Rockies Minor Leagues and Prospects

Mid-season prospect roundup: Trevor Story is reestablishing himself as Rockies top fielding prospect

With David Dahl out of action, Trevor Story is stepping up in the first half of the year to claim his spot as the Rockies top positional prospect. Harrison Musgrave is teaming with Antonio Senzatela for a strong pitching staff in Modesto. First half stats and monthly video highlights are also included.

By Charlie77 Jun 21, 2015, 6:59am MDT

Halfway through the season and probably the most pleasant surprise is Trevor Story. Not only is the New Britain shortstop leading the organization in home runs with 10, but he's also reestablishing himself as the top positional prospect in the Rockies system.

Look back two years and Story was languishing in the California league, batting a meager .233 with 183 strikeouts. April was a rough month, as the right-handed batter struck out in over 40% of his opportunities. The numbers weren't as bad as first glance, however, as Trevor progressively hit better each month of the year, finishing with an OPS of .868 in the final month of the season. Despite his offensive struggles, Story has always maintained his defensive excellence and was named the player with the best defensive tools in the California league by Baseball America.

Even though his first year in Modesto was a rough one for the Texas native, his manager Fred Nelson saw something in Story and described it in an interview with Brian VanderBeek of the Modesto Bee back in 2013.

"Trevor will tell us when he's ready to move. When he gets it, we'll all know it and that will be the time to push him to the next level. He's going to be a good player." -Fred Nelson, Modesto Manager in 2013

"This is a difficult league for a young guy and he is underage for this league. That's not an excuse, but the truth is that some guys get it at different stages. Trevor will tell us when he's ready to move. When he gets it, we'll all know it and that will be the time to push him to the next level. He's going to be a good player."

This season the 22-year-old is reminding everyone why he was ranked No. 34 overall by Baseball Prospectus. The infielder is batting .297 with an on base percentage 100 points higher, and much of his success is due to a lower strikeout rate. Don't be surprised if the Rockies promote Story to Triple-A by the end of the season. Last year he was repeating High-A and received a late promotion to the Double-A level. If Story finally ‘gets it' as his manager Fred Nelson once put it, he might even be pushing for a September call-up for the Rockies.

Modesto Pitching

The starting rotation for the Modesto Nuts is beginning to stabilize thanks to the pairing of Antonio Senzatela and Harrison Musgrave. Senzatela has been on fire all year, and was recently selected as a California league All-Star. The righthander owns a 2.36 ERA in 13 starts and is striking out nearly a batter per inning.

Flying slightly under the radar has been lefty Harrison Musgrave. Selected in round No. 8 of the 2014 draft, the West Virginia product has strung together a solid season of his own, producing an ERA of 3.10 and striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings.

Musgrave's high-water mark was set on May 25, when the West Virginia native struck out 10 batters in seven innings of one-hit ball. Known primarily for his off-speed pitches, Musgrave mixes in a change and slider with pinpoint fastball control. The results have been solid and provides the Rockies with more left-handed starter depth in the organization.

Possible promotions

Speaking of promotions, there's a few players who deserve to be in consideration for a bump to the next level. Guys with the age and credentials to move forward in the organization.

Jordan Patterson is one of those players. The outfielder has really found his groove in Modesto this year, batting .314 and leads the organization in extra base hits with 35. Jordan's 10 triples are indicative of the power he possesses, as the Nuts home park of Thurman field has a high wall which surrounds the field and is known for keeping home runs within the confines. As an example; Nolan Arenado once hit 14 home runs on the road and just six at home while playing in Modesto.

At 23-years-old, Patterson is slightly old for the CAL. So it only makes sense to promote him to Double-A New Britain. The left-handed hitter has produced at every level since being drafted in Round No. 4 of 2013 draft. He's covered all the outfield spots in his minor league career, but is likely to end up at either first base or right field.

Another player to consider is catcher Dustin Garneau, who is waiting in the wings if an injury befalls one of the major league catchers above him. Known for his defensive skills, Garneau has taken advantage of the thin Albuquerque air and is putting up some solid numbers.

Don't be fooled by Garneau's overall line however, as he struggled in May with a .197 average, but bookended it with a strong April and June where he hit above .300 and an OPS above .900 in both months as well. The catcher has a strong connection with Tyler Matzek, so it's worth watching the return of the left-handed pitcher in the second half and to see if Garneau is a part of that redemption arc.

Stat Central

Top 5 hitters

Name	Age	Tm	G	PA	H	2B ▾	3B	HR	XBH	RBI	BB	K	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Max White	21.7	ASH	31	133	33	5	3	4	12	18	25	38	20	0.320	0.470	0.544	1.014
Jordan Patterson	23.3	MOD	55	237	68	19	10	6	35	25	14	58	5	0.319	0.388	0.587	0.975
Trevor Story	22.6	NBR	59	260	65	16	5	10	31	39	34	64	15	0.297	0.396	0.553	0.949
Ryan McMahon	20.5	MOD	63	267	71	24	2	6	32	33	27	71	4	0.305	0.390	0.502	0.892
Omar Carrizales	20.4	ASH	38	169	52	6	4	3	13	17	12	31	14	0.340	0.388	0.490	0.878

Top 5 Pitchers

Name	Age	Tm	G	BF	IP	ERA	FIP	SIERA	GB%	HR/9	BB/9	K/9
Antonio Senzatela	20.4	MOD	13	290	72.1	2.36	3.05	3.14	44.20%	0.6	2.2	8.8
Harrison Musgrave	23.3	MOD	13	296	72.2	3.10	3.28	3.39	39.20%	0.7	2.1	8.2
Zach Jemiola	21.2	2 Tms	13	333	81.1	3.21	3.84	3.58	39.50%	1.0	2.2	7.8
Ryan Castellani	19.2	ASH	13	208	47.1	3.23	2.65	3.58	47.40%	0.2	2.1	7.4
Helmis Rodriguez	21.0	ASH	13	301	71.1	3.28	3.65	3.76	49.10%	0.6	2.5	6.8