On the Farm
Colorado Rockies prospect Forrest Wall hoping third time’s the charm in the Cal League | Baseball Census
PuRP No. 16 Forrest Wall is still only 22 years old, but finds himself repeating the Cal League for the third time in 2018. In 2016, his first year at High-A, Wall was playing for the Modesto Nuts, who are no longer affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. In 2017 and now ’18, Wall finds himself a veteran member of the Lancaster JetHawks. With prospects Colton Welker (PuRP No. 5), Tyler Nevin (PuRP No. 12), and Willie Abreu (PuRP No. 26) reaching Lancaster for the first time to begin the year, Wall represents a valuable presence on the journey for the youngsters.
2016 was a rough year for Wall, as he put up only a .264/.329/.355 slash line in a full season’s worth of plate appearances. 2017’s numbers were much better, but Wall’s season was unfortunately cut short due to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He has picked up right where he left off to begin the 2018 campaign, however, slashing .333/.417/.524 entering Wednesday’s action, albeit in only 24 plate appearances. Once heralded as a second base prospect, Wall has found himself transitioning to center field, and reports have only been positive on his defense. If Wall keeps up his hitting, he’ll find himself leveling up in no time.
Colorado Rockies: Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes news and notes | Rox Pile
Rox Pile’s Michael Parnell recaps the hot start for members of the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes. Tom Murphy is absolutely destroying Pacific Coast League pitching. He hit his third home run of the season on Wednesday night, and sports a batting average comfortably over the .500 mark to begin the year. Meanwhile, Carlos Estevez, who is on a rehab assignment with the ‘Topes struck out three batters in two innings on consecutive days, and appears healthy enough to return to the Majors, should the front office be so inclined.
South Atlantic League Preview | Baseball Prospectus ($)
Baseball Prospectus previews the South Atlantic League, including the Asheville Tourists, the A-Ball affiliate of the Rox. Riley Pint (PuRP No. 3) captures the main headlines, as he remains a high-risk, high-reward prospect. Pint recently had to leave a game with what looked to be a concerning forearm injury, but as he has not been sent back to Denver or Arizona, one would assume that the injury is not that serious (h/t to Purple Row’s Charlie Drysdale for this info).
Tuesday’s best: Soto perfect at plate, drives in six | MLB.com
MLB.com’s William Boor offers a roundup of minor league action from Tuesday. Brian Mundell (PuRP No. 13) and Brendan Rodgers (PuRP No. 1) put together solid performances for the Hartford YardGoats, the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate. Mundell collected four hits in five at-bats in Tuesday’s game, while Rodgers connected on his second home run of the season.
The Big Leagues
Player’s Perspective: Kevin Millar says Blackmon’s deal is great for all sides | Mile High Sports
Former Red Sox World Series champion Kevin Millar offered his take on the Charlie Blackmon extension with Mile High Sports. Millar says the deal is a win for both sides, mostly making notes about how Blackmon’s personality fits in well with Colorado. Unsurprisingly, Millar did not have much to say about the impact of Blackmon’s deal on the cases of impending free agents Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu, but did note that it would likely be tough for the team to retain both.
Colorado Rockies: What’s really causing them to lose | Rox Pile
Rox Pile’s Olivia Greene analyzes what has been going wrong for the Rockies, who enter Thursday’s action with a record of 6-7. The starting rotation has been one issue. Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland both looked a bit shaky in their first outings, while Tyler Anderson and German Marquez have been mixed bags. The offense, of course, also shares some of the blame, including the bench which is struggling to reach a .050 batting average.
BSN Rockies Podcast: Understanding the full context of Jon Gray’s “fluke” comments | BSN Rockies
In the latest episode of the BSN Rockies podcast, Drew Creasman discusses Gray’s remarks about his recent outing being a “fluke.” Creasman says this comment is indicative of maturity from the Rockies ace. There is also a discussion of the Rockies’ lack of offense, and what the result could be if Blackmon’s back and quad injuries result in significant time missed.
There’s so much more to the Rockies-Padres benches-clearing brawl | Yahoo Sports
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the events of Wednesday—namely the bench-clearing brawl that ensued after San Diego Padres starting pitcher Luis Perdomo threw a pitch behind Arenado. Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown looks at the melee from the point of view of Padres catcher AJ Ellis.