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BA’s Top 100 Prospects Features Eight Rockies

If you need a reason to be optimistic about the future of the Rockies franchise, look no further than the contents of this column.  Baseball America, the undisputed experts on MLB prospects, recently released their 2007 Top 100 Prospects rankings.  The Rockies placed a total of eight players on the list, from Troy Tulowitzki at #15 to Chris Iannetta at #92.  The Rox finished with one more player than Tampa Bay, which saw seven prospects from its number one ranked farm system make the list.  Here is a quick synopsis of the eight prospects (in the exact words of BA) and what I see in store for them in 2007.

#15 Troy Tulowitzki
Opening Day Age:  22
ETA:  2007

BA’s Take:  “Reached the majors 14 months after signing, a franchise record for a position player.”

2007 Outlook:  Tulowitzki will probably (hopefully) win the starting shortstop job out of Spring Training.  It’s possible that he’ll take a little while to get in an offensive groove, but eventually he should combine with Chris Iannetta to provide a more dangerous bottom of the order than the Rox have seen in quite some time.   However, there’s no question that his defense is Major League ready, so don’t be surprised to see Tulo making almost nightly appearances on Baseball Tonight’s Web Gems.
 

#30 Franklin Morales
Opening Day Age:  21
ETA:  2008

BA’s Take:  “Few lefthanders can match his mid-90s fastball or power curveball.”

2007 Outlook:  Morales will start the year at AA Tulsa, where he’ll look to build off his dominating performance at Modesto, in which he struck out 179 batters in 154 innings.  Unfortunately, his control is a bit of a problem, which led to a 5.2 BB/9 and a 1.40 WHIP.  If he brings his electric stuff under a bit more control, 2007 could be a breakthrough campaign that sees him dominate the Texas League and potentially earn a September call-up. 

#42 Jason Hirsh
Opening Day Age:  25
ETA:  2007

BA’s Take: “Acquired from the Astros in the Jason Jennings deal, he should be nearly as effective at a fraction of the cost.”

2007 Outlook:  Hirsh is a leading candidate to earn one of the final two spots in the Rockies rotation.  The Rox are hoping to see Hirsh turn in a rookie campaign like Padres starter Chris Young (to whom Hirsh is often compared) did in 2005, when he posted a respectable 4.26 ERA while striking out 137 batters.  However, it is key for the flyball-friendly Hirsh to keep the ball in the park, especially at Coors Field.  If he does, he’ll make every Rockies fan understand why GM Dan O’Dowd did not hesitate to part with Jason Jennings to acquire him.

#46 Ian Stewart
Opening Day Age:  21
ETA:  2008

BA’s Take: “Worst year of his pro career still included .803 OPS as 21-year-old in Double-A.”

2007 Outlook:  BA’s quick hit says it all.  Even in what was considered a disappointing year for Stewart, he knocked a career-high 41 doubles at the young age of 21 in AA.  Stewart will start the year at AAA Colorado Springs, where he’ll see time at both third base and right field.  Look for a huge bounceback year from Ian, who will remind Rockies fans once again why he was drafted 10th overall in the 2003 draft.  I’m convinced that the “power outage” that he experienced last year was a fluke and the rarified air of Colorado Springs will only help his home run totals.

#48 Dexter Fowler
Opening Day Age:  21
ETA:  2009

BA’s Take:  “Five-tool center fielder has added switch-hitting, strength and polish since signing.”

2007 Outlook:  Fowler will begin the year in Modesto, manning center field for a young and talented Nuts squad.  This is a big year for Fowler because it’s entirely possible that he could make the jump to AA by midseason.  If he does, that’s when Rockies fans will see if Fowler is the real deal in center field or not.  I love thinking about the potential and the tools that a guy like Fowler possesses, but I tend to be a bit of a skeptic until he does it at the higher minor league levels.  Hopefully Dexter breaks out this season and puts together a head-turning season.

#76 Greg Reynolds
Opening Day Age:  21
ETA:  2008

BA’s Take: “Quibble with his strikeout rate if you must, but he has stuff, size, command, makeup . . . and he wins.”

2007 Outlook:  Forgive me BA, but I am going to quibble with that strikeout rate, although I acknowledge that there’s more to him than that.  Reynolds will begin 2007 on a solid Tulsa pitching rotation.  Reynolds’ 2006 campaign at Modesto was solid yet unspectacular.  He only struck out 29 batters in 48.1 innings and you’d like to see a little more dominance out of the number two overall pick in the draft.  However, as BA said, he has more going for him than his stats would indicate, including his large frame and bulldog mentality.  Keep a close eye on his progress at Tulsa.  If all continues to go well, it’s likely that he could make an appearance or two in September.

#84 Ubaldo Jimenez
Opening Day Age:  23
ETA:  2007

BA’s Take:  “Kept pace with Felix Hernandez until he came down with a stress fracture in his shoulder in 2004.”

2007 Outlook:  To be mentioned by Baseball America in the same sentence as Felix Hernandez is just about as high of a compliment as a pitching prospect can receive.  Ubaldo is a wildcard in 2007, seeing as he has an outside chance of making the Rockies rotation or bullpen but is likely to return to AAA.  If he does, he’ll hope to improve on his previous numbers at Colorado Springs, where he put up a 5.06 ERA in 13 late summer starts.  However, expect to see U-Ball in either the bullpen or possibly the rotation by the All-Star Break due to either injuries or ineffectiveness by the other candidates (yes, I’m talking about you Josh Fogg) at the Major League level.  His arm is too good to spend much more time in the minors.

#92 Chris Iannetta
Opening Day Age:  23
ETA:  2007

BA’s Take:  “Offensive-minded catcher gives Colorado eight players on this list, more than any other club.”

2007 Outlook:  Iannetta has a great chance to grab one of the two catching spots on the Opening Day roster.  His on-base skills have been phenomenal throughout his pro career.  In all three of his professional seasons, he has posted an on-base percentage that has been at least 96 points higher than his batting average, indicating excellent strike zone command.  He didn’t disappoint in his cup of coffee over the final month and a half of 2006, putting up a .370 OBP in 77 at-bats.  Expect more of the same in 2007 along with an above average throwing arm and good game-calling skills.

All in all, a very impressive showing for the Rockies on BA’s list.  As I said before, if you weren’t excited about the future of the Rockies before reading this, you should be.  And if you still aren’t, have someone check your wrist for a pulse.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2007 at 10:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.