6. Garrett Hampson, SS
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/10/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Lancaster JetHawks
2017 Stats: .326/.387/.462, 8 HR, 51 SB, 56/77 BB/K
Info: Long Beach State has a history of producing quality shortstops, and Hampson could be the most recent example of that after the Colorado Rockies grabbed him in the 3rd round in 2016. After a debut where he posted a .400+ on base and stole 36 bases in just 68 games, Hampson had an even better year in 2017.
Spending most of the season leading off for high-A Lancaster, Hampson led all of the minor leagues with 113 runs scored and stole 51 bases, but on top of that, he added in 44 extra base hits, including 8 home runs.
Hampson played quite a bit of second base in deference to the Rockies top prospect also being at the same level to open the season, but he certainly did nothing in his time at short on the season to show he couldn’t hold his own at the position. He has a fringe-average arm, which may fit better at second long-term, but he does get himself positioned well underneath his throw to maximize his arm and make accurate throws.
Hampson has shown plenty in his first two seasons now to hope on his skills carrying him into a future major league role. The Colorado Rockies will give him the test of the upper minors with assignment to AA to open 2018.
5. Colton Welker, 3B
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/9/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Asheville Tourists
2017 Stats: .350/.401/.500, 279 PA, 6 HR, 5 SB, 18/42 BB/K
Info: Welker had a solid high school career, getting selected in the 4th round of the 2016 draft by the Colorado Rockies, but few saw the type of season Welker had in 2017 coming.
Welker showed impressive zone and pitch recognition in his first full season
Welker showed impressive zone and pitch recognition in his first full season, as a teenager no less. He was able to work counts well and hunt for the pitch he wanted in each at bat. He does not walk a ton, but his strikeout rate of 15% was nothing to worry about for sure.
An injury cut short his 2017 season before we could really see how pitchers adjusted to Welker and how he handled those adjustments. With a swing that some are not a fan of, how that second time through the league goes will be very important to see in Welker’s development in 2018.
Defensively, Welker moved to third from shortstop, and he shows excellent first step and comes in well on balls along with a plus arm, but he has below-average speed that could force a move across the diamond to first base if he has to move off of third down the line.
The Colorado Rockies will continue to groom Welker at the hot corner at high-A in 2018.
Next: #3 and #4