Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, August 28th, 2024
The Colorado Rockies’ relatively quiet trade deadline was mostly received by fans with a resounding thud. The Rockies—well on their way to cementing another losing season at the time—held on to most of what would be considered their top trade candidates like right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill, left-handed pitcher Austin Gomber, and veteran catcher Elias Díaz.
Scuttlebutt around the league was that the Rockies didn’t receive any particularly intriguing offers for their players… if they received any offers at all. This proved especially true with Díaz, who went unclaimed on waivers and was released to clear the way for Drew Romo (no. 9 PuRP) to make his big league debut. Díaz is currently said to be signing with the San Diego Padres on a minor league deal, though the club has yet to confirm the move.
The Rockies weren’t as active as last season on the market, but unlike multiple seasons past they did make a few moves. Left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Luis Peralta while righty Nick Mears was moved to the Milwaukee Brewers for Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera.
The Rockies likely could have done more at the deadline, but the two moves executed by general manager Bill Schmidt have already begun to bear fruit and give fans something to be hopeful about.
RHP Bradley Blalock
Bradley Blalock, 23, was unranked on our mid-season PuRPs rankings but sits at no. 20 organizationally per MLB Pipeline. He may not be particularly flashy, Blalock has solid mid-to-back end of rotation potential for the Rockies with a strong four pitch arsenal anchored by a mid-90s fastball in combination with a curveball, a slider, and a splitter.
Blalock had already made his MLB debut by the time he arrived in Colorado—a single scoreless inning of relief against the San Diego Padres back in June—but was assigned to Double-A Hartford after the trade.
After two starts with the Yard Goats, Blalock found himself quickly called to action with the big league club to make his first career start on August 12th and shined. He pitched 5 2⁄3 innings against a revitalized Arizona Diamondbacks and allowed just three earned runs on six hits while striking out four batters.
Blalock has since made two additional starts and looks to be locked into a rotation spot for the rest of this season. He’s pitched at least five innings in all three starts and has yet to allow more than three earned runs in an appearance.
RHP Yujanyer Herrera
Yujanyer Herrera (no. 33 PuRP) out of Venezuela only just turned 21 and a bit farther away from his big league debut. However, he has pitched extremely well across Low-A and High-A this season with a combined 2.71 ERA in 20 appearances and 13 starts.
Herrera works with a mid-90s fastball paired with a plus slider and also has a developing changeup and cutter. Eric Longenhagen over at FanGraphs had a lot of positive things to say about the potential mid-to-back end of rotation prospect.
“He’s graceful for his size and has lovely touch and feel command of his fastballs and slider. While he’s definitely less projectable than the typical 20-year-old pitcher, Herrera is very advanced and is a high-probability no. 4/5 starter.”
Herrera was assigned to the High-A Spokane Indians, where he has already made four impressive starts since joining the organization. In his first start with the Indians he pitched five innings while giving up three earned runs and tallied seven strikeouts, and he’s only gotten better since then.
Herrera has pitched three consecutive Quality Starts—two of which were shutout appearances—and has struck out at least six batters in each of them.
LHP Luis Peralta
The lone lefty and reliever acquired at the deadline, Luis Peralta (no. 39 PuRP) has been absolutely dominant in the minor leagues this year on the back of his excellent slider and fastball.
In 32 appearances over 47 2⁄3 innings ranging from High-A to Triple-A this season, Peralta has an ERA of just 0.94, a WHIP of 0.965, and a deadly 14.2 K/9 rate.
In our mid-season PuRPs rankings, Jeff Aberle noted that Peralta was a likely 40-man roster add this offseason due to his Rule 5 eligibility. However, Peralta has already beaten that expectation and made his big league debut.
Peralta made his debut on August 24th and dazzled against an excellent New York Yankees lineup featuring three of the best power hitters in the league. He worked a scoreless 1 2⁄3 innings without allowing a hit and racking up his first two MLB strikeouts. He then followed up that performance with a shutout frame against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night with yet another strikeout.
The Rockies were maligned for not doing more at the deadline, but general manager Bill Schmidt was at least able to turn two trades that have brought both immediate and future value to the Rockies organization after he brought in a much larger wave of pitching prospects last season. All three pitchers received this year are 23-years-old or younger and look poised to have a big impact on the rebuild as the Rockies look to find their next contention window.
★ ★ ★
On the Farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 6, Reno Aces 2
A solid 4 1⁄3 inning start from lefty Ty Blach set the Isotopes up for success as he struck out six batters without scoring a run, but fantastic bullpen performances from Ryan Rolison and Seth Halvorsen (no. 42 PuRP) cemented the pitching effort. Rolison worked 2 1⁄3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts while Halvorsen struck out three in the ninth to close things out. The Isotopes also rode a four run eighth inning to victory off the bats of Elehuris Montero and Jimmy Herron.
Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies 3, Hartford Yard Goats 2
Despite an overall solid performance from the Yard Goats pitching staff—including a Quality Start from Mason Albright (no. 30 PuRP)—Hartford fell flat against the Rumble Ponies. The Yard Goats only struck out three times but also scored just two runs off the bat of Kyle Datres in the fourth inning, one of just two extra base hits all game.
High-A: Spokane Indians 6, Tri-City Dust Devils 0
Dyan Jorge (no. 9 pre-season PuRP) and Cole Messina (no. 28 PuRP) both tallied two hit games while Messina and Cole Carrigg (no. 12 PuRP) both dealt damage via the long ball. Victor Juarez (no. 40 PuRP) was excellent in what might have been his best start of the year, pitching seven scoreless innings with ten strikeouts and only allowing a single hit. Welinton Herrera (no. T-69 PuRP) closed things out with four strikeouts of his own across two innings of work.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Visalia Rawhide 4
Infielder Braylen Wimmer was the star of the show on offense as he turned in a 3-for-5 night at the plate with a triple and a home run, driving in three runs and scoring twice himself. Stu Flesland III turned in another solid start, working five innings and giving up four runs (three earned) with five strikeouts. The bullpen blanked the Rawhide the rest of the way with five total strikeouts, three of which came from Jake Madden (no. 43 PuRP) in two innings of work.
★ ★ ★
Injuries & Moves: Doyle (knee) out of starting lineup again on Tuesday | MLB.com
Brenton Doyle is expected to return to the lineup after missing two games with knee soreness while Victor Vodnik has started throwing again and hopes to return before the end of the season. Kris Bryant is a candidate for the 60-day IL of he’s not ready by the time rosters expand for September. RHP Antonio Senzatela will make a four inning or 60-pitch rehab start with Double-A Hartford today.
Knocked for a loop by illness, McMahon shows renewed strength | MLB.com
Slumping All-Star third baseman Ryan McMahon hit his first home run in almost a month on Monday night against the Marlins. There may have been a reason for the slump. McMahon was hit hard by a bug that lingered in the Rockies clubhouse.
“It lingered,” McMahon said. “I lost 12-15 pounds. I’m down around 200 right now. I normally play around 210. Pretty close to my high school weight. It was tough getting that back.”
★ ★ ★
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!