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MLB Minor League System Rankings – The Middle

By Benjamin Chase

Dec 7, 2016; National Harbor, MD, USA; A general view of stage microphones on day three of the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2016; National Harbor, MD, USA; A general view of stage microphones on day three of the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies have been a team in limbo seemingly for a number of years. They weren’t quite at a point to compete, but yet they were hesitant to give up their elite players like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez in trade.

The trade of Tulo was part of a big change within the system overall that has brought in a lot of elite talent for the Rockies, though a good portion of it is far away.

Elite prospects – I did consider a half dozen Rockies prospects as part of the 125, and three of them will figure prominently in the top 50 prospects in the game.

System depth in legit prospects – The Rockies have a good mix of upside and floor right now. Their higher-floor players are very solid, with plenty of guys beyond the top 10 that could be future lineup members or rotation pieces.

Proximity to majors of legit prospects – Four of the Rockies’ top 10 guys on my list made the majors in 2016, and it wouldn’t surprise me if at least one or two more from the list did the same in 2017, so they have a number of guys right on the cusp, but there are plenty of guys far away as well.

System reputation – The Rockies have been trying to figure out what works for pitching in Colorado for years, and it seems like they’ve decided that rather than going for sinker pitchers or going for guys who don’t throw curves or something, they’ll just get the best pitchers.

Now they have a system of elite-talent pitchers along with excellent guys who have already made the major leagues and are helping in the rotation or in the bullpen.

On the hitting side, their affiliates are in high-hitting environments and often ends up covering up weaknesses until the player gets to the bigs, but recent guys like Arenado, Story, and Dahl have had success in the majors once they arrived.

Top 5 Born 1991 or since (age 25 season this year)
1. Nolan Arenado
2. David Dahl
3. Jon Gray
4. Trevor Story
5. Brendan Rodgers

Next: #12

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