July 11, 2026 | Tyler Paddor
Well it’s my favorite time of the year. As the draft rolls on, each pick will be added to the below breakdown with as much detail as your heart could possibly desire. Check back on Monday for the full and complete version.
Preface
Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes will be running the show for the first time and hold a pivotal trio of top-40 selections. Making good use of these resources is absolutely essential for the club to continue on an upward trajectory into the late 2020s.
Subsequently, while I imagine this being a balanced draft in terms of risk and safety, safety will likely be prioritized early. The club figures to take at least two collegiate prospects through Pick #38 (their third selection), players which could impact the MLB club as soon as late next season.
In terms of the top round prospects, this drafts strength lie in the following ways:
- Early Round 1 collegiate hitters
- Late Round 1-to-early Round 2 prep hitters and pitchers
- Late Round 1-to-Round 3 collegiate pitchers
- Round 2-to-Round 5 collegiate hitting
This is one of the stronger recent classes for collegiate hitting with a really strong crop of hitters set to be available into round 5, though the top of round 1 is as balanced as it’s ever been with a half-dozen offensive prospects all tightly packed into a tier 2. That list includes Tyler Bell, Drew Burress, Derek Curiel, Chris Hacopian, AJ Gracia, and Ryder Helfrick. Players like Justin Lebron, Ace Reese, and Sawyer Strosnider aren’t far off the trail either.
In terms of collegiate pitching, it’s a ripe crop for the Rockies between picks 37 and 76 with simply too many possible late 1st rounders to possibly fit in the draft’s first 36 picks. Names like Cole Carlon, Tegan Kuhns, Cade Townsend, Jack Radel, Mason Edwards, Logan Reddemann, and Taylor Rabe all candidates to slip to picks 37 and 38 and all of whom project as legit mid rotation starters.
The prep hitting group is also strong with Bo Lowrance, Cole Prosek, Tyler Spangler, Aiden Ruiz, Landon Thome, Taj Marchand, and Rocco Maniscalco, among others, all standing as prospects who could have a taker in the top 30 but project to be in play for the Rockies early.
Their pitching counterparts include Coleman Borthwick, Logan Schmidt, Carson Bolemon, Brody Bumila (unfortunately underwent elbow surgery recently), and Jensen Hirschkorn, among others, are all high quality arms in range of the Rockies pick.
Without further ado, let’s get into the picks:
Round 1, Pick #10 – Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
2026 Stats: 41 G/194 PA, .343/.510/.608 (1.119 OPS), 9 HR, 30 BB/36 K
Bell was who I predicted the Rockies to take and the board ended up affording the Rockies the opportunity. Switch hitting athletic shortstops do not grow on trees and as a draft-eligible sophomore, Bell and his mere 97 games of NCAA action hasn’t had the reps of his first round counterparts and presumably extra room to develop.
Previously drafted by the Rays in 2024, Bell decided on attending the University of Kentucky knowing he had extra leverage as a future draft-eligible sophomore. Bell made huge strides from his freshman year, seeing his OPS jump from .907 to a stellar 1.119 backed by all the under the hood statistical improvements. A shoulder injury forced Bell to miss the early portion of the season so his numbers didn’t get any non-conference inflation.
Diving under the hood, Bell’s calling card is a premier feel for the strike zone; his 14.6 chase% was better than all early round prospects — and by a fair margin — with Vahn Lackey’s 17.1% the next closest. It had already become evident that the Rockies wanted to invest in better swing decisions and this pick strongly affirms that swing decisions and quality plate discipline will be a high priority characteristic. Bell didn’t walk at an overly high rate considering his elite chase rate at a 15.4% mark, but Bell pulled the trigger against hittable pitches in hitters counts.
Bell’s bat to ball skills are average with a 74.3 contact rate & 81.7 zone contact rate. A step of progression would serve Bell well and elevate his ceiling into a true game wrecker. Bell’s power is also only average with a 105.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocity but with a projectable frame, Bell should impact the ball a bit more in the future, setting him up for realistic 25 home run pop. Further, 36.5% of Bell’s batted balls had a launch angle of 10-30 degrees — versus a 30% average NCAA wide — which is the range for line drives and well hit fly balls and a requisite for power production.
However, an analysis of both swings is necessary to provide the complete picture. Bell is capable from both sides of the plate but is hit-over-power from the right side with much better contact rates from the right side but a more line drive oriented approach. From the left side, Bell mashes but swings and misses a fair bit more.
| Contact% | 90th% EV | OPS | |
| LHH | 71.8% | 105.6 mph | 1.001 |
| RHH | 80% | 104 mph | 1.367 |
In terms of pitch types, an analysis from both sides of the plate is also necessary.
Tyler Bell – RHH
| Contact% | 90th% EV | OPS | |
| Fastballs | 84.6% | 105.3 | 1.479 |
| Breaking Balls | 55.6% | 101 | 1.085 |
| Offspeed | 93.3% | 99.3 | 1.367 |
Tyler Bell – LHH
| | Contact% | 90th% EV | OPS |
| Fastballs | 82.4% | 106 | 1.107 |
| Breaking Balls | 56.4% | 105.6 | .891 |
| Offspeed | 62.5% | 96.3 | .675 |
Clearly, Bell hits and sees fastballs well but there are ups and downs against secondaries from each side, though it’s worth noting these are not the largest of samples.
Overall, on the offensive side, Bell has some of the bests swing decisions to grace the Rockies organization and should easily walk 12-16% in the minors and hopefully carry that rate up the ladder. The power is already there and Bell should hit 20 homers a season on the lower end and possibly 30 if he continues to grow and refine his overall game. Clearly, there are imperfections to Bell’s game but draft-eligible sophomores are never close to a finished product.
Bell is a premium athlete, especially for his size and skill level. There is quality range at shortstop, excellent body control, and a loose arm that can throw from a lot of different slots. Bell will remain comfortably average or better as a shortstop defender. As a runner, Bell gets up the line with 4.15-4.2 second times which line up with plus speed. Bell didn’t steal a ton of bags for the Wildcats with 21 in his career, though the expectation should be 20-30 steals per season in a pro season.
In total, Bell brings a complete game with some of the best swing decisions available in this class. It’s not often you find an athletic shortstop with elite swing decisions, projection, and average feel for contact.
My Scouting Grades:
| – | Hit | Power | Run | Field | Arm |
| Present | 55 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 50 |
| Future | 55/60 | 55/60 | 50/55 | 50/55 | 50/55 |
Competitive Balance Round A, Pick #37 – Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
2026 Stats: .379/.473/.803 (1.276 OPS), 32 HR, 26 SB, 44 BB/64 K
Jackson had a wild and uncanny season for the Bulldogs, reminiscent of Rockies 2024 top pick Charlie Condon. Jackson stole a notable 26 bags as a catcher and slugged 32 homers which paved the way to a Golden Spikes Award win.
Jackson’s power plays. His 107.8 mph 90th percentile EV gives him easy plus raw power and a mere 31.9 ground ball rate and lofty swing enable that power to play and Jackson should have no problem being one of the best home run hitters in minor league baseball. Jackson’s power and approach play to all fields with around 20 of his home runs going out to dead center or opposite field. Jackson slaughters pitches up in the zone — similar to Bell — which fits the modern hitter profile.
As a hitter, Jackson’s 72.3 contact rate is below average but his 17.7 chase rate is one of the better marks among power conference players and starts to compile an early theme in this draft class: collect disciplined hitters. Pairing plus swing decisions with plus power creates an excellent floor for a hitter. With workable bat to ball skills, there is a strong offensive profile.
Jackson crushes all pitch types with a 1.344 OPS against fastballs, 1.137 OPS against breaking balls, and a 1.423 OPS against offspeed pitches. It’s the total package for a high octane middle of the lineup hitter.
On the bases, Jackson has some wheels, it’s not just basestealing instincts. Out of the righty batter’s box, Jackson gets up the line around 4.25-4.30 which equates to average pure speed, a box you don’t expect to check with a plus power hitting catcher.
Behind the dish, Jackson is a quality receiver who fishes pitches below the zone into strikes far more often than most backstops. Jackson’s blocking leaves some to be desired, he can be reluctant to use his body. As a thrower, Jackson’s arm is strong and accurate but his exchanges are not overly fast. The defensive upside with Jackson is real; he’s a plus athlete by catcher standards but polish is absolutely necessary.
If Jackson takes a small step defensively, he’ll profile as a primary catcher but his bat has the tools to warrant a spot in the lineup either way.
My Scouting Grades:
| – | Hit | Power | Run | Field | Arm |
| Present | 50 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
| Future | 50/55 | 60/70 | 50/45 | 50/55 | 55 |
Round 2, Pick #38 – Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA
2026 Stats: 10 GS, 59.2 IP, 2.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 11 BB/84 K
Reddemann objectively would have been a first round pick had his season not been dampened by arm fatigue. The California native started his career at San Diego before playing his draft eligible year at UCLA where his stuff ticked up without sacrificing his patented command. With the Rockies in need of pitching at all levels, Reddemann is a welcome sight as Paul DePodesta tries to turn the pitching ship around.
Reddemann walked just 11 hitters in 59.2 innings this year, showing just how quality his command and control are. Reddemann’s 67.2 strike percentage is well above average and checks an important box for Coors Field.
Reddemann’s fastball is by far his best offering, sitting 94-97, capable of hitting 99 with quality life. Reddemann pounds the top of the zone with it and can hit the edges early in counts to control at bats. The heater had just a .505 OPS against it and missed bats at a quality 26.2% rate. A changeup represents Reddemann’s second pitch. It’s an 83-86 mph offspeed that tunnels hard with his fastball but with a ~9 mph drop and 12 extra inches of drop. The changeup missed bats at a 42.3% clip, a well above average mark for an offspeed pitch.
Reddemann also throws a curveball and changeup, though neither has been fully established in his arsenal; the slider has only been moderately effective though with upper-80s velocity it has potential and the curveball has big drop.
The pitchability here is uncommon especially to be paired with two above average pitches and easy mid-90s velocity. One of the few concerns here is durability as Reddemann has barely eclipsed 100 innings combined across the last two NCAA seasons. Health prevailing, Reddemann looks like a surefire #3 starter and immediately becomes the Rockies best pitching prospect.
My Scouting Grades:
| – | Fastball | Slider | Changeup | Curveball | Command |
| Present | 55 | 50 | 55 | 45 | 60 |
| Future | 55/60 | 50/55 | 55/55 | 50/55 | 60 |
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