Here at Legends on Deck our passion is prospects and the offseason presents an outstanding opportunity for us to showcase some of baseball’s top up and comers. Throughout the offseason, we will be bringing you the top ten prospects from all 30 organizations. We will start with the Arizona Diamondbacks and work our way alphabetically all the way through the Washington Nationals. This series is the opinion of Jake Berry, Senior Editor at Legends on Deck and does not reflect any official MLB rankings.
#10 – RHP Riley Pint
2019 Opening Day Age: 21 ETA: 2021 Top Future Pitch: FB
2018 Stats (Rookie/Single-A): 8.1 IP, 0-3, 4.32 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, 8 SO, 11 BB
The fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft, Pint was highly touted for his upside. The 6’4 righty showcases four pitches, including a high 90’s heater, but has failed to command any of his offerings thus far. When you factor in that injuries kept the Kansas native sidelined for all but 8.1 innings in 2018, it seems like the Rockies are going to have to be more patient with Pint than they originally anticipated.
#9 – RHP Ryan Castellani
2019 Opening Day Age: 23 ETA: 2020 Top Future Pitch: FB
2018 Stats (Double-A): 7-9, 5.49 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 91 SO, 70 BB
Castellani is a classic example of potential not turning into results… yet. Another 6’4 righty with command issues of his own, Castellani possesses three solid pitches, he just needs to locate them better. He walked 70 batters in 2018, the most in the Eastern League, and allowed 15 homers showing that he was missing his spots both in and out of the zone.
#8 – SS Ryan Vilade
2019 Opening Day Age: 20 ETA: 2021 Top Future Tool: Power
2018 Stats (Single-A): .274/.353/.368, 5 HR, 44 RBI, 17 SB
The 19 year old shortstop has a good power swing and I am excited to see how much it plays up in Coors. He will also walk at a pretty decent clip and while he isn’t going to steal 20 bags in the bigs, he has enough speed to make the pitcher aware that he is on base. There is some depth and some other good players in front of him in the Rockies infield, but Vilade has a great offensive profile and a strong arm. I could see him at the hot corner in the show somewhere down the road.
#7 – LHP Ryan Rolison
2019 Opening Day Age: 21 ETA: 2021 Top Future Pitch: CB
2018 Stats (Rookie): 29 IP, 1.86 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 34 SO, 8 BB
The lone lefty on this list, Rolison has a much different skill set than the first two pitchers above. The Ole Miss product can command his pitches well and has a low 90’s fastball that he can pound the zone with that sets up the best curveball in the system. The Rockies first round pick in the 2018 draft, Rolison tossed just 29 innings in his debut season, but he impressed in the small sample size after a long college season.
#6 – 1B Tyler Nevin
2019 Opening Day Age: 21 ETA: 2020 Top Future Tool: Hit
2018 Stats (High-A): .328/.386/.503, 13 HR, 62 RBI, 4 SB
I’ll be the first to admit that I was slow to join the Nevin bandwagon. The Minor League stats in the Rockies system always have to be taken with a grain of salt, but after taking a closer look at the swing mechanics and the splits, I am sold on Nevin’s offensive game. The hit tool is more advanced than the power at the moment, but there is plenty of raw power and strength to tap into from the 21 year old’s 6’4, 200 lbs frame. The only thing holding Nevin back from the top five of this list is that he is destined for first base defensively and likely not much more.
