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 Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, the Hartford Yard Goats

The Yard Goats saw a polarizing stretch of games with their bats struggling and their arms shoving.

Hitters:
Jameson Hannah: 38 PAs, .147/.211/.176, 8 wRC+, 3 BB, 13 K ❄️
Coco Montes: 48 PAs, .222/.271/.311, 58 wRC+, 1 3B, 3 BB, 17 K
Michael Toglia: 46 PAs, .179/.304/.436, 101 wRC+, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 15 K
Willie MacIver: 33 PAs, .182/.182/.182, -6 wRC+, 0 BB, 8 K ❄️

Notable Yard Goat hitters found themselves slumping with the exception of Michael Toglia, who swatted a trio of bombs and drew six walks, turning in a productive couple of weeks despite a sub-.200 average.

Pitchers:
Karl Kauffmann: 11.1 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 4.75 FIP, 4 BB, 7 K
Yoan Aybar: 6.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 7.14 FIP, 6 BB, 4 K
Zach Matson: 7.0 IP, 1.29 ERA, 1.51 FIP, 1 BB, 10 K
PJ Poulin: 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.76 FIP, 1 BB, 7 K

2019 second-rounder Karl Kauffmann headlines the Yard Goats pitching staff, turning in a pair of positive starts. He’s scuffled this season but a strong finish could put him back on the fast track to MLB.

A trio of bullpen arms shined, especially Zach Matson, who was absolutely dominant, once again. The winter MiLB signing might just work himself into a big-league opportunity in the future.

Yoan Aybar and PJ Poulin appear to be gunning to 2021’s finish line with Poulin looking as untouchable as he did with Spokane before getting promoted. Aybar struggled with command, his main knock, but limited damage otherwise.

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 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.