Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, August 22, 2024
The dog days of August are just over a week away from concluding as the 2024 season enters its home stretch. The Colorado Rockies will once again not be participating in the playoff push that occurs in September, but when it comes to August they’ve been fairly respectable as they hover around .500 for the month (despite a negative-20 run differential).
As the season slogs on through the team’s final 32 games, the amount of storylines surrounding the major league team can be slim as playing out the string is just a formality at this point. But the organization holds other interesting stories on the prospect side as the minor league playoffs lay ahead with the Arizona Fall League right behind it.
While the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats and High-A Spokane Indians are already playoff bound, let’s look ahead to the AFL season that waits to follow, a premier month for prospects to show their “pro-readiness” against stiffer competition. Last year, Colorado sent five pitchers – Alec Barger, Jaden Hill, Chris McMahon, Juan Mejia and Case Williams – and three hitters – Benny Montgomery, Drew Romo and Sterlin Thompson – to the Salt River Rafters with Montgomery standing out as one of the elite performers.
There likely won’t be any repeat representatives this year, unless Hill or one of the other relievers gets a chance. So with that in mind, let’s look at six players – three hitters and three pitchers – the Rockies could send to Salt River this fall.
Blake Adams
For all of the grief Colorado management gets for their draft success after the first few picks, the organization sure looks to have uncovered a hidden gem in lefty Blake Adams – a 13th round selection in 2022 out of Kansas State.
After dominating Low-A Fresno in his first season, he graduated to High-A Spokane and mastered that class in 2023 with a 2.76 ERA in 17 starts. He has since been promoted to Double-A and will likely repeat the level to start 2025, but now could be the right time for Adams to get a true test against MLB-caliber talent in a controlled environment like Williams did in 2023.
Charlie Condon
It is uncommon for a draft pick to appear in the AFL the same season he was selected, but it is not unheard of. Kris Bryant is an example of that, and a common comparison to Colorado’s newest top prospect; Charlie Condon.
Condon has only played in 12 games at the High-A level to this point, so there is plenty that remains to be seen at this point. Plus, he did just log 304 NCAA plate appearances for the Georgia Bulldogs this season, so Colorado could wisely elect to protect their investment and start fresh in 2025.
But the fact remains that Condon is one of the best pure hitters in the minors and Colorado may be compelled to see how far along he really is with an extra month of reps in the AFL.
Chase Dollander
Speaking of protecting investments, 2023 first round selection Chase Dollander has been everything the Rockies could have hoped for and more in 2024.
After sitting out the remainder of his draft season, Dollander blew through the High-A level in the first half with a 2.83 ERA in 14 starts and has looked even better in five games with Hartford. The innings have piled up as he is on the cusp of topping 100 innings, so the Rockies may once again wisely elect to limit his workload.
But the AFL is an opportunity to showcase the best minor league talent, and few pitchers have shown brighter than Dollander in 2024.
Seth Halvorsen
Every AFL team needs a bullpen and Colorado may not have a better MLB-caliber arm to offer than Seth Halvorsen. With a triple-digits fastball and a 4.84 ERA in 33 games at the Double-A level, Halvorsen is due for a long look against higher competition – making him a perfect candidate for the Rafters’ roster.
Kyle Karros
Arguably no prospect’s stock has risen more this season than former fifth-round selection Kyle Karros. Holding an .892 OPS and 149 wRC+ in 109 games with the Spokane Indians, Karros has garnered serious Player of the Year consideration for his performance in the Northwest League in 2024.
Given the raised bar Karros has set for himself this season, an invitation to the AFL would be fitting to further test just what Colorado has in Karros.
Ryan Ritter
With all of the attention paid to Ezequeil Tovar’s maturation as a big-league shortstop and the continued progress of top prospect Adael Amador, 2022 fourth round selection Ryan Ritter tends to get lost in the shuffle. However, all he’s done since entering the professional ranks is out-perform his competition, a trend that has continued in 2024.
After reaching Double-A Hartford in his first full season, Ritter has received a full season of work with the Yard Goats and checked every box the organization could have asked for with a 136 wRC+ to go with his trademark excellent defense.
Ritter has earned the chance for a new challenge, and a spot on the 2024 AFL roster should be just that.
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Rockies Mailbag: Will Kris Bryant’s future role diminish? Why play Jake Cave so much? | The Denver Post
Patrick Saunders opens his latest mailbag to answer reader’s questions. One of the biggest takeaways is Saunders’ prediction of Kris Bryant’s role moving forward, which is focused primarily at the DH role while also pointing out his subpart power and calling his contract an albatross.
Rockies put RHP Victor Vodnik on 15-day IL with biceps inflammation | ESPN
After getting scratched late on Tuesday, the Rockies placed reliever Victor Vodnik on the IL. Jeff Criswell was selected in a corresponding move.
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On the farm
Triple-A: Sugar Land Space Cowboys 7, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
Ryan Feltner tossed 2 2⁄3 innings with three strikeouts while Elehuris Montero was two-for-two with a solo home run.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 1, New Hampshire River Cats 0
Blake Adams tossed five scoreless innings with two hits and three strikeouts in a abbreviated Hartford win due to weather. Trevor Boone drove-in the lone Yard Goats run.
High-A: Hillsboro Hops 4, Spokane Indians 1
Connor Staine was on a tightrope in his start, walking four and giving up seven hits in five innings while only allowing four runs. It was irrelevant, though, as GJ Hill tallied the only Spokane hit in the game while the lineup tallied 11 strikeouts.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 4, Stockton Ports 3
Stu Flesland III delivered five shutout innings with two hits and five strikeouts while Brad Cumbest, Aidan Longwell and Kelvin Hidalgo each tallied multiple hits in Fresno’s 60th victory of the season.
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