Zac Veen shines on the big stage, Jaden Hill debuts, Rockies kick off 2022 draft.

It was an exciting week for the Colorado Rockies farm system. Zac Veen (No. 1 PuRP) and Ezequiel Tovar (No. 6 PuRP) were named to the MLB Futures Game while highly touted pitching prospect Jaden Hill (No. 12 PuRP) made his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League.

While Tovar was held out of game action while he continues to rehab a groin strain, Veen did appear in Los Angeles, collecting two hits and two stolen bases in the contest. On the mound, Hill appeared in two games, allowing one run and one walk with three strikeouts in 1 ⅓ innings. Helcris Olivarez (No. 13 PuRP) also made his season debut in the ACL, pitching two scoreless innings with a strikeout.

On top of this, the Rockies added four players to their prospect pool in Day 1 of the MLB Draft. With the 10th overall selection, Colorado nabbed RHP Gabriel Hughes from Gonzaga University. They then selected two collegiate outfielders with their supplemental picks, choosing Florida University product Sterlin Thompson with the 31st overall pick and Jordan Beck from Tennessee with the 38th. To round out the evening, the Rockies added prep RHP Jackson Cox with the 50th selection. No official deals are reportedly in place with these players yet, but Colorado certainly added to their system both on and off the field in the past week.

Top 30 PuRPs

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (3-3, 42-48 overall)

The Albuquerque Isotopes split their road set with Sacramento (SF) last week. The starting pitching was inconsistent, as top hurlers Ryan Feltner (No. 15 PuRP) and Karl Kauffmann (No. 20 PuRP) both pitched less than five innings in their starts. Feltner did strike out six but allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 ⅔ innings while Kauffmann allowed just one run but walked five in 3 ⅔ innings. It wasn’t all bad, though, as Corey Oswalt delivered a strong outing, tossing five shutout innings. Justin Lawrence also flashed his dominance out of the bullpen, throwing four no-hit innings with four strikeouts but walking two with one hit batter.

Elehuris Montero (No. 5 PuRP) returned to the Albuquerque lineup and promptly put up a 1.012 OPS in 11 AB. Carlos Perez continued to swing a hot bat, leading the Isotopes in hits (9), HR (2), BB (6) and TB (15). Alan Trejo also showed well, hitting three doubles and scoring four runs in 21 at-bats, finishing with a .933 OPS.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (5-1, 54-33 overall)

The Yard Goats dominated Harrisburg (WAS) at home, taking five-of-six games against the Senators. Hunter Stovall led the charge, continuing his recent hot-streak with a .345/.345/.690 line with two homers, eight RBI and 20 total bases in 29 AB. Since the start of June, Stovall has posted a .916 OPS and 147 wRC+ for Hartford.

Stovall wasn’t alone in the offensive onslaught, however. Grant Lavigne (No. 22 PuRP) had two homers of his own and finished with a 1.182 OPS. Kyle Datres drove in seven runs, as did Micahel Toglia (No. 7 PuRP). Isaac Collins posted a .522 OBP and scored five runs while Aaron Schunk hit .360 and scored six runs.

Noah Davis delivered one of his best starts of the season, twirling six shutout innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one walk.

High-A: Spokane Indians (3-3, 43-41 overall)

Spokane earned a split in their road matchup with Eugene (SF), thanks in large part to the performance of All-Star Zac Veen. Before heading to L.A., Veen went a cool 6-for-15, collecting a homer and a double with an absurd six stolen bases. Warming Bernabel (No. 18 PuRP) stuck around for the whole series, much to the dismay of Emerald’s pitching. Bernabel collected 11 hits in 24 AB, hitting a bomb and scoring four runs. Julio Carreras (HM PuRP) also impressed with four doubles and six RBI.

Fresno Grizzlies (1-5, 52-35 overall)

Fresno’s matchup at Rancho Cucamonga turned out to be a dud, as the Grizzlies walked out with just one victory against the Quakes.

The bats held their own, especially Juan Brito (HM PuRP) who posted a ridiculous 13-for-25 series with five extra-base hits and ten runs scored. Juan Guerrero was next in the hit parade, collecting 11 with two doubles, a homer and six RBI. Brito and Guerrero both finished behind Yaniquel Fernadez (No. 25 PuRP) in the RBI column, as Fernandez tallied eight in the series.

Unfortunately the Grizzlies’ pitching couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain as they allowed 62 runs in six games. Juan Mejia was the only pitcher to come out unscathed, throwing 1 ⅔ scoreless innings out of the ‘pen. McCade Brown (No. 29 PuRP) was roughed up for five runs in five innings in his start, but did strike out seven to just one walk.

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Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Albuquerque: 7-22-7/24 vs Sugar Land (HOU)

Double-A Hartford: 7-22-7/24 @ Binghamton (NYM)

High-A Spokane: 7-22-7/24 vs Vancouver (TOR)

Low-A Fresno: 7-22-7/24 vs Stockton (OAK)