Rockies wipe away Giants despite gloomy conditions, win 12-11 | Mile High Sports
Denver found itself in a wintry spring wonderland on Thursday, with snow continuing most of the day. After a game postponed Wednesday, it seemed doubtful that the show would go in on the snow, but carry on it did. The early lead helped, despite a real battle with the Giants. The back-to-back home runs by Nolan Arenado and Mark Reynolds early on didn’t hurt. After Arenado’s slow start to 2019, he seems to have figured the new season out, comfortable near the top of hitting lists. Trevor Story broke out of his mini slump, going 2-for-4 and helping cinch the game in the eighth inning. Pitching continues to struggle, but the cold weather could have had something to do with that loss of control.
Colorado Rockies: Catching up with the 2015 draft class | Rox Pile
The MLB draft doesn’t quite draw the same attention as other sports, largely because the players drafted can take years to develop. They often spend some time in the minor leagues before most people are even aware of them. The 2015 draft class is starting to work its way up to the big leagues now, and the Rockies have some solid contenders. Brendan Rodgers is the big one, turning some heads in the 2019. He went #3 in the first round. He’s poised to be part of the Rockies’ dominant infield, with some in the offseason even thinking he might take the place of DJ LeMahieu this year. This isn’t how it worked out, but Rodgers is trying out some different positions in Albuquerque, and the Rockies could use him as a utility player. His bat would certainly benefit the boys in purple.
Their second pick didn’t make much noise, largely due to health issues that got in his way. Tyler Nevin, the third pick, however, has been pretty consistent in his performance. He currently sits at their #6 prospect spot, so keep an eye out for him. The fourth pick was Peter Lambert, and while he’s done well at second base in Double-A, Triple-A’s got him a little stumped. Pitcher Javier Medina was fifth, but he was released by the Rockies after being plagued by injuries and overall unable to get the job done. David Hill, another pitcher, is currently unsigned, and Parker French was released by the team.
The standouts from the remainder of the class include Justin Lawrence and Sam Hilliard. It’s a big pool that makes up an MLB draft, but there aren’t too many who make it big. However, the Rockies are fortunate to have some promising young talent to pull from.
Black believes rotation can reverse fortunes | Rockies.com
With Wednesday’s game postponed, Jon Gray’s start is pushed to Saturday, with German Marquez throwing Friday. Kyle Freeland had Thursday’s start. It’s no secret that the rotation has hit a bit of a wall. Freeland and Marquez have both been plagued by home runs, but Bud Black has faith that things will work itself out. The hope is that the pitchers will all learn what works and what doesn’t. The Rockies went through a similar bad spell last year before pulling it together to make it to the playoffs. Black doesn’t want to blame this lull on the fact that many of them are young players, instead citing the fact that they have less experience. They need time to settle in and find their way, leading to some great pitching for the Rockies.
On the Farm
Yonathan Daza (no. 14 PuRP) and Pat Valaika put together the two runs for the Isotopes in the loss against El Paso. Josh Fuentes (no. 16 PuRP) and Brian Mundell (no. 29 PuRP) had two hits apiece, but the Isotopes left twelve men on base.
Triple-A: El Paso Chihuahuas 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 2 | MiLB.com
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 7, Reading Fightin Phils 3 | MiLB.com
High-A: Lancaster Jethawks , Stockton Ports | MiLB.com