Here are players who received two or three votes
After revealing the players who appeared on a single ballot yesterday, it’s time to talk about nine players who were voted onto two or three ballots by the Purple Row electorate in the pre-season 2025 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. 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
60. Julio Carreras (0.4 points, 2 ballots) – the just-turned 25-year-old Dominican shortstop started 2024 with a considerable amount of promise. The 2018 international free agent had been on the 40-man roster for one season already and was the number 22 PuRP in the pre-season 2024 list. By mid-season though, he didn’t receive any votes at all in the mid-season PuRPs list and was outrighted off the 40-man roster.
Assigned to repeat at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he’d had a cup of coffee in 2023, Carreras was a well below-average hitter in one of the most hitter-friendly locations in professional baseball. The 6’2” righty hitter posted an anemic .237/.290/.344 line in 339 PA (57 wRC+), with 24 extra-base hits (two HR) and 25 steals in 28 attempts. Carreras salvaged his line somewhat with a hot July (.930 OPS with 9 XBH) — before that his wRC+ was in the 30s and 40s — but his season ended in late July with an injury. It wasn’t too serious, since he’s been playing in the Dominican Winter League this offseason (albeit with just a .415 OPS).
Carreras has one of the best infield arms in the system and his defensive utility is his carrying tool. He played more shortstop but also some at second and third base in 2024, committing 17 errors in 83 games. Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs recently ranked Carreras 27th in the system as a 40 FV player, giving him a 70 arm grade to go with 60 grades on speed and defense:
Carreras’ excellent defense should carry him to a low-impact utility role. He has fantastic defensive footwork, his hands, actions, and transfer are all lightning quick, he has a flair for making acrobatic plays around the second base bag, and his arm (if a little inaccurate at times) is very strong. As he enters his age-25 season, Carreras remains rather thin and has plateaued with gap doubles power, which he struggles to get to because he tends to chase. It’s the skill set of a glove-only nine-hole hitter. On a good roster, Carreras would be used as a defensive replacement.
I rounded down on Carreras to a 35+ FV grade, but there could be a place on Colorado’s 2025 roster for an infielder with his speed and defense skillset.
57. Bryant Betancourt (0.6 points, 2 ballots) — the 21-year-old is a lefty hitting, bat-first catcher/first base prospect from Venezuela who has already spent two years in full-season ball after signing back in 2021 and crushing the DSL. In 2023, he played for Low-A Fresno, where he had an 83 wRC+ as a teenager while playing more first base than catcher with some DH as well.
The Rockies promoted Betancourt to High-A Spokane in 2024 where he was 2.4 years younger than league average. The 5’11” slugger responded to the challenge with a better offensive showing and even caught more games (65) than he played at first base (35). In 433 PA, Betancourt had a .238/.316/.376 line with 12 HR among 26 XBH, good for a 96 wRC+ as a 20-year-old playing a premium defensive position. About that defense — Betancourt threw out 31% of baserunners, committed 11 errors, and allowed nine passed balls in those 65 games behind the plate. OK, so there’s some work to do there.
Playing catcher in High-A as a 20-year-old and hitting averagely is a good sign, but Betancourt will have to hit far more than he has if he doesn’t stay behind the plate as he moves up the ladder. I think it’s more likely that he doesn’t stick there, so I consider him a 35+ FV player who is probably my favorite prospect (among those eligible for the PuRPs list) at a weak position organizationally for the Rockies.
49. McCade Brown (1.2 points, 2 ballots) — put simply, the 24-year-old right-hander has shown potential big-league rotation stuff on the mound but hasn’t been on the mound enough (even in college, when he managed just 67 2⁄3 innings in three years). After a decent full-season debut in Fresno that saw the 6’6” hurler post an 11.8 K/9 rate in 89 2⁄3 innings, Brown had Tommy John surgery in April 2023 took him until May 2024 to return.
In 2024, the 2021 third-rounder only thrown 23 2⁄3 innings in 12 games between the ACL and Low-A Fresno as he worked his way back from the TJ surgery, with a six-week IL stint in the middle that landed him back in the ACL. He returned in late August for a few more appearances with Fresno. Between Fresno and the ACL, Brown had a 6.85 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 6.5 BB/9 rate, but at least he struck out 13.3/9. Brown then pitched another 11 1⁄3 innings in the Arizona Fall League, where he appeared in a relief role exclusively and had good run prevention results (3.18 ERA, 12.7 K/9 rate) despite control issues (1.68 WHIP, 8.7 BB/9 rate).
Longenhagen lists Brown as a prospect of note (and as a reliever):
Brown is a 6-foot-6 dev project who pitched just 6.2 innings as an underclassman at Indiana and missed most of 2023 and 2024 recovering from TJ. When he returned late last season, his release was inconsistent. He could be a standard mid-90s/slider middle reliever, but he needs to find a little more velo and consistent control.
Brown (who was Rule 5 eligible) has been on the periphery of my lists the last couple times as a 35+ FV player, but I’d like to see him healthy and productive again before he makes the cut again.
48. Connor Van Scoyoc (1.6 points, 2 ballots) — the 25-year-old righty starter, a 2018 11th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels, was acquired in late June 2023 for Mike Moustakas. After spending the rest of 2023 between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford, Van Scoyoc (who was Rule 5 eligible but not selected) returned to Hartford in 2024 and was about 0.5 years younger than league average.
The 6’6” pitcher threw 115 innings across 23 games this year, producing a 4.46 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 5.7 K/9 rate, and 3.4 BB/9 rate. Those numbers aren’t bad, but Van Scoyoc didn’t exactly overpowering Double-A hitters either. Van Scoyoc is clearly a depth option for the Rockies who could start 2025 in Triple-A.
Van Scoyoc was listed in the “Potential Depth/Spot Starters” section of Longenhagen’s 2023 mid-season system write-up:
[Van Scoyoc] sits 91-93 with a very strange angle that helps his fastball play in the zone as a bat-misser. He can cut or sink his heater and has an above-average curveball, but he isn’t a typical athletic fit on the mound and his arm action is so long that it has an intermission.
47. Konner Eaton (1.8 points, 2 ballots) — the 24-year-old lefty pitcher was Colorado’s sixth-round pick in 2024 out of George Mason, signing for a slot bonus of $378.9k. The 6’3” hurler threw 62 innings across 14 starts in his platform draft year, though his results (5.66 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9 rate, 11.9 K/9 rate) weren’t strong. Unusually for a newly-drafted pitcher, Eaton actually saw some action in affiliated ball as well, throwing 11 innings across nine relief appearances in Low-A Fresno and High-A Spokane, allowing just one run on six hits and three walks while striking out 16.
It’s unclear if this usage was situational or if Eaton will be in relief full time moving forward. If he’s a starter, I could see him at either Fresno or Spokane in 2025, but if he’s a reliever he could be assigned as high as Double-A Hartford.
Eaton was ranked 180th overall in the 2024 draft rankings by MLB.com as a 40 FV prospect with a 55 grade on his slider and 50s on the fastball and changeup:
Eaton has an intriguing combination of size — he’s 6-foot-3 — stuff, athleticism and left-handedness. He has a lively fastball he can run up to 94 mph, averaging around 92, with solid inverted vertical break. He complements it with a slider that is often above-average, albeit inconsistent. It’s a low-80s sweeping breaking ball that can miss bats. He has a mid-80s changeup also comes and goes, but looks like it could be a third at least average pitch.
The left-hander is athletic and offers some deception in his delivery, but his control and command are elusive. He’s throwing more strikes than he did in 2023 or in the Cape Cod League last summer, though his overall performance has been a bit of a roller coaster. Teams that have seen him good and think they can unlock enough consistency to start may give him a shot in the top five rounds.
46. Connor Staine (3.8 points, 2 ballots) — the just-turned 24-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 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. In 2024, Staine pitched for High-A Spokane at a league average age. In 20 games, Staine pitched 90 1⁄3 innings with a 4.48 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10.1 K/9 rate, and 4.2 BB/9 rate. That’s not bad, though I’d like to see him do it in the upper minors in his Rule 5 draft platform year to join Palmquist in Colorado’s MLB plans.
45. Isaiah Coupet (5.4 points, 3 ballots) — the 22-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. In 2024, Coupet was assigned to Fresno, where he was a year younger than league average. In 86 innings across 19 games, Coupet had a 5.34 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP and an impressive 12.5 K/9 rate against a 2.8 BB/9 rate.
Longenhagen ranks Coupet 35th in the system with a 35+ FV grade (as a multi-inning relief prospect), highlighted by a 70 grade on his slider and a 60 on the curveball:
Coupet is a low-slot lefty with a huge breaking ball who struck out 12.45 per 9 IP across a career-high 86 innings in 2024. He never worked more than 64 innings at Ohio State and struggled with walks as an underclassman, but he’s thrown enough strikes the last two years to merit development as a starter. Another potential barrier: Coupet has a fastball that only sits about 90 mph. His two breaking balls are both fantastic, especially his tight, low-80s slider, which Coupet commands to the glove side with consistency. He can subtract velocity and bend in a nasty mid-70s curveball, which is a good first-pitch weapon against righties, but Coupet’s arm slot, plus his lack of velocity or a changeup, make him otherwise vulnerable to significant platoon splits. He’s likely a bulk reliever who specializes in lefties.
Coupet was ranked 189th overall in the 2023 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 let Coupet stay in the rotation in 2024 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 (likely in High-A Spokane for 2025) and is my top 35+ FV player.
44. Victor Juarez (5.7 points, 3 ballots) — when considering the preseason 2024 number 30 PuRP, it’s important to remember that he has already played three years of full-season ball and only just turned 21 in June. The 6’0” right-handed starter didn’t have too much fanfare entering 2022 despite a $500k signing bonus in January 2021 out of Mexico, but he turned some heads as one of the youngest pitchers in Low-A in 2022 (2.8 years younger than league average) and then in High-A in 2023 (3.1 years younger than average).
In 2024, Juarez repeated at High-A but was still 2.1 years younger than league average. In 111 innings across 22 games, Juarez posted a 4.30 ERA (4.77 xFIP), 1.32 WHIP, 9.2 K/9 rate, and a 2.8 BB/9 rate. Those are quite respectable numbers given the context, including quality starts in five of his last six games (he had 11 of those on the year).
Juarez is another member of the Fangraphs “prospects of note” crew, where Longenhagen notes that “Juarez, 21, is an undersized Mexican pitchability righty who worked an efficient 111 innings at High-A in 2024, mostly thanks to a deep coffer of average secondary pitches.”
The question here is if Juarez’s polish and advanced arsenal/command will allow him to overcome lower-end raw stuff and velocity. Or will that take a step forward as well (so far, no)? Those are relevant queries when valuing a player with Juarez’s skillset, but we should also enjoy what he is now: a precocious pitching talent who held his own as a 20-year-old in High-A.
With Juarez, the path to the big leagues and a spot in the starting rotation once he gets there are easier to envision for me than a player with better stuff but worse command. He’s still a 35+ FV player for me, but the system’s improvement has left him behind somewhat.
43. Jeff Criswell (5.8 points, 2 ballots) — the 25-year-old righty reliever is the first player revealed so far who has actually made a big-league debut, and it was a strong one for the 6’4” pitcher. After his acquisition from the Oakland A’s in 2022, Criswell had gotten some prospect love, but that mostly faded as he encountered difficulties in Colorado’s upper minors affiliates in 2023.
Converted to the bullpen full-time in 2024 (and moving to more of a fastball/slider mix), Criswell’s struggles continued in Triple-A Albuquerque’s hitter friendly environment. Indeed, despite a decent run of form in August that enticed the Rockies to add him to their roster, Criswell’s full season results in Albuquerque still look nothing special outside of a 13.0 K/9 rate — 6.24 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, and 4.4 BB/9 rate in 57 2⁄3 innings across 35 appearances.
With the Rockies though, Criswell was one of the most effective relievers in the bullpen down the stretch, starting with his MLB debut on August 21st. Outside of his third outing, in which Criswell allowed back-to-back-to-back homers against the heart of the Yankees order, Criswell was consistently successful. In all, he threw 19 2⁄3 innings in 13 appearances for the Rockies with a 2.75 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 rate, and 4.1 BB/9 rate — though that elevated WHIP meant his xFIP was a much less impressive 5.01. It was enough for Criswell to produce 0.6 rWAR and rank 14th overall in 2024’s Ranking the Rockies series (fWAR had him as a replacement-level pitcher).
Longenhagen lists Criswell as a prospect of note as a reliever:
Criswell appeared to alter his delivery in 2024 and now has a lower, three-quarters slot. It helped his fastball miss more bats, but it also seemed to make it more vulnerable to big damage.
Criswell, who was one of my final cuts on my personal list as a 40 FV reliever, begins 2025 on the 40-man roster in the scrum to be in Colorado’s Opening Day bullpen. While I’m not sure he’ll make the cut, it’s quite likely he’s up with the Rockies by mid-season to exhaust his PuRP eligibility.
★ ★ ★
Next time, I’ll reveal seven more multi-ballot players as we get closer to the top 30 PuRPs for pre-season 2024.