Next up, the two- or three-ballot players!
After revealing the players who appeared on a single ballot yesterday, it’s time to talk about 12 players who were voted onto two or three ballots by the Purple Row electorate in the mid-season 2024 Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) voting.
For each player, I’ll include a link to individual stats and contract status (via Baseball-Reference), as well as notes on their 2024 season to date. For the sake of full disclosure, I’ll also include where I put each player on my personal ballot. All ages are as of the day the article is posted.
Multi-Ballot Players
58. Braylen Wimmer (0.8 points, 2 ballots) — the 23-year-old righty infielder, who has spent his time defensively this year between third base and shortstop, was Colorado’s eighth-round pick in 2023 out of South Carolina and received a $157k bonus. He was assigned to Low-A Fresno this year, where he is 1.9 years older than league average. In 425 PA, Wimmer has a respectable .284/.348/.446 line (110 wRC+) with 13 HR among his 33 extra base hits. We’ll see if the 6’3” hitter can keep that up as he moves up the minor league ladder.
57*. Isaiah Coupet (0.8 points, 2 ballots) — the 21-year-old lefty was Colorado’s fourth-round pick in 2023 out of Ohio State and signed for a slightly under-slot $600k bonus. He threw 50 2⁄3 innings in 2023 with OSU, posting a 3.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 12.8 K/9 rate in 11 games (ten starts). The 6’1” pitcher made five professional appearances in 2023, split between the complex and Low-A levels. This year, Coupet was assigned to Fresno, where he is a year younger than league average. In 84 1⁄3 innings across 18 games, Coupet has a 5.23 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and an impressive 12.4 K/9 rate against a 2.7 BB/9 rate.
Fangraphs ranks Coupet 50th in the system with a 35+ FV grade, highlighted by a plus grade on his slider:
Coupet is a low-slot lefty with a huge breaking ball whose middle-of-the-road projection is that of a bullpen’s second lefty. Sitting 90-91, Coupet’s mechanical inconsistency points to the bullpen despite his strike-throwing track record at Ohio State. A hamstring injury cost him a chunk of 2023. His best pitch is easily his 78-82 mph slider, which has elite spin and big lateral length.
Coupet was ranked 189th overall in the draft class by MLB.com as a 40 FV player thanks to a plus curveball and slider grade:
Coupet can generate more than 3,000 rpm on both his slider and curveball. He favors his low-80s slider, which has two-plane depth, but his mid-70s curveball is a plus pitch in its own right. His fastball sits at 89-91 mph and tops out at 93 without much life, and it gets hit hard when he doesn’t locate it with precision.
While Coupet’s sinking mid-80s changeup doesn’t have much velocity separation from his heater, it still misses bats. He lacks size at a charitably listed 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, so he probably wouldn’t have the durability to hold up as a starter in pro ball. His slider and curveball are his only real weapons and he’s best suited for a role as a breaking ball-heavy reliever.
Keith Law of the Athletic said this after the 2023 draft about Coupet:
Ohio State lefty Isaiah Coupet (4) has a very funky delivery but his slider is plus and his changeup might be as well, so his 90-92 fastball plays up more than enough to project him as a starter. It’s 45 control but he gets a ton of chases on the two offspeed pitches.
The Rockies have let Coupet stay in the rotation this season and, though he’s had his peaks and valleys, Coupet has shown strikeout stuff and the ability to stick in the rotation for at least one more season. Coupet was one of the last cuts on my ballot but rates as a 40 FV player.
* Coupet had the highest individual ballot placement to break the tie with Wimmer
56. Carson Skipper (1.0 points, 2 ballots) — the 25-year-old (as of this week) lefty reliever was Colorado’s 11th-round pick in 2022 out of Auburn. The 6’2” pitcher spent 2023 in Low-A before bursting onto the scene this year. Initially assigned to High-A Spokane, where he is 0.8 years older than league average, Skipper was dominant.
In 38 2⁄3 innings across 34 games, Skipper had a 1.40 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP and a 13.0 K/9 rate against a 1.9 BB/9 rate, recording nine saves in the process. That success led to a mid-July promotion to Double-A Hartford, where Skipper has allowed seven ER in 9 2⁄3 innings over six games, striking out seven and walking six. That level of performance puts Skipper among the 35+ FV reliever types the system has a plethora of at the moment.
55. Andy Perez (1.25 points, 3 ballots) — the 20-year-old lefty hitting, righty throwing shortstop and third baseman is an international free agent out of Cuba, signing in 2021 for $300k. After two seasons in the DSL, Perez skipped the complex league last year and was assigned directly to Low-A Fresno, where he was overmatched by older pitching (63 wRC+).
This year, Perez was returned to Fresno, where he is still 1.1 years younger than league average, and his batting numbers have progressed to a league average level. In 457 PA, Perez’s .292/.326/.441 line with nine HR among his 38 XBH is worth 100 wRC+. The numbers aren’t super impressive, but Perez’s ability to hang in Low-A in his age-20 season at a middle infield slot certainly is.
Perez was listed as a Toolsy Guy on the Fringe by Fangraphs back in April:
Perez has plus physical projection and fantastic feel to hit for a young guy his size, but he’s one of the most swing-happy hitters in all of pro baseball.
Law at the Athletic had this to say about Perez back in February:
Shortstop Andy Perez didn’t hit a lick in Low A last year, as he isn’t strong enough to hit that level of pitching yet — again, bring back short-season leagues, please — but he’s very projectable and can play all over the infield. He’s going to be very big and might end up with surprising power.
I consider Perez to be on the edge of the 35+ FV level — in a year when the system was shallower, that profile would be on the edge of the top 30 but right now it’s buried a bit.
54. Kelvin Hidalgo (1.3 points, 2 ballots) — the 19-year-old shortstop and third baseman is a 2022 international free agent from the Dominican Republic, signing for a $500k bonus. After two years in the Dominican Summer League (he was the DSL MVP in 2023), Hidalgo was placed in the Arizona Complex League this year (and was listed as a breakout prospect this spring by MLB.com), where he is 0.8 years younger than league average. In 247 PA, the 6’1” infielder has a .288/.347/.365 line with 12 XBH and 18 steals (85 wRC+).
Hidalgo was highly thought of this April by Fangraphs, who graded him as a 40+ FV player and rank him 19th in the system currently:
Hidalgo had a monster second season in the DSL, where he slugged .583 and hit 12 homers, which ranked second in the league. His look on the backfields of Arizona during the spring of 2024 has been one of offensive inconsistency. His swing was a bit out of whack early and is now more in sync, but it’s still uphill and geared for pull power. Hidalgo doesn’t track pitches especially well, but he does swing hard for a potential shortstop his age and his gangly frame has room for a lot of strength. On defense, Hidalgo has the arm strength for short but plays a little high and has medium twitch. He’s a possible shortstop, not a lock. There are far right tail outcomes where Hidalgo stays at short and grows into enough power to overcome what will likely be a below-average hit tool and I want to leave room for that upside in his FV grade here, because there could eventually be an awful lot of power.
It’s a high ceiling profile due to the power potential and defensive utility, though he’s quite far away. Hidalgo is a 40 FV player for me and is the first player listed so far to have been ranked on my personal ballot, 26th overall.
53*. Zach Kokoska (1.3 points, 2 ballots) — the 25-year-old 1B/OF is a thumper offensively. The 2021 10th round pick has 17 homers among his 38 extra base hits in 328 PA for Double-A Hartford (where he is 1.4 years above league average. The 6’0” lefty is hitting .221/.318/.482, with those extra base hits bumping up a pedestrian batting average into a suitable 121 wRC+ for an older player at the level playing a corner defensively (mostly at first base with some left and right field as well).
My skepticism with this type of prospect is well documented, so I’ll simply state that Kokoska needs to keep dingering up a storm as he moves up the minor league ladder if he wants to break through the current big league logjam of similar players the Rockies have above him.
* Kokoska had the highest individual ballot placement to break the tie with Hidalgo
T-51. Chris McMahon (1.8 points, 2 ballots) — the 25-year-old right-hander has been bit by the injury bug. The 6’2” 2020 second rounder (who signed for $1.6 million) threw only 28 2⁄3 innings in 2022, then was limited to 67 innings in 2023. This year, McMahon was lost for the season before it even began. McMahon’s low fastball (four- and two-seam), change-up, and slider mix is enticing, but if he can’t show it off in the high minors, it’s hard to rank McMahon any more.
T-51. Braxton Fulford (1.8 points, 2 ballots) — the 25-year-old righty catcher was Colorado’s sixth rounder in 2021, signing for a slightly below slot $280k. Fulford has spent this year in Hartford as the primary backstop, where he is 1.4 years older than league average. The 5’10” catcher is hitting .225/.324/.398 with 9 HR among his 24 XBH in 291 PA, good for a 106 wRC+. Behind the plate, Fulford has thrown out 33% of base stealers with three errors and 12 passed balls so far.
Fangraphs ranks Fulford 49th as a 35+ FV prospect:
A bat-first college catcher at Texas Tech, Fulford has predictably crushed the lower minors and was promoted to Double-A Hartford in the middle of 2023. While his strikeouts took a little leap there, he maintained a nearly average overall offensive performance. Fulford has gotten significantly better behind the dish since turning pro and now looks like a pretty good bet to stay back there. He has below-average hands and he’s not great at framing borderline pitches or at picking balls in the dirt, but things aren’t so bad that he has to move off the position. He catches on one knee and varies the width of his base. At times, he gets caught flat-footed when he’s splayed super wide, but for the most part his exchange and arm are average. On offense, Fulford has a pull-oriented approach that leads him to swing inside a lot of sliders. He’s got pretty good power for a catcher and is most dangerous in the down-and-in portion of the zone. He should be in the mix for third catcher duties soon.
Fulford, who I rate as a 35+ FV prospect, is firmly behind Drew Romo (and probably Willie MacIver) in Colorado’s minor league catching hierarchy. However, with Elias Díaz being placed on outright waivers yesterday and Jacob Stallings also likely gone after 2024, Fulford has a clear path to a big league roster spot soon and will be Rule 5 eligible after the season.
50. Aaron Schunk (2.0 points, 2 ballots) — the preseason number 29 PuRP is a 27-year-old infielder who was Colorado’s 2019 second rounder and who now serves as the big league team’s reserve utility infielder. In the minors this year, the 6’1” righty has had the benefit of hitting in Triple-A Albuquerque, one of the hitter-friendliest parks in one of the hitter-friendliest leagues in affiliated ball. As such, Schunk’s .291/.339/.469 batting line with seven HR and 33 XBH in 299 PA only translates to a 98 wRC+. Defensively, Schunk had four errors in 41 games at third, one in 13 games at short, and none in 13 games at second.
Schunk was called up in late June and he’s stayed on the roster since then but has played sparingly. In seven weeks, Schunk has appeared in 20 games but only has 42 plate appearances, in which he’s hit .171/.191/.220 with two doubles, 14 strikeouts, and one walk. That’s a -10 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR in case you’re interested.
Schunk was twice left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft before this year largely because the power potential he displayed as a collegian hasn’t quite translated as a pro. Schunk, who is a 35+ FV player for me, will need to tap into that if his nascent big league career is to take off beyond late inning defensive replacement or pinch runner status, though his seven weeks in the big leagues so far are way more than most prospects get.
49. Grant Lavigne (2.3 points, 2 ballots) — the 24-year-old righty-throwing, lefty-hitting first baseman’s has twice been unprotected and unselected in the Rule 5 draft despite moving up to Triple-A while never hitting worse than 99 wRC+. Lavigne’s profile has long been buoyed by draft pedigree (42nd pick overall in the 2018 draft, over-slot $2 million bonus) and plate discipline (career 14% walk rate), but the 6’4”, 220-pound Lavigne just hasn’t been able to mash enough to stand out from the crowd the Rockies have developed at corner infield over the last few years.
Lavigne has been above average offensively as a pro, but not in the way you’d expect a first baseman his size to compile that kind of stat line — a high strikeout (24%), high walk (14%), low power (fewer than 10 homers per season) profile. This year, with the benefit of Triple-A Albuquerque’s hitting environment, Lavigne has tapped into his power more (15 HR, 31 XBH). In 388 PA, Lavigne is hitting .248/.354/.450, which is worth only 99 wRC+ in Albuquerque. That hasn’t been enough to dislodge the logjam at first base above him, despite the struggles of the players who have manned that position this year for the Rockies.
Lavigne’s a first base-only bat with a patience-based approach. Though the high walk rates are good, at the upper levels prospects need to show the ability to consistently do damage to pitches over the heart of the plate to keep pitchers nibbling on the corners. Lavigne doesn’t possess elite tools or defensive utility beyond first base. I do think Lavigne is a prospect worthy of consideration by the Rockies (albeit not in my top 30), but if the Rockies don’t add him to their roster at the end of this year, Lavigne will be a minor league free agent.
48. Connor Staine (3.0 points, 3 ballots) — the 23-year-old right-handed starter was the 146th overall pick in the fifth round in 2022 by the Rockies, but many draft outlets had him ranked much higher. Staine was 88th overall in MLB.com’s draft rankings (only two spots behind Rockies third rounder Carson Palmquist) as a 45 FV prospect and signed for an over-slot $500k:
Staine is a 6-foot-5 athletic right-hander with a loose arm and some upside. His fastball was up to 96-97 mph and averaged just over 93 mph this past year at Central Florida, a bit of a velocity spike from earlier in his college career. His 80-81 mph slider also improved, and while it’s probably fringy now, it has an up arrow next to it and it’s easy to see it being an average breaking ball that misses bats. He can fold in a slower get-me-over curve, and while he doesn’t throw it much, he shows feel for at least an average changeup.
While he’s largely been around the strike zone, Staine’s command has come and gone at times this season. A minor back issue slowed him a bit, as did a blister, but his size and pure stuff provide some projection and a college arm to dream on, with the upside of filling a big league rotation spot if it all clicks.
Staine has been behind Palmquist on the development path so far, but he’s still a starter and he’s still got size, athleticism, and the ability to get a strikeout. This year, Staine has pitched for High-A Spokane at a league average age. In 17 games, Staine has thrown 74 1⁄3 innings with a 4.72 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 rate, and 4.2 BB/9 rate. He’s allowed 1.3 HR/9 this year, which is almost double the rate Staine had last year in Fresno.
That’s a little wild and homer prone perhaps, but Staine’s profile remains worthy of a 35+ FV grade and future consideration as he climbs the minor league ladder.
47. Blake Adams (3.8 points, 3 ballots) — the 23-year-old righty pitcher was Colorado’s 13th rounder in 2022 out of Kansas State. Adams has overcome the lower draft pick to be a standout starter for two years in a row. This year, he was assigned to High-A Spokane, where he is of league average age. In 18 games, Adams threw 101 innings with a 2.76 ERA (3.62 xFIP), 1.23 WHIP, 8.6 K/9 rate, 2.0 BB/9 rate. With Spokane, Adams regularly worked six innings or more in games, include a six inning, 10 strikeout shutout start last week.
That was enough to earn Adams a promotion to Double-A Hartford, where he made his debut last night. He only lasted four innings, allowing six runs on nine hits, though he did strike out eight.
Fangraphs listed Adams as a Depth Starter back in April, saying that “Adams is a four-pitch guy whose arm slot creates a big fastball/curveball split.” He’s been effective so far as a starter, let’s see how he handles Double-A to end the season.
★ ★ ★
Next time, I’ll reveal more multi-ballot players as we get closer to the top 30 PuRPs for mid-season 2024.