Hampson is No. 7 in MLB on 2B prospect list | Rockies.com
It’s prospect ranking season! MLB Pipeline has been releasing their top 10 position-by-position rankings, with Ryan McMahon coming in at #2 on the first baseman rankings. The second base rankings were released on Sunday, with Rockies prospect Garrett Hampson making the list at #7. Hampson, 23, spent the entire 2017 season with the Lancaster JetHawks, the Rockies’ Class-A-Advanced affiliate, where he put up a .326/.387/.462 slash in 127 games. The Rockies drafted Hampson in the third round of the 2016 June Amateur Draft out of California State University-Long Beach.
MLB.com gives Hampson an ETA of 2019, though I couldn’t imagine him making the ’19 club out of Spring Training, so it will likely be a late-’19 debut. According to MLB.com’s 2017 rankings, Hampson is the #8 overall prospect in the Rockies organization. My personal PuRPs ranking was 15 for Hampson, which I noticed was one of only two ballots to rank him 15th or lower. I’m very bullish on the Rockies’ farm system so my ranking wasn’t intended to be a negative reflection on Hampson. Jeff Aberle continues to release official PuRPs profiles, and we’ve yet to see Hampson appear, but I suspect he will crack the overall top 10.
Top 100 MLB Prospects 2018 | Baseball America
Continuing with the prospects theme, Baseball America released their complete top 100 overall prospect rankings on Monday, with three Rockies appearing on the list- Brendan Rodgers at 22, McMahon at 63, and Riley Pint at 99. I might move McMahon up 5-10 spots, or Rodgers 1-5 up, but I think the list is very good overall. Prospect lists are never easy to make and with the ambiguous future with all players, no list is going to be definitively correct. The Atlanta Braves have the most prospects on the list at 8, while the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs check in with 0. Around the National League West, there are 6 San Diego Padres on the list, 4 Los Angeles Dodgers, and a single member each for the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. I was feeling some schadenfreude when I saw Grant Brisbee’s article about this at McCovey Chronicles.
Keith Law also came out with his list of the top 51-100 prospects on Monday (ESPN Insider subscription required). One member of the Rockies appeared on the back end of Law’s list, and the name came as a surprise to me. It’s Peter Lambert at #63. Comparing him to Pint, Law says Lambert is “the better prospect right now.”
Arenado not going to rest on his laurels | Rockies.com
“It was just good to get away. I didn’t want to fly home. I was kind of scared -- I didn’t want people to see me here after we lost. ... Just to get away, I golfed. I went to a concert [Post Malone] -- by myself -- because nobody wanted to go with me. I actually enjoyed my down time. So when I got home I was ready to train and get back going.”
It certainly sounds as though Nolan Arenado became #SadNolan after the Rockies loss to the Diamondbacks in the 2017 National League Wild Card Game. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding features quotes from Arenado about how he was deeply impacted by the realization that the 2017 season was at an end. Arenado also speaks about how any “Top Third Baseman Right Now” rankings have no effect regarding how he goes about his business.
Now I often see fans who claim that a team’s players “don’t care” after a loss. I can’t fathom this mindset. Clearly Arenado cares- you can see it in the effort he puts in and the way he was clearly affected by ending the season in such heartbreaking fashion. I remember seeing comments like this specifically made about Ian Desmond and Greg Holland during the 2017 season. After his struggles began to surface over the course of the season, Holland worked harder than ever to get back on track. Desmond clearly showed emotion when he couldn’t come through in key situations over the course of a tough season. Please, if there’s one resolution you can make going into a new exciting season of Rockies baseball, please don’t think that these players are in any way apathetic to what is happening on the field. They care infinitely more than you or me.
Anyway, I like concerts, Nolan. I’ll gladly accompany you even if Post Malone isn’t really my style.
Blackmon open to contract extension with Rox | Rockies.com
As the Rockies Winter Caravan wrapped up on Saturday, Charlie Blackmon spoke about the possibility of an extension with the team. And he said that he is open. Thomas Harding has some good quotes from Blackmon about his future and how he unquestionably sees his 2004 Jeep Laredo sticking around.
Harding also has notes from Manager Bud Black about the ongoing first base saga. Black, for his part, mentions Desmond, McMahon, Pat Valaika, and Jordan Patterson in his conversation.
Coors Field had fake coyotes and foxes ‘roaming’ around to keep the birds away | Cut4
The Rockies evidently have a problem with birds eating sod and grass at Coors Field, so they have employed foxes and coyotes to keep out any feathered friends or foes. Only, these foxes and coyotes aren’t real- just imitation animals to scare away the birds.
But can they pitch?
Colorado Rockies and Hamilton: Yes, there could be some similarities | Rox Pile
Living in Michigan, I am blissfully unaware, but according to Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry, there appears to be “Hamilton fever” encompassing Colorado! The musical “Hamilton” comes to Denver in March, and tickets went on sale Monday morning. While tickets are now sold out, Rockies games for 2018 are not! Henry sees some similarities to the story of “Hamilton” and the 2018 Rockies and has a take on which member of the team would play the leading role.