Blake Street Banter Team | September 5, 2025

As we enter the top 30, the back of this group follows a consistent theme; they’ve all had some tarnish placed on their prospect stock. In Jackson Cox and McCade Brown, they’ve buffed off most of that tarnish while the other trio have work to do.

Prospect Honorable Mentions | Prospects 50-41 | Prospects 40 – 31

#30: C Drew Romo

The next three weeks have suddenly become some of the most important in Drew Romo’s young career. The Rockies’ former No. 2 prospect has received a September call-up, giving him another opportunity to prove himself at the big league level.

Not long ago, many expected Romo—not Hunter Goodman—to be the Rockies’ catcher of the future. Drafted straight out of high school with the 35th overall pick, Romo drew high expectations after quickly adjusting to pro ball.

One thing is certain: Romo has standout tools defensively. A natural behind the plate, he has consistently demonstrated that his glove alone is good enough for the Majors. The real question lies with his bat. As a switch-hitter, he offers some versatility, but his offensive production has dipped this year. In 60 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, Romo has posted a 73 wRC+ and seen his strikeout rate climb to nearly 26%. Romo simply lacks the polish as a pure hitter and doesn’t figure to leave the yard often; he needs to find a groove offensively.

With Hunter Goodman’s breakout and Braxton Fulford also vying for playing time, Romo’s path to a permanent roster spot is unclear. That makes it all the more crucial for him to take full advantage of every opportunity he gets down the stretch.

#29: RHP McCade Brown

Brown was entering mythical territory before this season as one of the bigger ‘what-if’ prospects in recent memory, amassing just 23.2 innings between 2023 and 2024, following a quality pro debut with Fresno in 2022. Fortunately, the 2021 3rd rounder is back with a vengeance, having dominated Spokane for 9 starts before reaching Double-A and blazing his way to the big leagues.

Brown hails from Indiana University where he established himself as a premier power arm, touching 97 with his heater and throwing a pair of nasty breaking balls. He has had to take some off his stuff to stay healthy and throw enough strikes but the present stuff is still quality and Brown has fully harnessed his athleticism now, throwing enough strikes to hang in a starting role.

Brown’s health and fringey command strongly suggest he may be destined for an MLB bullpen role versus a starting rotation, but the Rockies will likely take the rest of 2025 slow with Brown and give him a chance to start in 2026.

#28: RHP Jackson Cox

Much like Brown, Cox was on the shelf for some time and became a question mark, missing the back half of 2023 and all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Now healthy, Cox is showing why the Rockies broke rank and took a high school pitcher with their 2022 2nd round pick, signing him for nearly $2 million.

With Fresno, the now 21-year-old has a rock solid 3.31 ERA with a strikeout rate approaching 30% and just a meager 7% walk rate. For an arm with such limited experience, the results are highly encouraging and demonstrate the high talent level present. When drafted, Cox possessed a low-to-mid 90s fastball that could touch 96 with the selling point being a hammer curveball with the look of an MLB weapon. That curveball is slicing down Single-A hitters and should get Cox up the minor league ladder.

As with most pitchers coming off Tommy John, the Rockies will likely play it slow with their former HS draft pick. Expect Cox to work in Spokane next year with a chance to quickly jump to Hartford and put himself on the big league radar.

#27: LHP Luichi Casilla

Ranked as BSB’s #21 preseason prospect, Casilla has missed the entire 2025 season due to arm surgery. Before the injury, the lefty had an electric 2024 campaign where he struck out 33% of batters 36 innings for the ACL Rockies. 

The first thing you notice about Casilla is how hard he throws. He was sitting 97-99 before his injury, and was consistently hitting triple digits. While velocity is not always a guarantee after an arm surgery, his efficient mechanics paired with his long-levered frame makes his pitch speed projectable regardless. Casilla’s curveball also has plus shape, and when paired with his fastball they created a devastating one-two punch. His 2024 campaign also saw a nearly 17% walk rate, so command could definitely be approved upon. The Rockies will continue to use him as a starter, but his stuff can slot him as a late-inning MLB reliever before long.

#26: RHP Jordy Vargas

Vargas was once a pitching jewel in an otherwise shallow system when it came to starting pitching following an incredible 7 game stint in the Arizona Complex League back in 2022 where Vargas was as good as a pitcher can be, dropping a 2.36 ERA with 40 strikeouts to just 4 walks. Vargas built on that success early in 2023 with a 4.22 ERA as a 19-year-old in Single-A Fresno before requiring Tommy John surgery which held him out all of 2024 and into the start of 2025.

Since returning, Vargas has struggled with feel and is clearly trying to find a comfort zone in his return from surgery. Between Spokane and the ACL, Vargas has a 7.18 ERA with a concerning 16.3 BB%, though he is still missing bats at a stellar 28.1% rate. Vargas sits 92-94 with his fastball and has an advanced breaking ball, given his limited pro pitching experience. The Dominican-born Vargas has also flashed above average command, giving him a very high ceiling, though with him still struggling to rediscover his form, Vargas may never reach that MLB rotation ceiling and is a bit of a question mark going forward.

Vargas will likely resume next season in High-A where every start will strongly define the outlook of his career.