Rockies prospect Drew Romo keeps on hitting

The Rockies affiliates all performed fine this week, all posting winning records except for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats, who have a dismal 29-60 record. The Fresno Grizzlies and Spokane Indians each won four games, and catcher Drew Romo (No. 8 PuRP) was a big part of the effort for the Grizzlies.

Romo has been on an absolute tear since July 4, posting a 21-game (!!!) hit streak. Since July 4, the 19-year-old switch-hitter has gone 32-for-82 (.390) with three doubles, one home run, 11 RBI, five walks, 12 strikeouts, and seven stolen bases (in 12 tries). In total, Romo has 12 doubles (6th), two triples (T-7th), five homers (T-6th), 33 RBI (7th), 15 walks (T-7th), and 14 stolen bases (5th). His .328/.361/.461 slash ranks him first/third/third on the team, respectively.

All that’s to say that while he’s not necessarily hitting for power, a 21-game hit streak is still impressive at any level and hopefully he can continue to tear things up in Fresno.

Top 30 PuRPs (I will use the updated list once it’s complete)

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (3-2, 40-46 overall)

Colton Welker (No. 5 PuRP) had his first full week in Albuquerque this week, going 5-for-20 with one double, two home runs, nine RBI, four walks, and eight strikeouts. Since being activated off of his suspension, Welker has hit .280/.379/.560 in six games with the Isotopes.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (2-4, 29-60 overall)

While Drew Romo is heating up in Fresno, Willie MacIver (HM PuRP) unfortunately has been rather cold since his promotion to Double-A Hartford. Since his three-homer game on July 3, the 24-year-old has gone just 11-for-102 (.108) and has posted an anemic .128/.221/.257 slash in Hartford, compared to his .286/.395/.542 slash in Spokane. This week in particular, MacIver went 0-for-15 with five strikeouts. It’s hard to say what’s going in with MacIver, but hopefully he figures it out soon.

High-A: Spokane Indians (4-2, 45-44 overall)

Another prospect who has struggled since his promotion is shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (No. 28 PuRP). Tovar had a torrid campaign in Low-A Fresno, slashing .309/.346/.510 in 298 at-bats with the Grizzlies. He also recorded 21 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 54 RBI while stealing 21 out of 25 bases. Granted he’s only played nine games in Spokane, but since his promotion, Tovar has hit just .179/.220/.231 and has yet to have a multi-hit game. He has reached base in seven of his nine games, and all have been hits — he has not recorded a single walk since his promotion. Hopefully this is just some growing pains for the 20-year-old Venezuelan infielder and he’s able to turn things around soon.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (4-2, 60-30 overall)

Meanwhile, Zac Veen (No. 2 PuRP) continues to perform well in Fresno. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick went 7-for-22 (.318) this week with one double, one homer, three RBI, three walks, and eight strikeouts. He attempted two stolen bases but was caught both times. So far in August, Veen is hitting .426/.481/.745 and has only gone hitless in one game (Aug. 14). He has also recorded four doubles, a triple, three home runs, nine RBI, six walks, 15 strikeouts, and three stolen bases (out of six attempts). In 2021, Veen has 22 doubles (1st), three triples (T-3rd), 14 home runs (1st), 61 RBI (1st), 49 walks (1st), and 30 stolen bases (2nd). His .300/.397/.521 season slash ranks him third/first/first on the team, respectively.

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Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 8/16-8/17 @ Sugar Land (HOU); 8/19-8/22 @ Las Vegas (OAK)

Double-A Hartford: 8/17-8/22 vs. New Hampshire (TOR)

High-A Spokane: 8/17-8/22 vs. Hillsboro (ARI)

Low-A Fresno: 8/17-8/22 @ Visalia (ARI)