8. Ryan Vilade, SS
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/18/1999 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: advanced rookie Grand Junction Rockies
2017 Stats: .308/.438/.496, 146 PA, 5 HR, 5 SB, 27/31 BB/K
Info: The son of a college and minor league coach, Vilade has baseball in his blood. Many saw him as a baseball rat type who could outplay his raw tools in a shallow high school shortstop class in the 2017 draft. The Colorado Rockies were able to get Vilade in the 2nd round.
Vilade has impressive raw power, graded at above-average to fringe-plus by most evaluators, though some are willing to put a plus on his power tool. His ability to work counts and make pitchers adjust to him is impressive for a young hitter and is a great example of his baseball acumen.
Defensively, Vilade’s baseball instincts are really the one thing keeping him at shortstop. He does have excellent hands and an above-average arm, but he’s a fringe-average runner with limited quickness, but he reads off the bat well and seems to be positioned perfectly often. Most see Vilade moving to third or first as he fills into his 6’2″ frame.
The bat will certainly play for Vilade as long as he maintains the plate discipline, though his next few years could skew his true value as he heads to heavy hitters’ environments in Asheville and Lancaster. The Colorado Rockies will send Vilade to his first full-season assignment at low-A Asheville to open 2018.
7. Peter Lambert, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/18/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Lancaster JetHawks
2017 Stats: 26 GS, 142 1/3 IP, 4.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 5.1% BB, 22.4% K
Info: Another example of a guy with good stuff and a projectable frame that the Colorado Rockies have helped to add velocity and seen big returns, Lambert was a 2nd round pick out of California high school in 2015.
(Lambert) has strong competitiveness, and even a mean streak, that serve him well on the mound
The Rockies worked with him to fill out his frame, which is still fairly wiry, but now sits more stout at 6’2″ and 190ish with more leg strength that allows him to maintain balance in his delivery and keep his velocity deep into games. He also has strong competitiveness, and even a mean streak, that serve him well on the mound.
Lambert works with a low-90s fastball that can touch 95, and he has good feel for adding and subtracting velocity on the pitch as well as changing grips slightly to get changes in the movement on the pitch to give hitters different looks. His change is his most consistent secondary pitch, sitting in the mid-80s, but with excellent sink and arm deception.
If Lambert can consistently bring out the curve that shows double-plus in break and arm deception, he could be a potential #2 type of starter, but the curve is still inconsistent, locating well, but often taking a more sloping break rather than the hard, biting break that draws the double-plus grades from some scouts.
With a comfortable delivery and still more room to grow, Lambert certainly could project to more, but right now, he has a mid-rotation profile that the Colorado Rockies will push to the upper minors in 2018 at just 20 years old.
Next: #5 and #6