Isaac Stevens | December 14, 2024

The Rockies walked away from the Rule 5 Draft without any new MLB players and one less minor leaguer. The Rockies did select a pair of minor leaguers in the MiLB phase and both players will impact the upper minors this season. However, the Rockies did face a pair of key losses themselves.

What is the Rule 5 Draft?

The Rule 5 Draft is split into two parts, the first being the MLB portion. This allows MLB teams to select certain players from other organizations and add them to their own. Players who turned pro at the age of 18 or younger in 2020 or turned 19 or older in 2021 were eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this year.

To protect players from the MLB portion teams have to add them to their 40-man roster or else they are at risk of being taken in the Rule 5 Draft. For players selected in the MLB portion, they are required to stay on their new team’s MLB roster for the remainder of the upcoming season or they have to go back to their former team.

As for the minor league portion, the age requirements are the same, but there are more protection teams can do. Typically you won’t see top prospects taken in the minor league phase, but more so depth pieces, as teams get to protect 40 eligible minor league players.

The Rockies have recent history with Rule 5 selections. Just last season, the Rockies selected RHP Anthony Molina from the Tampa Bay Rays. The 22-year-old appeared in 35 games for the Rockies and amassed an fWAR of 0.2–not bad for a young rookie tossed into Coors Field.

Another name to remember is Jordan Sheffield, who pitched two seasons for Colorado (2021-2022) and had a fine 3.16 ERA in that span. If we consider every team/player in MLB who has ties to the Rule 5 Draft, some of the most prominent players are Roberto Clemente, Johan Santana, and R.A. Dickey, among others. One selection can change the outlook of a team’s entire future, though most selections end up getting lost in the shuffle.

Here were the 2024 results for the Rockies:

Drafted: 

RHP Tyler Burch – Baltimore Orioles (MiLB Phase)

SS Jose Torres – Cincinnati Reds (MiLB Phase)

Lost:

OF Jake Snider – San Diego Padres (MiLB Phase)

RHP Anderson Bido – Houston Astros (MiLB Phase)

SS Jack Blomgren – Houston Astros (MiLB Phase) 

Rockies Selections:

When looking at the 2024 Rule 5 Draft board it is hard to ignore that the Rockies passed on their second overall pick. Seeing names such as Garrett McDaniels, Evan Reifert, Eiberson Castellano, and many more get selected after the Rockies leaves a sour aftertaste.

The idea of an unproven Major Leaguer having to acclimate to Coors Field and high altitude is not a safe idea and the Rockies have always known this, but passing with such a high pick feels like a missed opportunity.

Having only selected 3 players in the last 10 years, with just 2 playing all season (2023 Pick, Kevin Kelly was immediately traded to Tampa), the Rockies are historically passive in the MLB portion of the draft. With a year long commitment, and only 26 spots on the active roster, a Rule 5 player just wasn’t in the cards for Colorado.

So let’s get into the players the Rockies did take in the lower stakes MiLB phase. 

RHP Tyler Burch – Baltimore Orioles (MiLB Phase)

One of the more intriguing names among Rule 5 eligible players was Tyler Burch, and when the Rockies had the second overall pick in the minor league phase, they pounced. Burch was originally undrafted, signing by the Phillies back in 2019. After an impressive minor league tenure with them, he was traded to Baltimore in exchange for MLB veteran Freddy Galvis in 2021. Burch was even speculated to be added to the Orioles bullpen before his arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow in 2024.

The first thing that stands out with Burch is his simple and repeatable delivery. It helps him project for quality command, so throwing strikes shouldn’t be an issue for him. After Burch’s elbow surgery, he saw a considerable increase in fastball velocity.

In the Arizona Fall League, his fastball was routinely between 97 and 99 MPH. Along with his plus fastball, Burch offers a plus breaking ball. It has a steep shape and spins on the horizontal axis giving it sweeper-esque movement which generates plenty of whiffs. Those two pitches can turn Burch into a high-strikeout caliber pitcher with Major League arm written all over him.

Statistically, Tyler Burch has delivered solid results throughout his career. In 98 innings pitched at Double-A, he has posted a 4.59 ERA along with an 8.1 SO/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in that span. It’s been noted that Burch has struggled with locating a high fastball and that results in two problems; 1) less strikeouts and 2) more home runs against him. For Burch to have a shot to excel within the organization, it will be vital for him to control his fastball at the top of the zone. Coming in at the upper-90s it will be a tough pitch to hit no matter the opponent. 

With health and consistent results, Burch has a chance of being called up to MLB in 2025. He has legitimized himself as a real candidate for that title upon being selected by Colorado. Burch will be one of the more intriguing players to watch out for in 2025.

SS Jose Torres – Cincinnati Reds (MiLB Phase)

In the 2021 MLB draft, the Cincinnati Reds selected Jose Torres with their third round pick, 8 picks higher than MLB All-Star, Mason Miller. Before being drafted, Torres was a standout athlete for NC State. He was praised for his natural feel for hitting and great defense at shortstop. That led to him playing only two seasons collegiately, and the Reds selecting one of the more naturally excellent, yet raw prospects of the 2021 draft. 

The underdeveloped qualities in Torres’s game have persisted into the pros, slashing an underwhelming .227/.293/.361 with 29 home runs in 304 minor league games. His free-swinging approach results in a high number of strikeouts, and poor batted-ball results.

However, there is promise to the offensive side of his game. Every season Torres’s contact results have improved while getting physically stronger each year as well. The idea for the desirable late bloomer, Torres, is that he will improve his discipline and use his developing contact and power to get more adequate results. 

Change of scenery is brought up frequently when talking about players revitalizing their careers. The way every team develops their players is completely different, so for example the way the Reds believe in developing talent is different than the Rockies.

The Rockies have had many free swingers (similar to Jose Torres) a part of their MLB teams across the years, some of the more relevant names being Ezequiel Tovar, Raimel Tapia, and Yonathan Daza. Each one of those players swing at pitches at a high rate, which is similar to Torres. The Rockies have developed them and made each one relied upon MLB players.

Jose Torres has all the tools to be an MLB player, and that is why he was originally drafted in the third round. With his defensive prowess and plus speed, the Rockies could look into transiting Torres into a utility role so he can keep consistent at bats. Still he will be an intriguing development project for the Rockies, as they look to bolster their Triple-A infield depth.

Rockies Losses:

OF Jake Snider – San Diego Padres (MiLB Phase)

From being drafted by the Pirates, to playing only 28 games in the Pittsburgh organization until he was released, Jake Snider ended up with the Lake County DuckHounds of the American Association independent baseball league in 2022.

There, he put up big numbers which eventually led him to signing with the Colorado Rockies in 2023. With the opportunity given, Snider was an everyday starter for both the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies and High-A Spokane Indians. In the impressive 207 games played across 2023 and 2024, Snider had a .261 AVG and 52 stolen bases, including an .824 OPS this year.

There’s something so authentic about gritty, contact hitters, and Jake Snider does so much more than that. He had both the 6th highest BB% (18.2%) and OBP (.425) in all of Minor League Baseball in 2024 (min. 400 PA). It is to be mentioned that Snider was generally older than almost all of the competition he played, which stopped him from garnering more recognition. His proven plate discipline and accolades are testament to his grind. The Padres hope Snider can reinforce their upper minors ranks with an outside shot to reach San Diego.

Ultimately, the Rockies are letting the kids play. 11 of BSB’s top 40 prospects can play in the outfield, and having a soon-to-be 26-year-old taking playing time is what steered the Rockies away from protecting Snider.

RHP Anderson Bido – Houston Astros (AAA Phase)

Being with the Rockies since 2017, there has been plenty of mutual respect with the Rockies and Anderson Bido. He excelled early in rookie ball from 2017-2019, not having an ERA lower than 3.65 ERA in those years. Then after the minor league cancellation in 2020, Bido was immediately assigned to Single-A, where he steadily progressed through the minors until his eventual breakout in 2024. This season he put up a 3.29 ERA across High-A and Double-A in 38.1 innings, and emerged as an encouraging relief prospect.

The Rockies decision to leave Bido unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft is somewhat questionable after such a dominant short Double-A stint in 2024 (3.22 ERA, 28 K/4 BB in 22.1 IP).

What led Bido to his breakout is his fastball. He threw it in the upper-90s, and touched 98 MPH this past season. He relied heavily on tunneling his fastball and slider, and the simplicity of the two generated great results. It will be interesting to see how Bido adjusts to the Astros organization. He is an easy guy to root for, and this circumstance can carry Bido a long way.

SS Jack Blomgren – Houston Astros (AAA Phase)

2020 saw a shortened 5-round draft. With that prized 5th round pick the Rockies snagged SS Jack Blomgren. He started his professional career off hot for the Rockies, slashing .284/.406/.392 in 86 games at High-A in 2021.

However, ever since he has struggled to stay on the field. Amassing only 59 games in 3 seasons of baseball since 2022. His impressive discipline has carried the torch at every stop and Blomgren will ultimately be one of the bigger “What ifs” in Rockies recent history. The scrappy infielder does a little bit of everything even if he only profiles to hit a handful of home runs per year.

The Astros saw a player that’s never had a wRC+ (Runs per PA scaled where 100 is average) under 120, and someone who constantly puts up results no matter what is holding him back. Houston is one of the better teams in baseball at developing offensive talent, so given an opportunity, it will benefit both sides. Every Rockies fan should be rooting for Jack Blomgren following his new journey in the Astros organization.

Notable Players the Rockies Kept: 

When the Rockies received Right-Handed Pitchers Bradley Blalok and Yujanyer Herrera in exchange for Nick Mears, it was speculated that the Rockies were going to have to add Herrera to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule-5 draft. So when only Zac Veen was added it left many thinking the Rockies might lose Herrera. However, with the news of him receiving Tommy John surgery the Rockies decided not to add him, and teams steered clear as well.

Left-handed hitter Zach Kokoska–49 home runs in the last 3 seasons–and Braiden Ward are still with the organization after presumably being part of the Rockies protected MiLB list. Ward has stolen 151 bases in his 3 full seasons with Colorado, and an OBP king. Spokane Indians workhorse starting pitcher Victor Juarez–202.2 innings over the last two seasons–also avoided being selected.

Final Thoughts:

The addition of Tyler Burch could be one of the more underrated acquisitions this off-season, and should start gaining more attention. The former Orioles prospect could end up a Rockies reliever with good health and a smooth transition into the organization. Jose Torres gives the Rockies a chance to develop a toolsy utility option, though he’ll likely be limited to MiLB depth.

The Rockies decision to pass on their 2nd overall Rule 5 pick will loom large, especially if one of the prospects picked immediately after them breaks out in 2025.

Thank you all for reading!