Rockies Invite 4 Top Prospects to Spring Training

Pitchers and catchers are heading to spring training in a few short days and the Colorado Rockies have handed out their non-roster invitees. While many of their 24 non-roster invitees are seasoned veterans hoping for one more shot in the bigs, the Denver Post reports that several of their top prospects highlight the list.

Atop the list of exciting prospects heading to spring training will be top pitching prospect Jon Gray. Gray is the big right handed starter who was drafted third overall in the first round of the 2013 draft. He will be making his second spring training appearance.

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Gray is the number one pitching prospect in the Rockies’ system and the 22nd best prospect in baseball. The honors are well-deserving of the 23-year old future ace. His debut season was out of this world. He went 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over five starts at High-A in 2013. He struck out 36 batters in 24 innings while walking six. To say he was what the Rockies has hoped for in their investment is an understatement.

His second season at Double-A was a bit rockier (no pun intended) but still went just fine. He finished 10-5 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He did see a decrease in his strikeout per nine ratio and an increase in walks, but that is an expected part of the learning curve. His high-90s fastball that reaches triple digits combined with an above average slider and curveball have Gray heading to the front of the Rockies’ rotation much sooner than later.

2012 third round pick Tommy Murphy will also be heading to the Rockies spring training. The No. 10 prospect in the Rockies system will have his hands full as the Rockies are loaded up at catcher with Nick Hundley and Wilin Rosarios ahead of him, but the promising 23-year old has loads of talent. He was one of the top catchers in minor league baseball in 2013, when he was a Mid and Post-Season All Star in the South Atlantic League for the Asheville Tourists behind a .288/.385/.590 slash line with 19 home runs and 74 RBI. Murphy struggled last season at Double-A with shoulder injuries that limited him to just 27 games. Should he bounce back, there is little question that he is the Rockies catcher of the future.

Should the Troy Tulowitzki rumors come to fruition, his future replacement will be in spring training as well. Trevor Story, the 11th-rated prospect in the system, was the Rockies first round draft pick in 2011. Story has had an up and down minor league career, but has shown leadership skills and an ability to bounce back from down times and slumps.

Story jumped out to a hot start, earning Mid-Season All Star honors in the High-A California League behind a .332/.436/.582 slash line. He struggled in his Double-A debut, as some felt he got a bit overaggressive at the plate. There are a lot of question marks surrounding Story. Will he be a starter or a super-utility player? Is his defense more suited for the hot corner or is he Tulowitzki’s replacement? Perhaps spring training will shed some light on the the questions.

Lastly, the Rockies No. 17-rated prospect, reliever Scott Oberg will be in camp. The right handed reliever, who was drafted in the 15th round in 2012 has had solid back-to-back seasons out of the pen. He finished second in all of the minors with 33 saves in 2013 and backed it up with a 15 save, 2.63 ERA, 1.02 WHIP 2014. Oberg, who will be 25 midway through spring training, needs to work on his command, but behind a mid-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss curveball, the Rockies could use his services out of the pen sooner than later.

The Rockies have some work to do to compete in the very competitive NL West. While the Dodgers, Padres and Giants have been busy making big offseason moves, the Rockies seem patient waiting for their top ten farm system to arrive. Perhaps we will see more into that future in just a few short days.

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