FOX Sports’ 26-and-under power rankings are a new spin on the classic prospect rankings. Yes, prospects are important, but with all the game-changing young talent already in the bigs, farm systems alone can’t tell the whole story. So we’re diving deep into every single MLB club, ranking them all by the players in an organization entering their age-26 season or younger — from the bigs to the farm. Each weekday through March 24, we’ll count down from last to first. We’ll start today.
No. 30 Colorado Rockies
26-and-under score (out of 30): 10
In last place, comfortably, are the Rockies. They are here because they have struggled for years to develop pitchers. Between the current big-league roster and the farm system, they employ almost no talented young pitching to speak of.
Big-league pitchers: 1 (out of 10)
Amazingly, only one of the 20 Rockies to throw double-digit innings in 2022 fits our young criteria. That one, right-hander Ryan Feltner, barely fits, too, as he turns 27 before season’s end. And he, in parts of two major-league seasons, has struggled to establish himself as more than a replacement-level arm.
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Left-hander Ryan Rolison, 25, was, at one point, a promising pitcher, a former first-rounder who impressed in his first brief go at the minors. But he has since been beset by injuries. He’ll now need more time, and good fortune, to find his way to the form some scouts once projected for him.
Prospect pitchers: 2 (out of 5)
At the lower levels, right-handers Jaden Hill and Gabriel Hughes both register as legitimate prospects, recent top draft selections from prominent college programs. Both are big and strong, but neither have pitched enough professionally yet to warrant significant or imminent excitement.
The system is barren. The Rockies have at least done well to retain some of their recent homegrown starters. Germán Márquez, still only 27, is under club control for two more seasons. Kyle Freeland, the 29-year-old one-time Cy Young candidate, is under club control for at least four more seasons. But both pitchers have settled into mid-level profiles after flirting with top-end performances earlier in their careers.
Big-league position players: 4 (out of 10)
The future looks a little better on the position-player side. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers, 26 until September, demonstrated standout defensive skills a year ago, winning a Gold Glove. He has not hit especially well, though, and he does not have a ton of experience for a player with more than three years of service time.
Young infielders Ezequiel Tovar, 21; Elehuris Montero, 24; and Michael Toglia, 24, all debuted last season. None of them exactly impressed, though Tovar remains young enough that he has retained top-prospect status. A Venezuela native who signed for $800,000 at 16, Tovar flashed elite contact skills, especially for his age, at several minor-league levels. Montero showed he has power, if not yet patience. Toglia, who can also play the outfield, did not make enough contact to reveal his raw power.
The Rockies now have another 24-year-old position player who debuted last season: Nolan Jones, whom they acquired in November from Cleveland for promising shortstop prospect Juan Brito. While Jones has a prospect pedigree, his shine has faded in recent years. His 28-game debut was unspectacular.
Prospect position players: 3 (out of 5)
If there is hope on the horizon, it comes in the form of Zac Veen, a 21-year-old outfielder who consistently rates as one of the sport’s better prospects. He struggled in a six-week stint in Double-A that concluded his 2022 season, but evaluators continue to believe in his potential. He remains advanced for his age. One more young Rockie is appearing on top-100 prospect lists this winter: 19-year-old shortstop Adael Amador, who dominated during his first full professional season in 2022. Amador, of course, is not especially close to the major leagues, as he has not yet played above low-A. Catcher Drew Romo, 21, has also earned mention on some prospect lists.
The Rockies might have climbed out of last place if outfielder Sean Bouchard, who turns 27 on May 16, counted as young. He, too, got his first chance last September, but he impressed in his 97 plate appearances, flashing patience and power. He had earlier succeeded at Triple-A Albuquerque.
Pedro Moura is the national baseball writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Dodgers for The Athletic, the Angels and Dodgers for the Orange County Register and L.A. Times, and his alma mater, USC, for ESPN Los Angeles. He is the author of “How to Beat a Broken Game.” Follow him on Twitter at @pedromoura.
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