Top Rockies Prospects of 2024: No. 7 Cole Carrigg

When we talked about top catching prospect Drew Romo, we stated that he was the only catcher in the top 15, but that comes with sort of a caveat. The Rockies have quite a bit of athleticism in this system with some very tooled-up outfielders, but perhaps the most athletic player is someone that has the tools to legitimately play nine positions.

Cole Carrigg's athleticism and versatility earn him the No. 7 spot in our 2024 prospect rankings

A lot of times versatility is looked at as a negative. If a guy doesn't have a home defensively, it's usually because he's not good enough defensively to stick there so they have to move off of it. That's just not the case for the 65th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Carrigg is one of the most versatile players in the system being able to play any of the three positions up the middle and probably capable of all nine spots on the diamond at a high rate.

The switch-hitter tends to be a bit more in sync from the right side, but he shows an innate ability to make contact from both sides of the plate. He’s aggressive and has a solid two-strike approach, but more selectivity gives him the chance to be a better-than-average hitter. He showed some flashes of a little power this fall but hasn’t tapped into it in games as of yet. A plus runner who can steal a base, Carrigg has shown ability at three up-the-middle positions. He’s natural in center field and has shown he can play a solid shortstop as well. But many scouts agree that his best value might come behind the plate as a switch-hitting backstop with a plus-plus arm, which was on display with throws 100 mph and harder from shortstop and the outfield at the Draft Combine,

MLB Pipeline raves about his athleticism and impressive hit tool. Carrigg has a legit chance to be an everyday player at any of the three hardest positions in baseball. Pipeline just loves his profile, giving him a 55-grade hit, 60-grade run, and a 70-grade arm.

Check out Carrigg's highlights from both his college highlights, as well as in the Cape Cod League, courtesy of Gain MoMoney

The Rockies seem like they got good value out of Carrigg as MLB Pipeline had him ranked 47th overall heading into the 2023 draft. He shot up draft boards after posting a very solid .388/.426/.509 slash line his last year in college, before dominating in the Cape Cod League with a .329 average and 15 stolen bases. He then rewarded the Rockies by dominating in his first full season, slashing .350/.408/.600 with five home runs and 13 stolen bases in 36 games between rookie ball and Single-A Fresno.

Carrigg has the potential to be an everyday player that ends up playing 30-40 games at three or four different positions. He has the ability to be a legit .280 switch-hitter with double digit home run power and 20-30 stolen base potential, all while being an above average defender at any position he plays. Carrigg will probably start 2024 in Single-A Fresno, possibly High-A Spokane, and could really move quickly as a college kid that will be 22 years old for most of 2024.

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