Hot April (and into May) Roxpects

Max White OF (AA-Hartford Yard Goats)
Through his first 58 at bats at AA, White is triple slashing 328/403/569 with 2 home runs and a whopping 7 steals. His performance through the first month of the season has prompted me to add him in one of my deep dynasties. If he continues to develop he could see time as a 4th outfielder down the line that can help me out in our Net Stolen Bases category (he has yet to be caught stealing yet this season). Keep in mind this has been a small sample size and he struggled to get on base at High A-Modesto last year (but still swipe 36 bags). Maybe 2016 was just a down year after he had a wonderful 2015 at Low A-Asheville where he posted a 949 OPS in 248 at bats. If he continues to keep his K% in the low 20s and his BB% in the mid-teens then he will continue to rise of the Rox prospect list.


*Update from Scott Greene who was in attendance Tuesday night in Hartford: White led off for the Yard Goats and had an impressive showing.  2-3 with a walk, run scored and SB (his 9th).  His triple led off the bottom of the 1st and started the 6-run rally.  He was caught stealing third later in the game, the same inning he stole second.  Photo by Scott Greene.


Yency Almonte SP
(AA-Hartford Yard Goats)
I started watching Yency last year at Modesto and was super impressed by his power fastball/slider combo. He was called up to Hartford to make 5 starts near the end of the season and continued to impress. In 3 starts spanning 17.2 innings, he has posted a 1.53 era and a 0.91 whip with 21 strikeouts. Continued development of the changeup (as it always does) will determine Almonte’s long-term effectiveness as a starting pitching prospect. The Rockies will be patient and allow this power arm continue to develop. He’s definitely worth a roster spot in 600-800 minor league roster spot dynasties.

 

Peter Lambert SP (High A-Lancaster)
Lambert is my favorite sleeper in the Rockies system. They aggressively assigned him to full season Low A-Asheville last season at age 19 and he did not disappoint. He piled up 126 innings and posted an era of 3.93 with a 1.25 whip. Through 4 starts and 22 innings this year, Lambert has posted a 2.25 era/1.00 whip/25 Ks/5 BBs. Not too shabby for a 20 year old kid pitching in the notoriously hitter friendly California League.

 

Sam Hilliard OF (High-A Lancaster)
Lambert’s teammate last year in Asheville hit 17 homers and swiped 30 bags with a triple slash of 267/348/449. This year he has come out of the gates hot by posting an OPS of 1000 with 6 SB and 2 HR. I love Hilliard’s 12% walk rate and if this 6’5” powerhouse can keep the Ks around 25% then he will continue to stay on my radar as a prospect worth monitoring in deep dynasty leagues.

 

Colton Welker 3B/1B (Low-A Asheville)
Welker will be 19 years old for the entirety of the 2017 season and one of the youngest everyday players in the Sally. He has jumped out of the gate by delivering an OPS of 873 with 2 HR and 4 SB for the Tourists. He is outshining Tyler Nevin in the early going by smacking more XBH and an amped up BABIP. I’m looking forward to watching the competition between these two guys as the long season rolls on.

Article featured image Hartford Yard Goats logo – courtesy of YardGoatsBaseball.com

Chris Williamson is the Rockies correspondent here at Prospects1500. He lives in Denver and is a member of The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Being a member of SABR has given him the opportunity to attend some great events and meet some Rockies insiders. Chris is also a diehard dynasty fantasy baseball participant. He is currently in 2 dynasty leagues, one with 30 minor league roster spots, and one with 40 minor league roster spots. Check out more from Chris on his new website: makeprospectsgreatagain.com. GO ROX!




1 Trackback / Pingback

  1. Wednesday May 3, 2017 - Fantasy Baseball Links - FantasyRundown.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*