Blake Street Banter Team | February 21, 2025

We’ve reached the end of BSB Tools Week, covering everything from the best pitches in the organization, to the best defenders, and now wrapping up with the best power hitters.

It’s no secret the Rockies like to target big-framed power hitters and the farm system is loaded with players fitting that mold. What Rockies fans desperately need to see is another 40 home run hitter at Coors Field which has not been seen since Nolan Arenado in 2019.

Review the entire BSB Tools Week series with the following links:

Top 5 Command Pitchers
Top 10 Secondary Pitches
Top 5 Fastballs
Top 5 Catching Tools
Top 5 Fielders
Top 5 Fastest Players
Top 10 Hitters

Honorable Mentions

GJ Hill was tied for first in the organization with 20 home runs in 2024. Shortstops Braylen Wimmer and Ryan Ritter both have shown power potential in the Minors. Greg Jones rips off extremely high exit velocities, and projects for power with a developing hit tool. Benny Montgomery has the size and frame to have above average power, but is still developing to get to that point consistently.

Kelvin Hidalgo has the build and swing to be on this list, but has whiff problems and an approach that limit his power numbers. Blake Wright, a draftee in 2024, barrels up the baseball at a quality rate, though needs to leave the yard more. Third base prospect, Derek Bernard, had an impressive line drive percentage at 22.2% at only 19 years old.

#10 – OF Sterlin Thompson

When talking about Rockies prospects with power, typically Sterlin Thompson isn’t in the discussion. However, when the 6-foot-3 Thompson was drafted, his raw exit velocities were among the best in the 2022 draft class.

Thompson has hit .270 across his Minor League tenure, and is consistently hitting line drives, ranking 6th in the organization with a 24.3 line drive percentage (min. 400 AB). With Thompson’s great feel for the barrel, and solid impact from his lefty swing, he projects for power at the major league level (with the added benefit of playing at Coors awaiting a call up), even hitting 27 home runs across 213 games the last two seasons. While being lowest on this list, Thompson projects to be one of the more certain MLB-ready players with dormant power upside.

#9 – OF Alessander De La Cruz

Signed in 2023 for $650,000 out of the Dominican Republic, Alessander De La Cruz was praised for his elite bat speed and power projection. In his first season he impressed with 5 home runs though he struck out in 33.8% of his plate appearances. De La Cruz repeated in the Dominican Summer League in 2024 with much better results. This year, De La Cruz impressed in every offensive category, notching 7 home runs and slugging .542.

Standing 6-foot-1, De La Cruz has a roughly average frame, though as his body has matured, he’s actually become more graceful and is starting to control his elite bat speed better than ever. De La Cruz’s swing is still inconsistent, but at its best, has shown flashes to be similar to Pete Alonso’s. 2025 will be a telling year for the promising outfield prospect where he will likely likely start in the ACL with a chance to get to Fresno later in the season.

#8 – SS/OF Cole Carrigg

Carrigg wasn’t regarded as much of a power hitter coming out of college, having only hit 7 career bombs in the hitter friendly Mountain-West Conference, though his pure exit velocities hinted he might have room for more. With that, the stock on his power has changed however, as Carrigg swatted 17 home runs last season.

The switch-hitter generates plenty of power in both of his swings, and is able to get to his power frequently thanks to his bat-to-ball skills and high fly ball rate. The jury is still out on if he can keep hitting lots of home runs in the upper levels of the minors, but Carrigg will have a great chance to prove the doubters wrong as he will likely start the season in Hartford.

#7 – OF Zac Veen

By now you know who Zac Veen is. 2020 1st round pick who has struggled with injuries throughout his professional career. You may be wondering why he’s on the power hitters list with such an inconsistent and limited track record for hitting home runs. A slugging percentage of .459 last year — with 11 home runs in just 65 games — re-affirmed the power belief in Veen, though he still struggled to stay on the field.

Veen still has plus power projection thanks to his now well-built 6-foot-3 frame and lofty swing. Veen has been injured the last few years, the biggest being a wrist injury in 2023 that sapped Veen’s power. When Veen is able to finish his swing and roll the top hand over, the power is there. Veen could be a perennial 25 homer guy and a healthy start to 2025 might help him showcase that.

#6 – 3B Kyle Karros

Karros joined the organization with a fair share of raw power in his strong 6-foot-5 frame. However, at UCLA Karros hit just 14 home runs in 142 games. Fast forward to 2024, Karros knocked 15 home runs in the pros in just 123 games. He’s not likely to be a 30 home run force as a more line drive-oriented hitter, but there’s big time impact in Karros’s bat and when he elevates the baseball, he can leave the yard to all fields with ease.

If Karros can build on the exceptional growth he showed in 2024 and take even a small step forward in 2025, the Rockies will have a special offensive prospect with easy above average power on their hands.

#5 – C Cole Messina

Selected in the 3rd round of the 2024 draft, Messina instantly slotted himself into the “catcher of the future” conversation. There is a lot of pop in his bat and that’s what will carry Messina in the pros. He was in the 90th percentile in exit velocity during his final two seasons at South Carolina. He hit more homers (38) than doubles (37) in those two years. 

There is some swing-and-miss in his game, but as he refines his plate approach, the 55-grade power should show out. We could see a 25+ homer campaign from a Colorado Rockies catcher if Messina pans out. Keep an eye on how much the power shows up in games this year with Messina likely repeating High-A Spokane.

#4 – OF Zach Kokoska

Since joining the system in 2021, Kokoska has increased his home run total each season; finishing with 20 bombs in Hartford this past year, tied for the organizational lead. He was able to increase his home run total despite spending the entire year in a pitcher-friendly league and alongside a deep group of positional players that created more of a playing time rotation.

The power is Kokoska’s carrying tool and it’s allowed him to be almost at the door of the big leagues. If he can make more contact this season, he could be playing on Blake Street soon.

Banter Session with Zach Kokoska

#3 – OF Robert Calaz

Calaz has special power–he only lands at #3 because of his youth and lack of experience in full-season minor league ball (Single-A and up). Calaz has flashed exit velocities in the 110s (seemingly as high as 113) as an 18-year-old. Find a high schooler or 2024 graduate capable of that kind of juice with wood bats. Spoiler alert, you won’t find one. That kind of power usually fosters in prospects in their early-to-mid-20s, not as a teenager.

Calaz already has plenty of juice but if he continues developing physically and adds even more usable game power, we could be talking about top tier power that rivals the game’s elite power hitters.

#2 – OF Yanquiel Fernandez

The epitome of a big power bat, Yanquiel Fernandez has cemented him as one of the most intriguing bats in all of MiLB. Only 22 years old, Fernandez has already amassed 58 home runs in his 3 seasons stateside. The large power projection stems from his smooth, powerful swing; it covers the zone for a long time, and oftentimes leads to satisfying no-doubt home runs. Fernandez often flashes similar swagger to Rockies’ legend, Carlos Gonzalez, and when you see his swing, you will see why. The future 70-grade power via Fangraphs is no joke.

There is one large problem that is preventing Fernandez from being a top 100 prospect in baseball: inconsistent plate discipline. Though Fernandez’s 19.4 K% in 2024 was respectable, he ran an alarming 38% chase rate, a number that must come down for the power to play to its potential. There’s no question that he can hit 30+ home runs in a season for the Rockies and that proposition becomes more likely with more plate discipline.

#1 – OF/3B Charlie Condon

Condon had a slow start in the pros, especially after hitting his first home run in his 2nd pro game with Spokane. For the college BBCOR (metal bat) home run record holder, you’d expect a quicker transition to the pros but you don’t delete elite power overnight. Condon still can hit a baseball close to 120 mph, making him as powerful as all but a handful of MLB players. Condon showed an impressive ability to get his A-swing off on all different pitch types in 2024 at Georgia, though we will have to see if that trend continues in the pros.

What really separates Condon in this system is his healthy flyball approach. Condon has no issues elevating hard contact and he has a 40 home run ceiling as a result.