Colorado Rockies top prospect season review: The Depth

A couple of weeks ago, we broke down the performances and outlook of the top 16 prospects in the Rockies system, based on my personal list.

This time, we’ll pick up and run through prospects 17-51. The rest of the top 30 will get a more thorough write-up, with 31-51 getting a quick-hit style analysis.

An unfamiliar name to most fans of the Colorado Rockies is Prospect #17.

17) Yanquiel Fernandez, OF, DSL: .333/.406/.531, 154 wRC+, 10.9 BB%, 12.9 K%, 6 HR

Yanquiel Fernandez is a name many Colorado Rockies fans may be unfamiliar with. It’s time for that to change.

Signed in 2019 for just under $300k out of Cuba, Fernandez wasn’t quite a blockbuster addition like Adael Amador to the system but there were expectations he could emerge as a notable prospect. He’s certainly accomplished that.

According to Baseball America, the Rockies intended on sending the 6’2″ outfielder to the Arizona Complex League but, due to visa issues, he was unable to come stateside and stuck in the Dominican Summer League. The Rockies’ faith in Fernandez was fulfilled in a pro-debut where he got on-base at a .406 clip. His extremely low strikeout rate might be the most encouraging sign of all.

There’s exceptional power potential in the frame of Fernandez, with a chance for his power tool to eventually be a 60 or better. If he can match that strength with a plus hit tool, the lefty swinger has as high of a ceiling as almost any player in the system. There’s a chance he joins Montgomery and Amador in Fresno next season.