Tyler Paddor, Luke Wortman, Isaac Stevens, Louis Taggart, Aaron McBride | March 9, 2025

The Rockies have not received maximum return on investment from recent top draft picks, though there’s still plenty of sand in the hourglass for players like Drew Romo, Sterlin Thompson, and Gabriel Hughes, while Jared Thomas’s time is just getting started.

The 15-11 crop of Rockies prospects is loaded with draft pedigree and expected big league contributors.

Full List of Prospects Rankings
Honorable Mentions | Prospects 36-40 | Prospects 31-35 | Prospects 30-26
Prospects 21 – 25 | Prospects 16-20

#15 – OF Sterlin Thompson

Thompson is the Trevor Story comp pick, having been selected in the 2022 draft after Story departed via free agency. While Thompson’s progress stalled in 2024, he has been one of the more promising offensive prospects in the system since entering the organization, performing above the league average at every stop where he’s recorded 100 or more plate appearances.

Thompson’s production appeared to falter in 2024 with a .704 OPS, however, this was above average for the pitcher-haven Eastern League (103 wRC+). While Thompson’s production is still expected to come in at a higher rate, 2024 can hardly be viewed as a negative. Thompson’s game is predicated on a lot of solid contact. He is capable of crushing the baseball with higher end exit velocities but is primarily a line drive hitter and won’t leave the yard more than 15 or so times a year. Thompson does not strikeout much and draws an average share of walks.

Thompson is the poster child hitter for the Pacific Coast League (Triple-A Albuquerque’s home). With several high altitude hitting parks in the PCL, Thompson’s high contact and high impact approach seems destined for a mid .300s batting average. – Tyler Paddor

#14 – SS Ryan Ritter

Ryan Ritter has been the most consistent player in the whole Rockies organization the last two seasons. The 23-year-old shortstop from Kentucky was drafted because of his stellar defense at shortstop. His profile came with some pop, but overall no one expected much from his offensive game. Last season saw Ritter face a full season of Double-A action, one of the toughest jumps in MiLB.

He used this season as a launching pad to prove he would be an MLB worthy player. With the glove, he was as smooth as ever and with the bat, he garnered a wRC+ of 126 whilst bringing his K% down 5 points. Ritter definitely has holes with his offensive game, one of them being his plate discipline, but because of his premier defense at a valuable position, the level he has to get with the bat to become an effective MLB player isn’t as high as other prospects. Expect to see Ritter in Albuquerque this season and potentially getting the called up to the big leagues later in the year, if the Rockies need infield depth.

Ritter’s future role is not set in stone with Ezequiel Tovar blocking him at shortstop but he will inevitably get more opportunity at second and third base to diversify his big league opportunities. – Louis Taggart

#13 – RHP Gabriel Hughes

Hughes has had a rocky pro career in the wake of his 10th overall selection in 2022, struggling to a 6.21 ERA in 14 starts in 2023 before Tommy John surgery struck the talented right-hander, depriving him of a 2024 campaign. Hughes has been on the shelf from MiLB play for over a season and a half and will need to get back on track as a top 10 pick. 

While Hughes’s prospect stock has some fatigue on it, it’s wise not to undervalue him. Prior to his elbow injury, Hughes flashed a mid-90s fastball that plays up thanks to 7-feet extension to home plate. He also has a manipulatable slider–though he may try and make it more consistently like a breaking ball rather than a cutter–and a changeup that has shown promise. Hughes has some effort in his delivery but matches it with the strength to locate his arsenal with some consistency, though finding better feel for pitching will be the key for Hughes to ascend into an MLB rotation.

The Rockies will play it slow with Hughes and keep stress off his arm as he builds back up from Tommy John. Expect him to be at the top of Hartford’s rotation as Hughes auditions for the 40-man roster later this season. – Luke Wortman

#12 – OF Jared Thomas

Drafted out of the University of Texas in the 2nd round this past July, Thomas was a sneaky upside pick for the Rockies. A draft-eligible sophomore going into the 2024 Draft, Thomas is far from a finished product with his game evolving tremendously from his freshman to sophomore year and a similar jump possible in 2025.

Thomas hit the ground running in his short pro debut clubbing 2 homers as part of his 11 hits in just 8 games. Standing a slender 6-foot-2, Thomas has room to grow into his frame and should hit for even more power going forward. As of now, Thomas already excels at making line drive and fly ball contact; with a little more oomph behind his swings, we could be looking at a 5-tool player with 25 homer pop. Speaking of 5-tools, Thomas is an above average runner with quality baserunning instincts and plays a quality outfield with his above average arm.

Thomas has to prove himself against slower, steeper curveballs but his ability to crush higher velo fastballs makes up for that potential curveball weakness. Expect Thomas to jump up to High-A Spokane in his second stint of pro ball. – Tyler Paddor

#11 – C Drew Romo

Romo may not be the household name everyone used to talk about, but he still has a chance to go down as the best Rockies catcher ever. There is no secret that Romo is a defense-first catcher. He blends a strong arm behind the plate with good framing and blocking technique, making him one of the most sound defensive catching prospects in the game. These skills alone will keep him in the MLB for years to come, but the bat will make or break his career.

As already established, Romo is defensively ready to play at the highest level, but his bat is severely lagging behind in development. Last season, his baseline stats in Triple-A looked outstanding, but underneath the hood were definitely some clear problems. His slash line of .297/.339/.499 in Albuquerque last season looks great to the untrained eye, but that only amounted to a 104 wRC+ in the hitter friendly PCL or 4% above the league average, not quite the expected production for a top prospect.

When Romo was called up late last season, he struggled to look comfortable, posting an abysmal .176/.208/.235 slash line with a 34% strikeout rate in his short time. Some of the concerns around Romo’s bad stem from well above average chase rates and a roughly average feel for contact; without more power, his pure hitting ability needs to shine through.

Romo’s short time in the big leagues was valuable, as he knows what to work on when he inevitably starts this season in Triple-A. Romo is a forgotten piece of the Rockies farm system, but can easily make a huge impact for years to come. – Louis Taggart