The honorable mentions who didn’t quite make the cut
It’s time to reveal the five players who made it the closest to the pre-season 2025 top 30 Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) list as voted on by the Purple Row community recently. 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 if applicable. I’ll also include where I put each player on my ballot. All ages are as of the day the article is posted.
35. Yeiker Reyes (26.6 points, 7 ballots), 2023 International Free Agent (VZ), OF at Complex League (19)
Reyes was one of the Rockies’ top international signees ($500k bonus) in what looks like a very strong 2023 class (four players in that class received PuRPs votes). The 6’0” lefty-hitting, righty-throwing Reyes spent 2023 in the Dominican Summer League (DSL), where across two affiliates he was excellent. In 206 PA, he hit .301/.431/.367 with 33 steals in 35 attempts, good for a 128 wRC+. The Rockies assigned Reyes to the stateside Arizona Complex League (ACL) in 2024, where he was 1.8 years younger than league average.
Reyes posted a 99 wRC+ line in the ACL, hitting .266/.392/.328 with 23 steals (10 CS) and 10 XBH, though he’s yet to hit his first professional homer. The trend is the same as last year for the batting line — lots of walks (15.5%) and speed, but not a whole lot of game power yet. Defensively, Reyes spent more time in center field than left with zero errors in 53 games.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs assigned Reyes a 40 grade, ranking him 28th in the system with a 55 future grade on his hit tool:
Reyes is a skills-over-tools center field prospect with some catalytic qualities and deficient present power. He slashed .266/.392/.328 in the Complex League in 2024. Perhaps Reyes’ most impressive skill is his plate discipline, which is steely even with two strikes. He’s also a plus runner, plays good center field defense, and bunts well. Though he’s of medium build and likely to add a fair bit of strength as he matures, Reyes is currently so lacking in power that it’s tough to forecast him for enough pop to play every day. Instead, he has the skills of a good extra outfielder à la Michael Siani or Myles Straw.
Per that report, Reyes seems like a high floor player due to his hit tool and defensive utility, though not necessarily a star given the lack of power. He will likely make his full season ball debut in 2025 at Low-A Fresno. I ranked Reyes 30th on my list as a 40 FV player because I’m a believer in his potential and floor.
34. Welinton Herrera (44.4 points, 6 ballots), 2020 International Free Agent (DR), LHP at High-A (20)
Herrera was a pop-up arm in 2024 in his first taste of full season ball. The 6’0” lefty reliever spent two years in the DSL after signing in July 2020, then he landed stateside in the ACL in 2023, where he was a bit wild (6.1 BB/9 rate) but showed bat missing stuff (14.7 K/9 rate, 3.27 ERA, .202 BAA). That was enough to get him assigned to Low-A Fresno to start 2024, where he was 1.9 years younger than league average.
Herrera, employing a low arm slot from the left side and mid-90s velocity, was immediately dominant in full-season ball. He struck out an absurd 62 hitters (against only nine walks) in just 34 innings (16.4 K/9 rate) with a 2.38 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 23 appearances at Fresno. He was promoted to High-A Spokane in late June, where he was 3.1 years younger than league average.
Against higher-level opposition, Herrera’s rate stats were less strong (4.76 ERA, 3.75 xFIP, 1.41 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 4.4 BB/9) in 23 appearances totaling 28 1⁄3 innings, but the fact he was doing it in High-A as a 20-year-old is quite impressive. Beyond that, he’s currently pitching well in the Dominican Winter League (10 IP, 1.80 ERA, 13 K, 6 BB, 7 H) against players who are on average over 10 years older than him.
Jack Etkin wrote in August 2024 about Herrera’s strong start in Fresno, in case you’d like to read more about his arsenal and Rockies personnel quotes about him.
Longenhagen jumped Herrera all the way up to the 40+ FV tier, 15th overall in the system earlier this month, putting a 70 grade on his fastball’s future effectiveness:
A slender, 6-foot tall pure reliever, Herrera spent three years in rookie ball and then exploded in 2024 as he split his season between both A-ball levels, totaling 62.1 innings in 46 games while striking out 92 and allowing just 80 baserunners. His fastball averaged about 94.5 mph during the regular season, but was 95-98 for me during Instructional League and 94-97 in the Dominican Winter League with Aguilas.
Herrera’s drop-and-drive delivery and three-quarters slot combine to create uphill angle on his fastball, making it very tough for hitters to get on top of it when he’s sitting 96-plus; that pitch had an absurd 42% miss rate in 2024. In order to hit his ceiling as a set-up man or closer, Herrera will need to improve at least one of his secondary pitches. His slider was in the 82-84 mph range during the 2024 season and instructs, but has been up in the 86-88 mph range in LIDOM, where it still lacks the finish and depth of a great slider. His changeup, often in the 87-90 mph range, tends to cut on him and finishes in vulnerable locations. Herrera’s long arm swing makes it tough to project a ton on his changeup, but even if his fastball ends up being his only impact offering, it’s going to be good enough for Herrera to be more than just a generic middle reliever. He’s a candidate for quick promotion in 2025 and is likely to be put on the 40-man after the season.
The 2024 performance for Herrera was eye opening, as were the glowing quotes about him by the Rockies’ pitching development staff. The overall value that can be added by a relief arm is limited, but Herrera certainly seems like a potential late inning reliever. Herrera, who will be Rule 5 eligible after the season, was ranked 22nd on my list as a 40 FV prospect. He could start 2025 as high as Double-A Hartford (though a return to Spokane is possible) but he could end it in the MLB bullpen.
33. Juan Mejia (44.8 points, 8 ballots), 2017 International Free Agent (DR), RHP at Double-A (24)
Mejia has been in the Rockies’ system for longer than anyone else on this list, signing back in May 2017 (three months before Ezequiel Tovar, for instance). In fact, only five players on Colorado’s Major League roster have more tenure (in their current stint) with the organization than the 6’3” right-handed reliever. It took Mejia six years to make it to Double-A (and then the 40-man roster), but he now stands out as a potential MLB player in 2025 and beyond.
Mejia had enjoyed somewhat of a breakout year in 2023 between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford, and he was assigned to Hartford to repeat for 2024, where he was still 1.5 years younger than league average. He posted a 5.00 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 rate, and 5.0 BB/9 rate with six saves in 54 innings across 47 games — though his 3.56 xFIP indicates he was unfortunate with his results. From that line, you can tell Mejia had electric stuff and a bit of a problem commanding it.
Longenhagen rated Mejia a 40+ FV player and 14th in the system with a 70 future grade on the slider and a 55 on the fastball:
Mejia has one of the more explosive and athletic deliveries in the minors, as well as an ideal pitcher’s frame at a lanky, broad-shouldered 6-foot-3. Mejia’s velocity has climbed into the upper 90s across the last couple of seasons, and he tends to coast in the 95-97 mph range with peaks around 100. The movement on his heater is lacking, and it played more like an average offering in 2024. The same is true of Mejia’s slider, though that pitch is more overtly nasty and instead underperformed because of Mejia’s poor command. Mejia’s delivery is almost too powerful for him to wrangle, and his release consistency suffers as a result. His ceiling as a reliever will be dictated by whether or not he can polish this part of his game. This is a relatively bullish projection, but Mejia is too freaky to slide even though he had an underwhelming 2024.
Those are some strong words in Mejia’s favor, though it must be noted that even though was on the 40-man roster all year, the Rockies used 33 pitchers in 2024 and Mejia wasn’t one of them. Nonetheless, he’s clearly a 40 FV player for me as a potential late inning arm and I ranked him 21st on my ballot. I think Mejia will start 2025 in Triple-A Albuquerque but will end up getting the big league call as an up and down guy this year.
32. Mason Albright (48 points, 11 ballots), 2023 Trade (LAA), LHP at Double-A (22)
Albright was one half of Colorado’s trade return from the Los Angeles Angels for Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron (the other was the previously mentioned Jake Madden). The 22-year-old 6’0” lefty starter was the lone high schooler in LA’s famed all-pitcher draft in 2021, an over-slot signing in the 12th round for $1.25 million. No individual pitch stands out in Albright’s mix (maybe the curveball); rather it’s the overall polish and feel for pitching he displays that sets him apart.
Albright’s 2023 began with some slight delivery adjustments, which bore fruit quickly. In 79 2⁄3 innings in 15 games with the Angels’ Low-A affiliate, Albright posted a 3.62 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 9.7 K/9 rate against a 2.3 BB/9 rate. After the trade, Albright pitched mostly in High-A Spokane, where he was 3.1 years younger than league average. Albright made five starts with Spokane and kept the good results coming, posting a 2.88 ERA (4.91 xFIP) with a 1.44 WHIP, 8.6 K/9 rate, and 4.3 BB/9 rate in 25 innings.
In, Albright was assigned to Double-A Hartford, where he was one of the youngest players at the level at 3.5 years younger than league average. He appeared in 24 games, pitching 115 2⁄3 innings with a 4.59 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6.2 K/9 rate, and 3.1 BB/9 rate against his first taste of upper-minors pitching. Albright didn’t get a lot of punch outs, but those numbers are more than decent considering the age/level context here.
Longenhagen lists Albright as a prospect of note (a “Funky Lefty”) earlier this month:
Albright was a 2021 Angels draft pick out of high school and was traded to Colorado in one of the 2023 Last Ohtani Gasp deadline deals, this one for Randal Grichuk. He’s pitched as a starter up through Double-A, but his stuff is more akin to the T.J. McFarland type of second lefty.
Before the 2024 season, MLB.com wrote this about Albright:
Albright is not your prototypical high school projection case, as the six-footer is more about his feel for pitching than raw stuff. His fastball typically has been sitting in the 90-92 mph range, though it can get as high as 94. It also plays up because he can command it and misses bats thanks to deception in his delivery. His curve has the chance to be a solid pitch, though it can get slurvy at times, and he has feel for his changeup and is developing a cutter.
While the southpaw can throw all four pitches for strikes, there was concern about his long arm action in the back and his consistency out front with his delivery that hampered his stuff and his command. The Angels shortened Albright’s arm action this year to great results — his walks went down and his strikeouts went up — proving he was young enough to correct some of those mechanical issues. He could land in the back end of a big league rotation if he continues to develop.
There are some differing opinions on the quality and projectability of Albright’s stuff among scouts, but he held his own in the rotation in Double-A in 2024 at age 21. Albright shows polish and feel — he doesn’t have a ceiling that jumps out at you, but he’s posted good results and is left-handed.
I placed Albright as a 40 FV prospect as one of the last cuts off my list. We’ll see if the Rockies bump him up to Albuquerque to start the year or whether he gets returned to Hartford, since there’s beginning to be a glut of options in the upper minors. Albright will be Rule 5 eligible after this season, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Albright was an option for a late season spot start with the Rockies.
31. Oscar Pujols (58 points, 10 ballots), 2024 International Free Agent (DR), RHP at Dominican Summer League (18)
Pujols was Colorado’s top international free agent pitcher signing in the 2024 period, receiving a $600k bonus. The 6’3”, 155-pound starter is in the upper 80s/low 90s now and boasts a promising curveball. MLB.com ranked Pujols 36th among their international free agent prospects from 2024 (and second among pitching prospects) as a 50 FV player:
Pujols has an easy, repeatable delivery and a three-pitch repertoire that features a fastball, curveball and changeup. The advanced teen uses the same arm action and delivery on all his pitches, which will serve him well as he progresses through the Minor Leagues. Scouts have also noted Pujols’ aggressiveness and strike-throwing ability.
His fastball hovers in the 88-92 mph range, and more velocity could be on the way as he matures and his body develops. His secondary pitches also have plus potential. Scouts rave about his composure and mound presence. He doesn’t get rattled or deviate from his plan when he’s on the mound. Like most prospects his age, Pujols lacks some polish but that should come with daily instruction at a team’s academy.
After signing, Pujols adjusted well to the professional game in the DSL against hitters who were on average 1.6 years older than him. In 26 2⁄3 innings across seven games (Pujols didn’t pitch at all in July, so there was possibly an injury in there), he had a 2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 rate, and 2.0 BB/9 rate.
I consider Pujols a 35+ FV prospect as I need some more information and stats on him to form a clearer picture of the upside. Given that he just turned 18, the Rockies could consider bringing Pujols (along with Gregory Sanchez?) stateside to the ACL this season, but my guess is he’ll go back to the DSL for some more seasoning first.
★ ★ ★
To see the players that did make the cut, check back over the few weeks as I unveil the pre-season 2025 PuRPs list one at a time!