Colorado Rockies: A season review of the top 16 prospects

9 of 9

Sep 12, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

A look at the seasons put together by Colorado Rockies prospects Ryan Vilade and Ryan Feltner

15. Ryan Vilade, OF, AAA: .284/.339/.410, 87 wRC+, 7.3 BB%, 17.8 K%, 7 HR, 12 SB

Some may be astonished to see Vilade down at 15, but it’s with reason and not some personal vendetta.

As Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) pointed out before the season, Vilade had lost some bat speed at some point along his early minor league journey. The result? A .410 SLG in one of MiLB’s most hitter-friendly parks.

Fortunately, Vilade still has great contact ability and great plate discipline to go along with a work ethic raved about within scouting circles. Vilade primarily serves as an OF now, alleviating him from the team’s corner infield traffic and opening up a path to playing time.

The Rockies have faith in Vilade, hence why he got to debut this year, and there’s a chance he gets a crack at the starting LF job out of Spring Training. The return of his power would also be a welcomed sight.

16. Ryan Feltner, RHP, A+/AA/AAA: 2.96 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 27.1 K%, 9.0 BB%

Our final prospect in this article also made his MLB debut after Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Austin Gomber went on the IL.

Feltner started the season as a fringe top-30 prospect in the system but the Rockies likely weren’t surprised by his jump. In an interview with Jack Etkin of Baseball America, then-Rockies farm director Zach Wilson pointed out Feltner’s velocity increase and improved command at instructionals in the winter.

Feltner’s slider also improved which fueled consistent strikeouts.

He carried those results into the regular season and jumped from High-A to the big leagues. His command could still use some refinement (as could every pitcher’s pinpointing ability) but as of now, the former Ohio State pitcher looks like a potential 5th starter with the floor of a quality bullpen arm.

Next. 1 trade target from each team that the Rox should look at. dark

Stay tuned for part two of this mini-series where we’ll cover prospects 17-51 and their outlooks going forward.

Home/Colorado Rockies Prospects