The 2016 MLB Draft continued Tuesday with Rounds 3-10. On Day 1 the Rockies drafted three pitchers with big fastballs: RHP Riley Pint fourth overall, RHP Robert Taylor no. 38 overall, and LHP Ben Bowden at no. 45 overall. On Day 2 the Rockies diversified their selections a little bit.
The further you go into the draft the less those published pre-draft rankings mean. In the first few rounds there is a lot of information on all the players being taken, so it is easier for something resembling industry consensus to develop. When you get into the second day of the draft, nobody knows more about the players than the people in the team draft rooms. Few outlets publish more than a Top 200 and none of them have gotten eyes on all of them. This doesn’t mean that the teams are infallible; it’s just harder to draw conclusions about draft strategy and whether teams are "reaching" or "getting steals" on players.
With that said, he’s what we know about the eight newest members of the 2016 Rockies Draft Class
Round 3 (#81 overall): Garrett Hampson, SS, Long Beach State
Oh look, the Rockies drafted a shortstop from Long Beach State! The comparisons, however, seem to end there between Hampson and the former Rockies slugger. MLBPipeline said "Hampson is the quintessential scrappy college gamer type, but one with some tools he can count on...There's no power to speak of, but if he hits he could be a speedy every day guy on the right side of the infield." He has the skills and the range to play at short, as he did all three years for the Dirtbags, but his path to the majors might be in a utility role.
Twitter: @ghamp2
Round 4 (#110): Colton Welker, 3B, Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS
Colton Welker was announced by the Rockies as a third baseman, even though he played shortstop in high school. While that may seem like an indictment on his defensive abilities, many see his skills translating well over to the hot corner. The hit tool is there but will need help against more advanced competition. The south Florida native is committed to the University of Miami so the Rockies may have to get creative with their bonus pool allocation.
Twitter: @ColtonWelker24
Round 5 (#140): Brian Serven, C, Arizona State
Brian Serven has been drawing attention for his skills behind the plate since his freshman year at Arizona State. In 58 games he hit .293/.348/.423 but it’s the defensive ability that convinced the Rockies to draft him so high. From a Baseball Prospectus article earlier this year:
All of Serven’s movements behind the plate are fluid and quick. He shows an easy, firm glove, with evident ability to anticipate trajectory and strong hands on receipt. His framing looked solid from scout-seat and side views alike, though he notably wasn’t able to sell borderline pitches to the plate umpire all night. Both the lateral and vertical quickness showed as plus, and he collapsed efficiently on balls in the dirt, making several nice plays to keep runners in place. He faced no in-game thievery attempts, but he popped 1.97 and 2.02 on the high end of seven recorded between-inning throws.
Round 6 (#170): Willie Abreu, OF, University of Miami (FL)
Willie Abreu has been drafted before, in the 14th round by the Reds in 2013, but elected instead to spend three years at the University of Miami. He’s big—6-foot-4, 225 pounds—and displays the power to go with it, but there is also a lot of swing-and-miss in his approach. Oh, and he is an 80-grade bat flipper (h/t Dan Lucero):
Twitter: @willieabreu5
Round 7 (#200): Reid Humphreys, RHP/OF, Mississippi State
Reid Humphreys was also drafted in the 2013 draft, in the 36th round by the Nationals, but went to college instead. He had a breakout junior season with a .310/.396/.492 line in the middle of the Bulldogs lineup. However, the Rockies selected Humphreys as a relief pitcher. As a closer for the SEC regular season champions he put up a 28:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21.1 innings pitched and seven saves. He did have a 5.48 ERA but the Rockies seem to believe in his fastball at 92-95 and a good slider to go with it.
Twitter: @ReidJ_3
Round 8 (#230): Ty Culbreth, LHP, University of Texas
Ty Culbreth is a diminutive lefty—think Parker French or even Tyler Chatwood—who had a good senior season for the Texas Longhorns. He started 15 games and racked up 78 strikeouts against just 17 walks in 86.2 innings with a 3.74 ERA.
Twitter: @ty_culbreth5
Round 9 (#260): Justin Calomeni, RHP, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
Justin Calomeni spent most of his junior season for the Mustangs in the bullpen but was impressive. In 39.2 innings he struck out an eye popping 61 batters (13.84 K/9) while walking just 19 for a 2.95 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. He has a three pitch mix, the fastball being the strongest of the three, along with a changeup and slider.
Round 10 (#300): Vince Fernandez, OF, University of California - Riverside
Vince Fernandez had a big enough junior year for the Highlanders to earn himself a First Team All-Big West nomination. In 55 games he hit .350/.431/.509 with eight home runs, four stolen bases, and a respectable 58:30 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Twitter: @Vince_F_51
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The MLB Draft resumes Saturday with Rounds 11-40 beginning at 10am MT on MLB.com. You can also follow all the picks live with @MLBDraftTracker.