Ezequiel Tovar: 39 PAs, .270/.289/.459, 94 wRC+, 4 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 K
Isaac Collins: 41 PAs, .342/.366/.553, 138 wRC+, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K
Daniel Montano: 38 PAs, .303/.395/.303, 102 wRC+, 5 BB, 15 K
Brenton Doyle: 34 PAs, .200/.294/.233, 52 wRC+, 1 2B, 4 BB, 16 K
Aaron Schunk: 35 PAs, .229/.229/.257, 28 wRC+, 1 2B, 0 BB, 10 K ❄️

A star duo as of late, Grant Lavigne and Jack Blomgren are seemingly always on base. Both players look to jump to the upper minors next season.

Hunter Stovall continues to hit like a madman. His approach at the plate is advanced and has him on prospect radars. Niko Decolati has also continued a hot pace, though his recent play is headlined by his base stealing with six bags in the last two weeks.

Ezequiel Tovar continued to hang tight against much older competition. Though he hasn’t excelled since his promotion to Spokane, the fact that he doesn’t look outmatched bodes well for his future as a top prospect in the system.

Isaac Collins and Daniel Montano were also always on the base paths though the former did it via a sky-high average while the latter drew a walk in 13.2% of his plate appearances.

Finally, high pedigree prospects Brenton Doyle and Aaron Schunk had stretches they hope to but in the rearview mirror. Doyle slowed after mashing home run after home run in late August though Schunk has struggled all season.

Pitchers:
Chris McMahon: 10.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3.16 FIP, 3 BB, 10 K
Mitchell Kilkenny: 14.1 IP, 2.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 5.29 FIP, 1 BB, 8 K
Noah Davis: 3.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 6.36 FIP, 3 BB, 2 K
Dugan Darnell: 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.16 FIP, 0 BB, 7 K 🔥
Jared Biddy: 8.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 2 BB, 7 K
Shelby Lackey: 2.2 IP, 3.37 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 1 BB, 3 K
Stephen Jones: 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 0 BB, 8 K

The pitching side lacks downside, as of late. Chris McMahon has been dialed in for months now with a 3.70 ERA over his last 14 appearances. His swing and miss stuff has been playing up lately. McMahon seems ready for Double-A next season.

Mitchell Kilkenny returned to form after a rough couple of starts. The savvy control artist will likely join McMahon in the Hartford rotation, along with trade deadline addition Noah Davis who has pitched respectably since joining the organization.

Dugan Darnell continues to shred MiLB hitters. He’s made a case this year to be regarded as one of the Rockies best relief prospects.

The trio of Jared Biddy, Shelby Lackey, and Stephen Jones also proved effective. The quality and depth of the Spokane pitching staff should carry over to make Hartford one of the best pitching affiliates in MiLB.

The latest from the Low-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Fresno Grizzlies

The always-exciting Grizzlies weren’t as flashy as they’ve been this season. Part of that has to do with the fact that the team had six games with the Modesto Nuts cancelled due to COVID-19 testing and pre-cautions.

Hitters:
Drew Romo: 18 PAs, .571/.556/.643, 204 wRC+, 1 2B, 2 BB, 0 K, 5 SB 🔥🔥🔥
Zac Veen: 27 PAs, .261/.370/.304, 92 wRC+, 1 2B, 4 BB, 7 K, 5 SB
Bladimir Restituyo: 24 PAs, .318/.348/.455, 110 wRC+, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 K, 3 SB
Mateo Gil: 27 PAs, .292/.370/.500, 127 wRC+, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K
Julio Carreras: 26 PAs, .238/.385/.286, 96 wRC+, 1 2B, 4 BB, 3 K, 4 SB
Robby Martin: 30 PAs, .250/.367/.333, 95 wRC+, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 K
Warming Bernabel: 23 PAs, .227/.261/.273, 43 wRC+, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K

Drew Romo couldn’t be stopped. His bat just kept finding the ball and those balls kept finding grass. His development and proclivity to adjust this season has been remarkable.

Zac Veen finally cooled down a tad after having one of the best teenage minor league seasons in years and certainly in the Rockies organization. His still high-OBP as of late stands to show how advanced of a hitter he already is.

The speedy Bladimir Restituyo along with the handsy Mateo Gil have both carried their weight so far this month with each going yard once and getting on-base with frequency.

Julio Carreras and Robby Martin both drew four walks each but didn’t find their power strokes.

The recently 19-year-old Warming Bernabel hasn’t had an ideal start to his full-season affiliate debut but the tools are there to warrant patience. Keep an eye on him as he likely repeats the level next year.

Pitchers:
Tony Locey: 5.2 IP, 1.59 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 4 BB, 8 K
Anderson Amarista: 5.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 1 BB, 7 K
Gavin Hollowell: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 2 BB, 3 K
Case Williams: 4.1 IP, 10.38 ERA, 6.09 FIP, 2 BB, 2 K

Tony Locey has continued to thrive since being converted to the Fresno rotation. His control has been sporadic at times but he’s been hard to catch up to when he’s in the zone. Anderson Amarista has been leading quite the resurgence on his season with four of his last five starts being quite good.

The latest from Colorado Rockies prospects competing in the Arizona Complex League

Unfortunately, the Rockies Arizona Complex League team has faced a handful of COVID cancellations recently, making samples small across the board. Still, there were some impressive performances. The ACL season is set to wrap up on Saturday so this is close to the last bit of action we will see from 2021 draftees until next year.

Hitters:
Benny Montgomery: 23 PAs, .500/.609/.500, 210 wRC+, 5 BB, 2 K 🔥
Zach Kokoska: 22 PAs, .400/.455/.450, 147 wRC+, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K 🔥
Hunter Goodman: 31 PAs, .292/.452/.500, 155 wRC+, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 4 K 🔥
Adael Amador: 38 PAs, .452/.500/.516, 169 wRC+, 2 2B, 5 BB, 3 K 🔥
Braiden Ward: 15 PAs, .400/.600/.400, 195 wRC+, 3 BB, 2 K 🔥
Juan Brito: 16 PAs, .357/.438/.643, 174 wRC+, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 K 🔥

Rockies first-rounder Benny Montgomery has been amazing, plain and simple. He’s defied all expectations set for him as a draft prospect, deploying a hit-first approach though he hasn’t tapped into much power yet.

Zach Kokoska, a 10th-round selection, has gotten the better of pitchers with consistency this year as his season average creeps close to .400. 4th rounder Hunter Goodman joins Kokoska as a standout college bat from this class.

Prized international signing Adael Amador got back on his high horse recently following a bumpy stretch. His supreme hit tool warrants consideration as a top-10 organizational prospect and his full-season debut should be watched with diligence.

Braiden Ward’s recent success is quite intriguing. One of the fastest players in the organization, if he can simply produce close to league average, he’ll be quite the offensive commodity.

Finally, advanced 19-year-old Juan Brito returned to action with a bang, getting on base at a solid rate and clicking his second long ball of the season.

Pitchers:
Cullen Kafka: 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 0 BB, 3 K
Joe Rock: 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.25 WHIP, 1.45 FIP, 0 BB, 6 K 🔥
Tyler Ras: 1.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 4 K
McCade Brown: 3.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 11.78 FIP, 2 BB, 5 K
Evan Shawver: 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 0 BB, 3 K
Victor Juarez: 6.0 IP, 7.50 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 0 BB, 8 K
Evan Justice: 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 BB, 2 K

The 2021 pitching draft class loves zeros. With the exception of 3rd rounder McCade Brown, the ACL pitching staff has been absolutely electric recently and looks to be one of the Rockies best draft crops in a long time.

In particular, Joe Rock dazzled and should emerge as a top prospect next season.

Victor Juarez received the rare in-season promotion from the Dominican Summer League to the United States. The Mexican pitcher turned 18 just a couple of months ago but pitches well beyond his years.

The latest from Colorado Rockies prospects competing in the Dominican Summer League

Finally, we hit the DSL. There weren’t many electric performances, but certain pedigreed prospects stood out.

Hitters:
Adrian Pinto: 28 PAs, .320/.393/.520, 150 wRC+, 1 2B, 2 3B, 3 BB, 2 K
Yanquiel Fernandez: 39 PAs, .452/.538/.839, 250 wRC+, 6 2B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 3 K 🔥🔥🔥
Luis Paredes: 37 PAs, .344/.405/.750, 195 wRC+, 3 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 10 K

Adrian Pinto has the makings of a high-quality top-of-the-order bat, and his consistency stands out as well.

Slugger Yanquiel Fernandez was beyond dominant the last couple of weeks, leaving the ballpark twice and drawing seven walks. His bat looks like one of the most promising from the Rockies international signing groups in years.

Pitchers:
Claudio Galva: 9.0 IP, 1.00 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 5 BB, 8 K
Alberto Pacheco: 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 8 K
Jordy Vargas: 8.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.93 FIP, 2 BB, 10 K 🔥
Wellinton Herrera: 4.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 1 BB, 5 K

Jordy Vargas has prodigious talent and he’ll likely join Victor Juarez stateside next year.

18-year-old Alberto Pacheco was impressive in his last two outings, punching out 10 without giving up a run.

We’ll have one final farm recap this season following the wrap-up of the MiLB playoffs in roughly a month. In a difficult year for Rockies fans, the prospect pipeline has offered a lot more positives than negatives and should give some traces of hope for the future.