Cooper Hearne | February 10, 2026 | @coopanza

Cover image from Roberto Salas IG: @robertoo_salas

With Spring Training just around the corner, it is almost time to embark upon the 2026 Rockies season. Players will return soon from their offseason programs, refreshed, improved, and ready to see what new heights they can take their performances to this year.

The MLB, due to its vast minor league system, contains a treasure trove of players’ hopes, dreams, and storylines each year. More than 150 prospects from up and down the Rockies’ minor league system are looking to take their games to the next level and continue their journey toward the major leagues.

Here at BSB we excitedly await this new chapter and have identified several prospects that seem especially primed for breakout seasons. Seasons in which they could: make a name for themselves, solidify their bright trajectory, knock on the door of the majors, or even reach the pinnacle and join the team at 20^th and Blake. In this series we will highlight players in those four categories, and why we feel they are set take big leaps forward this year. 

Ready to Make a Name for Themselves

In the first tier of breakout players, we have selected a group of four guys who are looking to make a name for themselves in the Rockies’ system. These are players who have either excelled in the Dominican Summer League or in college, but have not had much, if any, time in A ball.

While they are highly thought of by the Rockies’ brass and are on the radar of the most tuned-in fans, this year they are poised to more widely make a name for themselves as standouts to be hopeful for in the organization’s future.

OF Alessander De La Cruz

The first prospect we identified who is ready to breakout this year is Alessander De La Cruz. At the age of 20, the German-born outfielder is entering his fourth season in the Rockies system, having spent two years in the Dominican Summer League and last year in the Arizona Complex League. His second year in the DSL was his biggest standout performance, having slashed .318/.406/.542 with 7 HR and 13 SB in 48 games.

Moving stateside to the Arizona Complex League is always a big test, and while his numbers last season were not eye-popping, he finished with a solid .776 OPS, which was 4^th on the team amongst players with at least 100 at bats. This season he will presumably begin the year with the Fresno Grizzlies and will have a chance to show what he can do in A ball.

De La Cruz is known for having some of the best raw power and bat speed in the Rockies’ system, and if he can make some adjustments to his swing and elevate the ball more, he could really make a name for himself as an up-and-coming talent in the low minors.

OF Cristian Arguelles

Next, we turn our attention to one of the hottest young prospects in the Rockies organization, outfielder Cristian Arguelles. For those baseball sickos like us who follow the lowest levels of the minors, Arguelles was one of the biggest head-turners of last year.

In his second year in the Dominican Summer League, the left-handed Venezuelan outfielder burst onto the scene with an incredible season. In the sprawling DSL that contains 52 teams, Arguelles led the entire league with a 1.180 OPS, and helped lead the DSL Rockies to the best record in the league (42-14).

He showed some pop in his bat with 27 XBH in 52 games, including 5 HR’s, and displayed some speed potential with 6 steals, after posting 11 the year before. He also walked more than he struck out, posting an incredibly low 11% K-rate and a very solid 14% BB-rate. 

Arguelles will still only be 18 years old when the 2026 season begins, but he could be positioned for a quick rise, à la Roldy Brito in 2025. We expect him to begin the year in the Arizona Complex League, and if he performs well there, to join the low-A Fresno Grizzlies for the back half of the year. This could be the year that Arguelles rockets up MLB prospect rankings and firmly makes a name for himself amongst the Rockies faithful. 

RHP Roberto Salas

Another head-turner in the DSL last year was Arguelles’ teammate, Roberto Salas. A right-handed pitcher from Mexico, Salas absolutely dominated the competition last year, posting a 0.25 ERA (not a typo), a 0.627 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts to only 3 walks for an incredible 13.67 K/BB ratio.

What makes his season even more impressive was that he was only 17 years old, a year and a half younger than the league average. While the sample size is relatively small – only 9 games and 36.2 innings pitched – the sheer dominance is enough to get Rockies fans excited.

We look forward to seeing what Salas can do this year, presumably starting stateside in the Arizona Complex League. Another strong season will have him shooting up prospect lists and fully making a name for himself in the Rockies’ system.

1B Tanner Thach

Our final pick for a player due to breakout and make a name for themselves this year is 2025 8^th round pick, Tanner Thach. If you are looking for a pure “slugger” to get excited about, Thach may be your guy.

The 6-foot-4, 225 lb. first baseman has a powerful and compact lefty swing that is designed to send baseballs a long way. He became the all-time leader in home runs at UNC Wilmington with 54, including 27 long balls in his sophomore season alone. While his power numbers regressed in his final year in college with only 12 HR’s, he still hit for good contact with a .325 AVG and a .947 OPS, while cutting his K rate from 19% to 15%.

After being drafted, he debuted for the Rockies with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies, where in 18 games he slashed .279/.375/.397. His OPS of .772 was 5^th on the team amongst players with at least 65 at bats. While his K rate was a little high at 24%, that is not uncommon for players as they make their first jump into professional baseball.

We believe this year Thach will hone his chase rate, while still being a prodigious power threat. Whether he starts the year in Fresno again, or up a level in High-A Spokane, Thach has the potential to tear up the low minors this season.

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Next Edition: Breakout Picks to Establish Their Trajectory

Written by Cooper Hearne.