Colorado Rockies: 8 Albuquerque Isotopes players you may not know but should

In a somewhat surprising move, after Saturday’s first game of the doubleheader, the Colorado Rockies made a series of roster moves.

The club sent corner infielder Elehuris Montero back to Triple-A Albuquerque, called up relief pitcher Jake Bird, and, to add Bird to the 40-man roster, the club designated relief pitcher Julían Fernández for assignment.

Bird, 26, was one of the setup men for the Isotopes and he was one of the few pitchers that has pitched well for them on the season (the team has an ERA of 7.03). In 22 appearances in Triple-A this year, the 2018 fifth-round draft pick had a 2.77 ERA with a 0.962 WHIP and two saves. He was averaging 11.8 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings.

With those kind of numbers in the Pacific Coast League and considering the current state of Colorado’s bullpen, it’s easy to see why Bird was called up.

He has yet to make his MLB debut but he could make it this afternoon in San Diego against the Padres.

Despite his season in Albuquerque, you may not have heard of him before he was called up or heard very little about him.

Here are eight other players on the Isotopes that you may not have heard of but could see some time in the majors with Colorado this year.

Pitcher Brandon Gold has been Albuquerque’s best starter after Ryan Feltner

Brandon Gold has been a swingman for the Isotopes as he has made 12 appearances, seven of which have been starts.

But outside of Ryan Feltner, Gold has been, far and away, Albuquerque’s best starter. Overall, he has a 4.75 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP and a .275 opponent batting average, all of which are second to Feltner among Isotopes pitchers with at least four starts.

Gold, 27, was drafted by Colorado in the 12th round of the 2016 Draft and, oddly enough, he went to college at Georgia Tech, the same college that Charlie Blackmon went to.

Relief pitcher Chad Smith

Of the eight players on our list, Chad Smith is the only one that has actually played for the Rockies at the MLB level this year but you still might have missed him since he only made two appearances before being sent back to Albuquerque.

Smith, 27, was added to the 40-man roster a few weeks ago and called up to the majors to provide some relief at the end of May but for Albuquerque, he has been their closer.

Smith has converted all nine save opportunities that he has had and he has a 1.80 ERA in 18 appearances. Batters are only hitting .180 against him and he has a WHIP of 1.000.

Relief pitcher Zach Lee

Colorado is Zach Lee’s ninth organization since he was the Dodgers’ first round pick back in 2010. They ended up trading him to Seattle in 2016 for Chris Taylor in a deal that worked out very well for Los Angeles.

Lee, 30, has only appeared in four games at the MLB level in parts of two seasons and he struggled with allowing so many hits, as he has allowed at least 9.8 hits per nine innings in each season in the minors from 2016 through 2021 (with the exception of 2020 since there was no MiLB season).

That problem has reversed this year (.209 opponent average) but his walk rate has skyrocketed to 5.7 BB/9. However, he has still pitched well in the league (relatively speaking) as he has a 4.56 ERA in 25 games with two saves.

Utilityman Tim Lopes could help on Colorado’s bench when he’s healthy

Tim Lopes is currently on the 7-day IL with the Isotopes but he could be someone that the Rockies look to use in the majors when he’s healthy again.

Lopes, 27, has spent parts of three seasons in the majors with Seattle and Milwaukee and he has played second, third, shortstop, and left field for the Isotopes this year. He has hit .295/.347/.462 with four homers, 21 RBI, 10 doubles, and eight stolen bases.

Outfielder Wynton Bernard has, arguably, been the best bat for the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2022

Wynton Bernard is a bit older than most minor leaguers considering that he has never made his MLB debut and he’s 31 years old. However, the Colorado Rockies signed him last year at the recommendation of manager Bud Black, who saw Bernard train in the offseason in their mutual hometown of San Diego.

Colorado is Bernard’s fourth organization but for the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2022, he has hit .323/.365/.567 with seven home runs and 32 RBI, the latter of which is second on the team. He also has 11 doubles and four triples, both of which are tied for the team lead. He also has 12 stolen bases, which leads the team.

Colorado has a lot of outfielders at the MLB level but if they trade one or two away at the trade deadline and/or cut some of the ones who aren’t playing well, Bernard could see some time with them.

First baseman Sean Bouchard

Sean Bouchard spent part of May on the injured list but before and after for the Isotopes, Bouchard has been in company with Wynton Bernard as the team’s best hitter.

Bouchard, 26, is another San Diego product (born and raised in San Diego but went to college at UCLA) and was drafted by Colorado in the ninth round of the 2017 draft.

This is his first season in Triple-A and he is hitting .302/.407/.611 with nine homers, 27 RBI, and seven stolen bases.

C.J. Cron and fellow Isotopes teammate Elehuris Montero have him blocked at first base but Albuquerque also has played him in left and right field and in Hartford last year, he played a little bit of third base.

Even then, though, Kris Bryant (when he’s healthy), Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon, and C.J. Cron are about as cemented in their positions as any player on the Rockies is going to be.

But for a prospect that still isn’t in the top 30 for the team, let alone most top 50 lists, Bouchard could be a name that Rockies fans see come up later this year, depending on who they trade and/or decide to move on from. If not, Bouchard could even be a trade chip himself.