Colorado Rockies prospect roundup: Forrest Wall says his shoulder feels great

Roundup focusing on the Rockies' top minor league players. Forrest Wall is interviewed this week and talks about his shoulder and how he enjoys playing in North Carolina. Stats and video highlights are also included.

By Charlie77 Apr 17, 2015, 7:00am MDT

The first week of the minor league season is underway and already the stars are shining on the Rockies farm. Trevor Story (PuRP No. 8) and Tommy Murphy (PuRP No. 12) are mashing in Double-A New Britain, and Ryan McMahon (PuRP No. 7) is settling in nicely after earning a spring promotion to High-A Modesto. Meanwhile, catcher Dustin Garneau is adapting to his new home in Albuquerque and putting up some of the best offensive numbers in the organization.

The Rockies have shown a knack for drafting infield talent recently and Forrest Wall (PuRP No. 9) is another example of that successful streak. Drafted out of high school in Maitland, Fla., Wall came close to attending the University of North Carolina, but passed when the Rockies offered him a $2 million signing bonus.

"It's cool to be back," Wall said. "I was going to play college ball here, and now my first full year of pro ball will be here in North Carolina and it's closer to home. My family will be able to come up here to visit."

Wall fell slightly in the draft due to concerns surrounding a pretty severe shoulder injury he suffered in high school. Last season the Rockies monitored his throwing program and have been working with him to get stronger.

"It's really good," said Wall on his shoulder. "I focused on it this off-season, and I came into spring training and it's stronger than it's ever been. It feels great."

One thing Wall hasn't needed to strengthen is his performance at the plate. The left-handed hitter has a knack for matching the plane of his swing with the ball and squaring up pitches. This season, Forrest is putting up a .957 OPS and has three extra-base hits.

One of the complaints about Wall entering the 2014 draft was his lack of size. While he isn't the biggest player on the field, he's actually similar in height and weight to Trevor Story. Both infielders stand about 6'1, 180 pounds.

**Edit**

David Dahl reached out to me and wanted to clarify on the current size difference between Forrest Wall and Trevor Story. According to Dahl, Forrest stands at 195 pounds, while his teammate Trevor Story is now up to 210. I was referring to their size at around the same age. But his point still stands.

Hottest Prospects of the Week

Hitters

Name	AVG	BABIP	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	K	SB	OPS	Team
Tim Wheeler	0.385	0.375	13	6	5	1	0	2	3	1	1.423	ALB
Trevor Story	0.458	0.625	24	5	11	3	1	1	7	1	1.359	NBR
Dustin Garneau	0.429	0.400	14	3	6	0	0	2	2	0	1.357	ALB
Randy Reyes	0.500	0.500	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	1.250	ASH
Tommy Murphy	0.346	0.538	26	5	9	5	0	2	11	0	1.139	NBR
Wes Rogers	0.381	0.412	21	3	8	0	1	1	3	8	1.119	ASH
Ryan McMahon	0.320	0.350	25	7	8	3	1	1	4	0	1.073	MOD
Brandon Barnes	0.320	0.286	25	5	8	3	0	2	2	2	1.050	ALB
Jordan Patterson	0.286	0.333	21	4	6	1	2	1	5	0	1.042	MOD
Forrest Wall	0.294	0.364	17	3	5	2	0	1	5	1	0.956	ASH

Pitchers

Name	Outs	IP	W	H	K/9	BB	GB%	K/9	WHIP	ERA	Team
Shane Carle	21	7	1	3	5.1	0	75.0%	5.1	0.429	0.000	NBR
John Lannan	18	6	0	4	7.5	3	72.7%	7.5	1.167	0.000	ALB
Helmis Rodriguez	18	6	1	4	3.0	2	64.7%	3.0	1.000	0.000	ASH
Grahamm Wiest	15	5	1	4	1.8	2	75.0%	1.8	1.200	0.000	MOD
Zach Jemiola	36	12	2	4	7.5	2	59.1%	7.5	0.500	0.750	ASH
Antonio Senzatela	23	7.2	0	5	7.5	2	76.2%	7.5	0.972	1.170	MOD
Tommy Kahnle	13	4.1	0	2	15.4	1	60.0%	15.4	0.732	2.080	ALB
Harrison Musgrave	13	4.1	0	6	6.6	2	60.0%	6.6	1.951	2.080	MOD
Logan Sawyer	12	4	1	3	2.3	3	84.6%	2.3	1.500	2.250	ASH
Nelson Gonzalez	12	4	0	3	2.3	1	55.6%	2.3	1.000	2.250	NBR