The Rockies did in fact, NOT ROCKIE, and traded two veterans on expiring contracts. Colorado sent Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron to the Angels, the Rockies of the AL West. They also sent $2mm and received two young arms in return, RHP Jake Madden and LHP Mason Albright.
Sunday night, Noah and Aaron were able to research the two arms in real time. Neither knowing much about them but came away pretty stoked about adding the two. Watch/Listen below for the 10 minute research session.
While Noah and Aaron knew nothing, Nick and Tyler of the BSB Team knew everything.
Jake Madden
Last year, Nick wrote a a piece on Jake Madden in his 2022 draft preview.
And this was the video that put him on Jake…
If you noticed, Madden is a young JUCO arm that went pro and received CB-B type money from the Angels. Madden was a 4th round pick last year by the Angels. He is only 21-years-old and has big time stuff. Fresno’s voice, Stephen Rice, notes that Madden was scratched before his start last night.
Tyler did some deep diving and gives the following details on Madden.
At 6’6″ and just around 185 pounds, there’s a ton of room to grow but he already was averaging 94.3 on his fastball last year with heavy run. [His] 2nd pitch is an upper 80s slider that is plus at its best. Sometimes Madden’s slider looks more sweeper-like and other times it gets a lot of depth breaking down in the zone. The real catalyst is his changeup. It averaged 87.2 last year and got a 74% whiff rate against it. Yes, 74%. It can get huge break on both planes. Overall, there are some pitchability concerns (12.9 BB%) but Madden is a year removed from junior college baseball and is so far from a finished product. Best case, he could end up with 3-plus pitches and sit in the mid-to-upper-90s.
This is a label that can’t be thrown around very often but Madden has legit top-of-the-rotation upside. The odds of him reaching his ceiling aren’t necessarily high but Madden stands as one of the most talented pitchers to enter the Rockies system in some time.
Lacking polish now, Madden is likely 2 or 3 years away from garnering big league consideration, if his development goes as planned. Unless he progresses faster than expected, an early-to-mid 2026 arrival seems likely.
Mason Albright
Tyler’s information on Albright
Time for some Albright love! He signed for 1.25M as a high schooler in ’21 (60th highest bonus in the class), despite being a 12th rder. The 6’0″, 190 lbs lefty has advanced feel to pitch with just 20 walks in 79.2 IP. He [sits] low-90s with deception and command. Albright also features a cutter, changeup, and curveball. Curveball is a little slurvy and can be plus at times. Change is really deceptive with some good drop. Cutter gets a lot of break. Comes from funky lower 3/4 slot which helps his fastball get some carry. Not as flashy of a profile but Albright mixes 4 pitches and commands them well. If he can throw a little harder, there’s solid rotation upside here. [Also] like that he’s still just 20 years old.. lots of time to develop.
Albright brings a much safer profile to the Rockies. His ceiling isn’t very high barring an unexpected jump into the mid-90s with his fastball but Albright has a good shot to make a name for himself in the back of a rotation.
After shortening his arm stroke, Albright has unlocked pristine command that could get him to the big leagues towards the end of 2025.
Here is Bill Schmidt on Albright in Thomas Harding’s article:
“We scouted him heavily in high school in Maryland, then he went to IMG, so he was a high-profile kid on the circuit back then. He was committed to Virginia Tech.
“There’s a feel to pitch. He’s leading the Cal League in wins, up there near the top in ERA and it’s his second year out. Statistically, he’s having a real fine season. When it’s all said and done, you can’t have enough left-handers.”
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