Colorado Rockies: Is Ezequiel Tovar on a Troy Tulowitzki-like path to the majors?

Entering the 2022 season, the Colorado Rockies had two prospects on MLB.com’s Top 100 list in outfielder Zac Veen and catcher Drew Romo. Now, the Rockies have three players in the top 100.

On Wednesday, MLB updated their list after Tampa Bay Rays utilityman Vidal Bruján has graduated from his rookie status, and with that, Colorado’s shortstop prospect Ezequiel Tovar cracked the list at #100.

With it, he could find himself in the major leagues very soon, perhaps even making the jump from Double-A to the majors, just like Troy Tulowitzki did 16 years ago.

Colorado Rockies prospect Ezequiel Tovar could be on a Troy Tulowitzki-like path

After having a great start to the season, Colorado Rockies prospect Ezequiel Tovar has cracked MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects list. He could be on a Troy Tulowitzki-like trajectory for this season.

Tovar has spent the season with Double-A Hartford and in 49 games, he has hit .316/.397/.585 with 12 home runs, 34 RBI, 10 doubles, and three triples. His slash line is third, seventh, and third in all of the Eastern League. His homers are tied for fourth in the league and the RBI are tied for seventh in the league as well (his teammates Aaron Schunk and Michael Toglia are third and fourth).

Tovar has always been well-regarded defensively, as MLB.com says that Tovar is “the best defender in (Colorado’s) system” because he shows “an ease of operation in his actions at the premium position.”

Tovar doesn’t even turn 21 years old until August 1 and with the pace he is going, he could maybe even see a call-up to the majors this season.

As Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post discussed in his most recent mailbag, some former Rockies players that closely follow the team, like former All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, think that it might be a mistake for the Rockies to call Tovar up this year.

However, Saunders believes that it could be beneficial for the team and beneficial for Tovar to get his feet wet and have some consistent playing time at the MLB level by the end of the season.

In 2006, the Rockies promoted Tulowitzki from Double-A to the majors toward the end of the season, after only being drafted the year before. He played in 22 games in Advanced-A in 2005 after he was drafted and played in 104 games in Double-A before being promoted to the majors.

He struggled in 25 games (53 OPS+) but the next season, Tulowitzki was a huge factor in the Rockies getting to the World Series, their first and only World Series to date.

He had a 6.8 WAR season, which was 5th in the NL, received NL MVP votes, and came in second in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

It would be putting a lot of pressure on Tovar and getting too far ahead of the current state of things to say that Tovar will be the next Tulowitzki but he could be on the path of Tulowitzki this season in that he could possibly make the jump from Double-A to the majors.

And for Rockies fans, that might be a good thing as it will give them some optimism for the near future, especially when it looks like this team won’t be a factor in 2022.

Colorado Rockies rumors: 3 teams that could use José Iglesias

There are three teams that could really use Colorado Rockies shortstop José Iglesias: The New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres.