Alright, so there's little, if any, legit news from the Rockies camp, but apparently as Russ says in the post below this, multiple NL West teams are after Randy Johnson, who's best days are behind him but who will still certainly upgrade at least three of our competitors' rotations.
So with little going on with the big league club, Purple Row will focus more on the minors and next year's draft in the next few weeks. I should have the Matt Miller profile done in time for his birthday today (Happy Birthday Matt!) and then other PuRPs throughout the week. Russ will continue to profile individual players for the June draft and conferences for the upcoming collegiate baseball season.
Here's one prospect related link this morning: seven Rockies youngsters, including at least three expected to play major roles with the big league team in 2007, placed in Baseball Digest Daily's Top 100 Prospects. The listed Rockies include Troy Tulowitzki at #11, Chris Iannetta at #30, Jason Hirsh at #43, Ian Stewart at #48, Franklin Morales at #53, Dexter Fowler at #71 and Ubaldo Jimenez at #74.
I particularly like the Iannetta ranking on this list, as it's closer to where I would put him and higher than most other lists place him. He's got to be one of the most underrated prospects I've seen in recent years, as scouts don't seem to see what's right in front of them in this case. He plays above average defense at a premium position, he's made solid contact at every stop in a rapid climb through the minors and there's just still too much focus on a lack of a pure power stroke when every other aspect of his hitting has been exceptional. And it's not like there's no power to speak of either, it's there, but just not to the degree of Ian Stewart or Brian McCann, but to me that's just fine.
I have a feeling that Baseball America will have more Rockies in their top 100, just outside the scope of this list would be players like Eric Young, Joseph Koshansky, Greg Reynolds, Seth Smith, Chris Nelson, Juan Morillo and Hector Gomez, all of whom could argue for inclusion based on superior skill sets than some of these players that are mentioned. Young in particular seems short changed again as he's at least as good as Blake DeWitt, and a better prospect than Callaspo and Denker.
Arizona actually gets some questionably favorable treatment at the bottom of the list here, I'm fine with ranking Chris Young and Justin Upton in the top 10 where they're at, and Montero's probably okay in the 70's, but Callaspo's inferior to Young Jr at second, and Chris Cook is inferior to Koshansky at first. Micah Owings and Matt Harrison are fine prospects but not top 100 worthy, either.