It was another tough year for the Colorado Rockies as they finished tied with the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics for the fourth worst record in the majors (68-94). Rockies fans also had to witness the trade that sent franchise shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto and in the offseason, part with the promising, young Corey Dickerson. The 2016 season appears to be headed in the same direction as 2015 as we could see names like Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon dealt. The Rockies are also likely looking at another bottom five finish.
For Rockies fans, the farm system provides a lot of reason to look towards the future. Loaded at seemingly every position, the Rockies’ farm system is absolutely loaded with a potential franchise shortstop, a possible ace, and many more promising bats. I will let you all know ahead of time that I have devalued pitchers on this list as a result of Coors Field, the most hitter friendly ballpark in the majors. That does not mean that you should not take the risk and snag some of these pitchers, it just means that a pitching prospect with Colorado is a risky bet.
Editor's note: For more dynasty prospects and impact rookies, check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. Our rankings assistant tool combines all our staff's ranks in one place. You can easily filter and export all sorts of rankings and tiers - mixed leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only, top prospects, dynasty ranks, and more.
Colorado Rockies Top 10 Dynasty Prospects
These are the top ten prospects for the Colorado Rockies in terms of fantasy production for fantasy owners in the next few seasons.
1. Brendan Rodgers (SS, R)
Stats: 159 PA, .273/.340/.420, 3 HR, 4 SB, 9.4% BB rate, 23.3% K rate
ETA: 2018
Though he was taken third overall (third shortstop) in the 2015 draft, Brendan Rodgers has the highest ceiling of all three shortstops taken. The big reason that he fell to third was because Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson were both coming from college where Rodgers was just coming out of high school. In terms of hitting, there is very little that Rodgers can’t do. He has enough speed to steal 10-15 bases per season, enough power to mash 25-30 home runs per year (especially in Coors Field), and an advanced approach to the plate that should allow him to hit .275-.300 every season. Rodgers is a bit risky because he has come from high school, but his upside is far too great to be passed up in any keeper league. He could be the next Troy Tulowitzki.
2. David Dahl (OF, AA)
Stats: 302 PA, .278/.304/.417, 6 HR, 22 SB, 3.6% BB rate, 23.8% K rate
ETA: 2017
David Dahl’s promising 2015 campaign hit a major bump in the road when he was a part of a horrible collision in the outfield that ruptured his spleen. When it started, it looked promising enough though that many believed he could end the season at the Major League level. Dahl does not possess the offensive upside of Rodgers (not many do), but there is still a lot to like in his bat. The best part of his game is his speed, which should have him steal 30+ bases per season. He generates a lot of bat speed and is capable of spreading the ball to all fields and as a result, many scouts believe he will be able to hit .280+ in the majors. Power is not a big part of his game, but a move to hitter friendly Coors Field should help him hit 15-20 with the potential for more if he can develop more pop. Dahl could be a five category contributor at the majors and absolutely should be owned in all dynasty leagues.
3. Ryan McMahon (3B, A+)
Stats: 556 PA, .300/.372/.520, 18 HR, 6 SB, 8.8% BB rate, 27.5% K rate
ETA: 2018
It may be tough to envision anyone else besides Nolan Arenado manning the hot corner for the Rockies, but fans of the team should feel reassured that they have a promising prospect in Ryan McMahon who could provide just as much offensive production. McMahon is a left-handed hitting third baseman who oozes 30 home run potential at the big league level if he can tap into his raw power. Like many young sluggers, McMahon has a tendency to strike out a lot, but that could be corrected moving forward and shouldn’t be too concerning at this early stage in his development. McMahon may eventually be forced to move over to first base, but his bat plays well enough at both third and first to make him a must own in dynasty leagues.
4. Forrest Wall (2B, A)
Stats: 416 PA, .280/.355/.438, 7 HR, 23 SB, 9.9% BB rate, 17.3% K rate
ETA: 2018
Taken out of high school with the 35th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Forrest Wall has really flown through the minors to this point. Only 20-years-old, Wall looks ready for High-A and could potentially finish the season at Double-A. Wall’s most promising attribute is his elite speed which could net him and dynasty owners 30+ stolen bases per season. He does not have much power to speak of, but his quick bat and advanced approach to the plate should allow him to hit .280 per year with the potential to smack 10 home runs per season. At this rate, Wall will be in the majors in no time. As a valuable second base prospect, Wall is a must own prospect in dynasty leagues.
5. Jon Gray (SP, MLB)
Stats: 40.2 IP, 5.53 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 8.85 K/9, 3.10 BB/9, 0.89 HR/9
ETA: 2016
In only a brief stint at the Major League level, Jon Gray showed Rockies’ fans why he could be the future ace of the team. He displayed his upper-90s fastball, his elite slider, and a decent feel for his changeup, all while flashing above-average command of his pitches. But what Gray also proved was the risk involved with owning any Rockies pitcher. Away from home, Gray had a 2.70 ERA with a 2.63 FIP and a mere 5.0% HR/FB rate. But at home, Gray was a different story altogether. In Coors Field, the 24-year-old righty had an 8.27 ERA with a 4.59 FIP and an alarmingly high 14.3% HR/FB rate. Gray still has plenty of fantasy value and should be owned in dynasty leagues if nothing else than for his upside, but right now he should only be started when he is pitching away from home until he proves that he pitch in Coors.
6. Raimel Tapia (OF, A+)
Stats: 593 PA, .305/.333/.467, 12 HR, 26 SB, 4.0% BB rate, 17.7% K rate
ETA: 2018
With as much upside as almost anybody in the Rockies’ system, there is a lot to like about Raimel Tapia. Tapia has a quick bat, capable of hitting just about anything in the zone which leads many to believe that hitting for a decent average should not be much of an issue for him in the majors. He has also shown plenty of speed in the minors which should allow him to snag 20-30 bases per season. The real questions are with regards to his plate discipline (where he displays little patience at the plate) and his power where many believe he is too small to hit for much more than 10 home runs per season. Even with those concerns, Tapia is a relatively low risk/medium reward player and should be owned in all dynasty leagues.
7. Trevor Story (SS, AAA)
Stats: 275 PA, .277/.324/.504, 10 HR, 7 SB, 5.8% BB rate, 24.7% K rate
ETA: 2016
With Jose Reyes likely facing a suspension this season for his domestic violence incident, Trevor Story finds himself locked in a battle with Cristhian Adames over the starting shortstop gig. If the Rockies want a slick defender, Adames will be their guy. But if they want a potentially explosive bat, they will go with Trevor Story. Story has flashed a promising power/speed combo in the minors that could make him a potential 20/20 candidate in the majors. There are some realistic concerns about his plate discipline and many scouts wonder if he will be able to hit for a decent average in the majors, but Story is definitely worth owning for the time being in dynasty leagues. He is likely only the stopgap at short though until Brendan Rodgers is ready, but it could be a while before Story loses his spot.
8. Dom Nunez (C, A)
Stats: 441 PA, .282/.373/.448, 13 HR, 7 SB, 12.0% BB rate, 12.5% K rate
ETA: 2018
Dom Nunez looks like a valuable dynasty prospect as he could be a catcher with 20 home run power. He has an advanced approach to the plate that helps make him a relatively low risk player to produce in the majors. Don’t expect Nunez to hit over .300 in the majors, but .270 with 15-20 home runs is certainly not out of the question. Defensively, Nunez is dependable enough to eliminate the risk of anyone thinking of him similarly to Wilin Rosario whose defense wound up costing him his job. The 21-year-old backstop has a lot of dynasty value and should be owned in all leagues.
9. Jeff Hoffman (SP, AA)
Stats: (with COL) 36.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 7.18 K/9, 2.48 BB/9, 0.74 HR/9
ETA: 2017
Much like Jon Gray, there are a lot who see Jeff Hoffman as a future top of the rotation for Colorado. But with Hoffman, there are some more serious concerns. Though he possesses a dazzling array of pitches, he has yet to strike out more than 7.18 batters per nine in the minors. If he can’t show more strikeout potential, he could be a very high risk pitcher going into Colorado. He has the upside to be worth owning in dynasty leagues, but dynasty owners should approach Hoffman with a lot of caution.
10. Kyle Freeland (SP, A+)
Stats: 39.2 IP, 4.76 ERA,, 5.06 FIP, 4.31 K/9, 1.82 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9
ETA: 2018
Though his repertoire suggests someone with ace potential, Kyle Freeland possesses a lot of risk as a Rockies pitching prospect. Similarly to Jeff Hoffman, he has not struck out as many batters as owners would like to see and even more concerning, he has been a victim to the home run ball (a problem that would only worsen in Coors Field). At this point, Freeland is probably too risky to consider owning, but dynasty owners should keep an eye on how well he does in 2016 as he does have plenty of upside.
MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room
[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]