Mound Talk

1. Franklin Morales, LHSP, MLB. His stretch and playoff performance launched him into the consciousness of Major League baseball fans but for prospect followers, Morales has been known for quite some time. Morales is a control pitcher who primarily uses a fastball,changeup and curveball . He will occasionally throw a cut fastball. Morales has ace potential but will more likely end up being a good #2 pitching #1.
2. Casey Weathers, RHRP, A. Drafted with the Rockies first round pick in 2007, Weathers is a future closer who should move quickly through the Rockies organization. In 13 Low-A appearances this year, Weathers struck out 19, walked seven and gave up just six hits. However, two of those hits were home runs.
3. Ian Stewart, 3B, MLB. Stewart has been the subject of much debate recently. His 2007 campaign in Triple-A seems to indicate his power potential is being realized and with Garrett Atkins‘ struggles for the big league club, Stewart would seem to be making a push for his job. However, a closer look at his stats reveals some disturbing trends. His overall line in Triple-A was a very robust .304/.376/.478 but his road line was a paltry .251/.323/.377. Stewart looks like a very pedestrian player on the road but absolutely astounding in the thin Colorado air (just like another young Rockies infielder). A move to second base looks imminent and vastly helps his value but for the time being he is being graded as a third baseman.
4. Greg Reynolds, RHSP, AA. Reynolds was the Rockies first round draft pick in 2006. He’s had two very successful campaigns in High-A and Double-A. Shoulder surgery ended his season early this year and while that is never good news for a pitcher, Reynolds still has plenty of potential. He has a great fastball that he commands well. His change could be a plus pitch. Reynolds is a big time risk with his shoulder.
5. Juan Morillo, RHRP, MLB. Morillo spent time in Double- and Triple-A this year before getting 3.2 Major League innings. Morillo looks to be a good 7th inning guy but at the moment will struggle to be more than that. His control is an issue. He walks too many batters and doesn’t locate his pitches extremely well but has the stuff to succeed, including a plus fastball. He does a good job of missing bats and keeping the ball in the park.
6. Dexter Fowler, CF, A+. Drafted in the 14th round in 2004 draft, Fowler made his pro debut in 2005 in Rookie-Ball. He spent 2006 in Low-A and 2007 in High-A and at each level showed improvement. Fowler is a toolsy guy with a lot of athleticism. His minor league career line reads: .282/.374/.420 and he’s stolen 80 (of 120) bases. Fowler could add power and mass. He stands at 6-foot-4 but weighs a meager 170 pounds. A broken hamate bone prematurely ended his regular season but he was healthy enough to play in the Arizona Fall League. Though he struggled making contact and hitting for any power, his discipline was still there.
7. Chris Nelson, SS, A+. Nelson boasts great bat speed and plenty of good tools. After struggling in 2006 with a nagging hamstring injury, the Rockies first round draft pick in 2004 rebounded with his best statistical season yet going .289/.358/.503 with 19 home runs and 42 doubles. On many other teams, Nelson would be a top five prospect easily.
8. Joe Koshansky, 1B, MLB. Koshansky is the heir apparent to Todd Helton at first base in Colorado and has been for some time. Over the last three years he has hit 90 home runs between A+, AA and AAA. Koshansky hits for a decent average, has a good eye and hits for good power. He’s 25 years old and very much an is-what-he-is guy. There isn’t a lot of concerning statistics for him and the only real knock is that he is at or close to his ceiling.
9. Brandon Hynick, RHSP, A+. Hynick had a very solid season in High-A. He’s not overpowering (136 strikeouts in 182.1 innings) but he doesn’t give anything away (31 walks). Hynick projects as an innings eating back-end starter.
10. Hector Gomez, SS, A. Gomez is very talented and very powerful but still has plenty of development to do. He strikes out way too much and rarely draws a walk. His approach isn’t the best as he is overly aggressive. Despite this, he turned in a decent season going .265/.306/.421 with 53 extra base hits and 20 stolen bases.
FLIER. Eric Young Jr., 2B, A+. Young has progressed slowly but has been fairly steady. He’s hit near .290 every year and maintained an OBP near .400. He doesn’t have much power and many of his extra base hits are a result of his legs, not his bat. His calling card is speed after stealing 199 bases in his first four seasons including 160 in his two full-season years.

The Rockies are one of the deepest systems in baseball. With legitimate impact prospects and plenty of supplemental depth, the Rockies look pretty set for the future. Many of the guys in their system have interesting stories. Ian Stewart is the first guy like that but Greg Reynolds (injury), Juan Morillo (so much talent but control issues), Dexter Fowler (hamate injury), Joe Koshansky (great numbers but old), Eric Young Jr. (great speed but little else) and so on are also very interesting.