Spring Training is well underway and before we know it, the minor league season will kick off. With that in mind, we’re unveiling our Blake Street Banter Top 40 Prospect List, including 8 additional honorable mentions featured in this article. We polled several of our writing dudes and averaged out the rankings to reflect what is below.
The Rockies system got a big boost from last year’s draft and is primed for a big year with a few top prospects aiming for bounceback campaigns and some of those 2023 draftees set to make a name for themselves.
The pitching crop is shaping up with a large handful of potential big league starters and a couple arms that should fit into the middle or top of a rotation. On the other side, the Rockies have several future contributors to their lineup with several high-end talents in the upper minors.
Much of the national scouting pundits believe this is a system that ranks close to average league-wide, mostly on the more bearish end of that in the 15th-20th range. What we can’t help but notice is a large handful of prospects getting top 100 love, though the names on each list have largely varied outside of our top 2.
Honorable Mentions
Dugan Darnell
By now, you should know who Dugan Darnell is. The Division-3 third baseman converted to an Independent League relief pitcher and is now an MiLB Arm Barn arm is on the cusp of making his MLB debut. Darnell features a solid two-pitch mix with a mid-90s fastball and potentially great split-changeup that comes around 10 MPH less. Darnell can also get you with a nasty slider that had a 52 whiff percentage in 2023 at Albuquerque.
Darnell continues to shock people in the organization with his ability to come in and shut the door. He has posted a K% higher than 30% at every level except Triple-A and but was still able to keep his BB% low at just 7% last year. He is knocking at the MLB door and should see action in purple by year’s end.
Zach Agnos
A two-way player at East Carolina, the Rockies trotted out Agnos as a late inning arm exclusively where he has thrived. The 6-foot right hander mixes a low-to-mid 90s fastball with great feel for a breaking ball. There’s also a promising changeup here. With those tools in his back pocket, along with the ability to pound the zone, Agnos went on to set a new franchise saves record for the Fresno Grizzlies with 27.
His 2.06 ERA ranked 8th and Agnos’s 5.23 strikeouts per walk ranked 17th among all Single-A pitchers with 40 or more innings. Agnos figures to have a hold on a closer role and should continue getting save opportunities with High-A Spokane this year, though a promotion to Double-A Hartford should be on the horizon should the 23-year old continue to dominate.
Riley Pint
Drafted fourth overall in the 2016 MLB Draft out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas, Pint has experienced an extremely interesting professional career. He retired from baseball completely in 2021, following a difficult period of injuries and difficulties finding consistency. He rejoined the Rox in 2022, and made his Major League debut in May of 2023.
Outside of his lone MLB appearance, the 6-foot-5 right-hander spent the entirety of his season at Triple-A Albuquerque, tossing 57.1 innings while accumulating a 6.12 ERA. The strikeout stuff is there, as he sat down 31.1% of batters, but Pint needs to limit the walks (20.9 BB%) to be effective. If Pint can put together a strong spring training, he will be towards the top of the list of prospects hoping to appear in MLB games out of the bullpen this year.
Aaron Schunk
Like Agnos, Aaron Schunk was a two-way player at Georgia before the Rockies selected him in the 2nd round of the 2019 draft. He proved he could hit as soon as he started professional ball, slugging .503 in short-season ball for Boise. However, the loss of 2020 had an impact on Schunk’s progress through the system. His 2021 season in Spokane is one we can all throw out (.224/.286/.346). It is clearly the outlier of Schunks’s professional career and he’s progressed substantially since then.
Schunk hit 14 homers and drove in 77 runs in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons while keeping his K-rate around 23% and walk rate at 8%. The big thing about Schunk is his ability to hit a lot of baseballs, in the zone or out. The free swinger, swinging at 54% of pitches last season, still was able to increase his OBP by about 30 points in his season at Albuquerque last year. Like most on this list, Schunk is close to getting the call to 20th and Blake and is getting an extended look in Spring Training.
Hunter Stovall
Recognized as last year’s Isotopes Defensive Player of the Year, Hunter Stovall should be on your radar by now. Stovall was a jack of all positions last year playing 15+ games at LF, 3B, SS, and 2B. It wouldn’t surprise if he could handle center and catcher at a high-caliber clip. The 21st-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2018 has produced at every level, even for a stint with the Phillies organization when he was traded away for half a season. The Rockies quickly realized their mistake and signed him the following offseason.
In the three seasons since that trade, Stovall has been able to produce at every level in limited action. He struck out less than 15% last season while driving in 51 in 432 plate appearances. He has home run power but drives it to the gaps far more often with 45 doubles and 17 homers combined the last two seasons. What doesn’t show up on the back of the baseball card are the intangibles and high-effort mentality that make him widely appreciated by his teammates and coaches. Watch Hunter play one game and you will instantly be a lifelong fan.
Juan Mejia
Mejia, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher, was signed by the Rockies in 2017 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He spent his 2023 season split across Single-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford, racking up 58.2 innings with a 5.06 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Additionally, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League (8.1 innings, 16 strikeouts, 2.16 ERA) and earned a spot on the National League team in the AZFL Fall Stars game, where he pitched a perfect inning, striking out two.
The future is uncertain for the righty reliever, but at just 23 years old, there is plenty of time for him to continue to hone his craft. He has a chance to really open some eyes and earn a September call-up as a recent 40-man addition.
Tanner Gordon
Acquired in the deal that sent Pierce Johnson to Atlanta, Gordon immediately adds depth to the rotation having found success in Triple-A. Gordon operates with a 5-pitch mix, usually sitting 91-94 with his fastballs. He primaries hitters with a sinker and also throws a cutter and 4-seam, backed by a slider and changeup. It’s a deep and promising arsenal with each offering usable in different circumstances.
Gordon made four starts with Double-A Hartford before getting over a month of time in Triple-A Albuquerque where he had a 4.31 ERA, a stellar mark for a hitting paradise of a league. Gordon struck out 34, walking just 10 in his 31.1 innings in Albuquerque. He figures to be one of the 3 or 4 next guys up in the rotation should any injuries arise. While the upside might not be high here, Gordon should be a serviceable extra starter right now and could emerge as a reliable backend starter in the years to come.
Ashly Andujar
Andujar signed for $1.7 million this most recent international signing period in January. For reference, this signing bonus is in range of recent top Rockies signees Robert Calaz ($1.7 million in 2023), Dyan Jorge ($2.8 million in 2022), and Adael Amador ($1.5 million in 2019). Andujar, a shortstop, has been praised for his athleticism, defensive prowess, and quality swing from both sides of the plate.
Just 16 years old, Andujar faces a long path to big league consideration. He may get time in the Dominican Summer League this year, though most players at the Rockies facility are 18 or older, with few players participating even at 17. The pedigree alluded to by his signing bonus suggests Andujar should be considered well into our top 40, especially given the current status of recent top signees, however, limited information and track record lead us to an honorable mention placement.
Make sure you check back in tomorrow for the BSB Top 31-40 Prospects!
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