Colorado Rockies: Top 10 Rookie-Eligible Prospects for 2018
10. Sam Hilliard, OF
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/21/1994 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Lancaster JetHawks
2017 Stats: .300/.360/.487, 597 PA, 21 HR, 37 SB, 50/154 BB/K
Info: Incredibly physical at 6’5″ and 225 pounds, Hilliard fell all the way to the 15th round of the 2015 draft to the Colorado Rockies out of Wichita State. Considered unpolished, though obviously talented, Hilliard was seen as a guy who could take multiple seasons in the lower levels to get his feet under him.
with an impressive right arm, above-average raw power, above-average speed, and a quick bat, Hilliard checks all the boxes
Hilliard has certainly outperformed that expectation. Blessed with an impressive right arm, above-average raw power, above-average speed, and a quick bat, Hilliard checks all the boxes. However, he’s definitely got work to do.
His lack of polish shows up most in his strikeout rate, expanding the zone at times and also seeing his swing get long when he gets overly pull-happy. Hilliard also struggles against same-side pitchers, with significant worse power specifically against lefties and almost a .125 difference in OPS.
After putting up two seasons of incredible numbers, Hilliard will get up to the upper minors in 2018. The Colorado Rockies will be watching to see if they have a future star on their hands or a guy who can dominate at the minor league levels only.
9. Yency Almonte, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/4/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Hartford Yard Goats, AAA Albuquerque Isotopes
2017 Stats: 22 G, 21 GS, 111 1/3 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 11.1% BB, 19.8% K
Info: On his third organization already after initially being a 17th round draft pick by the Angels in 2012, Almonte has really taken big steps forward since being acquired by the Colorado Rockies from the White Sox.
Almonte has developed his arsenal to feature a fastball that sits around 95 and can touch 97-98 with heavy, sharp sink on his four seam, and he uses a two seam fastball with a hair less velocity but a lot more weight that generates a ton of ground balls. He utilizes an upper-80s slider as his primary secondary, and when it’s at its best, the slider snaps hard and late and looks just like a fastball right up to the break, leaving hitters either swinging weak or frozen in the box.
A third pitch has been a challenge, with his change being inconsistent at best, but Almonte experimented with some varying grips on the change over 2017 and also worked on a cutter that he brought out in spring and made a very positive impression. If he could get either or both pitches up to average, he’d have the package to be a mid-rotation starter with upside of a quality #2.
Almonte has long arms and legs at 6’3″, and he’s developed an extended arm path in his delivery that can throw off his timing in his delivery and lead to control issues. If the control and third pitch don’t come along, Almonte could work well in either a late-inning bullpen role or even a multi-inning reliever role.
There were few Colorado Rockies arms who did more in spring training to impress than did Almonte, and though he most likely is headed to AAA to open 2018, he could have established himself as an option as an injury fill-in for the big league club.
Next: #7 and #8