Rockies’ top prospect Zac Veen is starting to catch fire in Spokane

Regarding wins and losses, the results for the Colorado Rockies’ affiliates were a little underwhelming last week. The Albuquerque Isotopes were outscored 23-4 in the first three games of their series on the road against Round Rock (TEX), but were able to take two of the next three to save face in the series. The Hartford Yard Goats came out on top in three of the first four games at home against Somerset (NYY) before dropping the final two matchups, evening the series. The Spokane Indians put together the only winning record in the system, taking four against Hillsboro (ARI). Meanwhile, the Fresno Grizzlies struggled against Lake Elsinore (SD), losing all but one game in the homestand.

One of the biggest factors in Spokane’s series victory was the impact of top prospect Zac Veen (No. 1 PuRP). After a sluggish start to the first few weeks of the season, Veen found his groove against the Hops. Heading into the matchup, he was carrying a .138/.306/.138 line in his first eight games. But after posting an impressive 1.313 OPS in the series, Veen’s season totals have risen to a much healthier .271/.386/.396 . Four of Veen’s nine hits went for extra-bases, including his first homer of the season that came in game one on Tuesday.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (2-4, 7-11 overall)

After a rough first three games to start the series, Ryan Feltner (No. 15 PuRP) delivered a strong performance to get Albuquerque back on track. Feltner held Round Rock to one run and two hits over five innings while punching out ten hitters – including eight of the first nine to start the ballgame. He now sports a team-leading 24 punch-outs in 20 ⅓ innings this season.

While the Isotopes’ offense did not have a tremendous week overall, there were a few veterans that put together a fine performance. Wynton Bernard had a superb evening on Friday, hitting two home runs, driving in five runs and collecting 11 total bases in the Albuquerque victory. Catchers Brian Serven and Carlos Perez also had two homers each in the series.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 7-9 overall)

In case you missed it, Ezequiel Tovar (No. 6 PuRP) had a night to remember on Friday as well. In a back-and-forth contest, Tovar went deep in the eighth inning for his second homer of the season before stepping up in the bottom of the ninth and delivering a three-run walk-off home run to give Hartford a 7-6 victory. In all, Tovar went 7-for-24 in the series with a .929 OPS and collected 14 total bases.

First baseman Michael Toglia (No. 7 PuRP) also collected 14 total bases, including his second homer of the season. While Toglia had a fine series, it is worth noting he had a lopsided strikeout-to-walk of 11-to-1. Jameson Hannah (HM PuRP) posted his best week of the young season with a ridiculous .500/.579/.813 line in five games. Hannah hit his first homer run and collected three total extra-base hits. He also swiped two bases and worked three walks without recording a strikeout.

High-A: Spokane Indians (4-2, 7-8 overall)

While Zac Veen grabbed the headlines with his performance, catcher Drew Romo (No. 3 PuRP) was certainly no slouch. Romo went 8-for-20 in the series, hit his first home run on Sunday and raised his OPS nearly 100 points in the series. While Veen and Romo both took off, Eddy Diaz (No. 30 PuRP) was stuck in the mud again last week. After a 3-for-19 performance against Hillsboro, Diaz now sits at a .170/.254/.170 line for the season.

On the mound, lefty Joe Rock (No. 16 PuRP) continued to excel for Spokane in his third start of the season. Rock tossed six innings with just one run and three hits allowed while striking out six. Rock has now allowed just eight hits in 17 innings this season, resulting in a .138 BAA while also leading Spokane in strikeouts with 21. Will Ethridge also had a strong outing on Friday, throwing seven innings with three runs allowed and picked up the win.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (1-5, 7-8 overall)

A large part of Fresno’s tough week can be attributed to its pitching. That includes Brayan Castillo (HM PuRP), who was touched up for the first time this season. After posting zeroes in his first two outings, Castillo hit a wall against Lake Elsinore with six runs allowed on five walks and seven hits in 3 ⅔ innings. Case Williams also ran into trouble with five runs allowed in his start, but did retire six via the strike out in his four innings. Evan Shawver was the only Fresno pitcher to appear unblemished in the series, throwing six shutout innings in his start on Friday.

Offensively, Benny Montgomery (No. 2 PuRP) put together one of the better lines of the week. He had three singles and two RBI on Wednesday to go with a terrific performance on Saturday where he tripled, homered and drove in three more. However, Montgomery did strikeout ten times without recording a walk. Braxton Fulford, a 2021 sixth round pick out of Texas Tech, had a solid series at the plate for the Grizzlies, going 7-for-18 against the Storm.

★ ★ ★

★ ★ ★

Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 4/26-5/1 vs Sacramento (SF)

Double-A Hartford: 4/26-5/1 @ Harrisburg (WAS)

High-A Spokane: 4/26-5/1 @ Everett (SEA)

Low-A Fresno: 4/26-5/1 @ Stockton (OAK)