Colorado Rockies prospects: Matt Carasiti is one to watch during spring training

It's one thing to analyze a player's performance, another to hear it from the player themselves, and a third thing entirely to get reports through the grapevine about what other ballplayers feel the player in question can and can't do. We do plenty of the first two here at Purple Row; the third will be relevant today with Colorado Rockies prospect Matt Carasiti.

Carasiti, 24, enters spring training fresh off a successful season saving 22 games at High-A Modesto, and last month, he already appeared in big league workouts. Later this month, he'll take part in some Major League spring training games, too.

At 6'3", 205 lbs., Carasiti is a big right-handed pitcher who has thrown late innings the last two years of his minor league career after being converted from a starter. And while we can analyze his stats to death, I'm more impressed by what other people have said about Carasiti in throwaway conversations nominally about other pitchers in the Rockies' organization, like Carlos Estevez.

Back in January, I spoke to Rockies prospect Ryan McMahon about which pitchers in the organization he'd least like to face. Estevez's name came up, as you'd imagine, but it's what McMahon dropped in beforehand that piqued my interest.

"I've never faced Matt Carasiti and I don't ever want to," McMahon told me, "but Carlos Estevez was a guy I faced before our season in Asheville together, and 98 mph downhill with a hammer to go with it wasn't fun."

We know Estevez is good; it's the reveal on Carasiti's stuff that's so much more interesting right now. And McMahon isn't the only person talking up Carasiti's stuff.

Speaking last month to scout Chris Kusiolek, I found out more about Carasiti's power offerings.

"They have nearly big league ready bullpen arms with Carlos Estevez, Sam Moll, and Matt Carasiti," Kusiolek said at the time, "and Carasiti is a guy that can seriously throw."

A pitcher that "can seriously throw" to the point where even Ryan McMahon doesn't want to step in the batter's box? That should tell you something.

Carasiti has just 95 relief appearances as a pro after the Rockies initially tried to make him a starter. He's never pitched above High-A, and he'll have a significant learning curve the next few seasons. But there's little better recommendation a guy can get than from well-respected players, and eagle-eyed scouts.

In Carasiti's case, that writing on the wall ought to be a sign. For that, he's worth your focus this spring and beyond.