Tyler Paddor, Luke Wortman, Isaac Stevens, Louis Taggart, Aaron McBride | March 7, 2025

We’re now well within the top 30 prospects in the system and we focus our attention on a handful of prospects today with power at the center of their game–excluding Ashly Andujar. Players like Cole Messina and Seth Halvorsen are as powerful at their respective position as they come across pro baseball.

Full List of Prospects Rankings
Honorable Mentions | Prospects 36-40 | Prospects 31-35 | Prospects 30-26

Prospects 25-21

• #25 – LHP Luis Peralta
• #24 – SS Ashly Andujar
• #23 – C Cole Messina
• #22 – RHP Seth Halvorsen
• #21 – LHP Luichi Casilla

#25 – LHP Luis Peralta

Brother of Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta, the Rockies left-handed Peralta had a breakout 2024. Originally signed by the Pirates out of the Dominican Republic in 2017, Peralta has had an interesting progression through baseball. In 2023, Peralta spent all season in Single-A, and posted a 4.96 ERA. In 2024, a flip got switched and he became unhittable. Peralta even had the 4th lowest ERA in all of MiLB at 0.94 (across 47.2 IP).

The Rockies were thrilled to be able to pick up such a talented and momentous arm in exchange for LHP Jalen Beeks at the trade deadline. After a late August call-up to the Rockies, Peralta impressed right away. In 12.1 IP, he had a crazy 0.73 ERA.

A lot of Peralta’s success can be attributed to his execution and power. He only offers two pitches, but they balance each other out perfectly, especially in Colorado. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, but he can ramp it up to the upper-90s when needed. MLB competition could not figure out Peralta’s fastball, hitting just .161 batting average against the heater.

Peralta’s second pitch is his sweeping curveball. It has the same tunnel as his fastball, meaning it looks the same out of the hand. It floats across the zone like a sweeper, and has a steep drop last second, inducing whiffs at a high level. Peralta looks to add onto his amazing 2024 with a full season in MLB, looking to see late innings. – Isaac Stevens

#24 – SS Ashly Andujar

It’s been a common trend the last couple of years with the Rockies signing uber-athletic and highly skilled shortstops and Ashly Andujar continues that trend. Across 51 games in the DSL, Andujar batted .291 while stealing 17 bases, showing early that his leadoff batter characteristics are legit.

Andujar racked up a good number of hits thanks to an athletic lefty swing that stays in the zone, while making enough contact to limit his strikeout percentage to just 13.5%. Andujar is a switch-hitter now but is much more advanced from the left-side. On top of his natural hit tool, Andujar is also one of the fastest players in the organization and also boasts advanced fielding skills in the middle infield with a strong chance to stick at shortstop. 

Standing at a slim 6-foot-1, 163 pound frame, Andujar may not have the strongest build quite yet, but with quality plate discipline and the ability to keep the ball in play, Andujar could be a breakout candidate if he can fill out and add strength. All the tools are there for Andujar to be a top 10 prospect in the organization, it’s now a matter of putting the pieces all together. He will likely repeat the DSL and develop his game even more in 2025 as Andujar won’t turn 18 until late this season. – Isaac Stevens

#23 – C Cole Messina

Messina was scooped up with the 77th overall pick this past July as a masher at the plate and team leader behind the dish. Messina hit 21 homers as South Carolina’s starting catcher and also drew an impressive 50 walks in 59 games. Much like other Rockies 2024 draftees, Messina has a strong track record for putting the ball in the air. Mixed with his huge pop, there’s a chance for 20 or more home runs here which is substantial for a true catcher.

There is some swing and miss here and Messina has the typical below average speed for a catcher but he makes up for it defensively. Messina is a pitching whisperer & motivator, quality framer, and features an above average arm. With another year of pro development, Messina could end up the best young defensive catcher in the organization.

If Messina can get his power to show up consistently in-game, he has the upside to be a primary backstop at the big league level. He’ll likely get a chance to showcase that ability in Spokane as Messina looks to prove his slow 2024 pro debut was the product of a quick transition into a difficult hitting environment. – Tyler Paddor

#22 – RHP Seth Halvorsen

The future of the overall Rockies bullpen looks bright, but Halvorsen is the best of the rising bunch. He’s a power reliever, a type of player the Rockies have coveted. Halvorsen’s running fastball sits in the triple digits, and it is the pitch he relies on most to get crucial outs. He pairs the fastball with a mid-80s splitter/changeup that works well with his fastball to lefties. The Tennessee product uses a tight power slider with quality vertical depth. When all his pitches are on, Halvorsen is unstoppable.

Last season, he got his first taste of MLB action, recording a 1.46 ERA in a short 12.1 inning stint. In Spring Training, he’s been nothing short of phenomenal. He is holding his velocity from last year–touching 102–and has made it clear he will be a bright spot for the Rockies in 2025 and beyond. – Louis Taggart

#21 – LHP Luichi Casilla

Signing for only $160K dollars out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, lefty Luichi Casilla went relatively unnoticed to begin his professional career. After boasting a 2.56 ERA across 63.1 IP in two seasons in the DSL, he began to gain leverage as a prospect. When Casilla made his stateside debut in 2024 for the ACL Rockies, he began to light up radar guns with fastballs as high as 100 MPH. That led him to strikeout 14.3 batters per nine, the second highest margin in the ACL (min. 30 IP). However with a BB/9 of 7.00, Casilla struggled to limit runs and produced an undesirable 7.00 ERA.

Casilla’s calling card is his elite velocity, and that can be credited to his athletic delivery where he glides down the mound and blows the ball past batters. His high-90s fastball ranked 2nd in Blake Street Banter’s fastball rankings, and his devastating curveball ranked 7th in BSB’s secondary pitch rankings.

Both Casilla’s fastball and curveball have the potential to be elite with more refinement. As Casilla continues to progress, his command is the only thing stopping him from reaching a single digit ranking. He struggled to find the zone all of last season, and that shouldn’t be brushed over. Though when Casilla was able to find the zone, he was simply unhittable and carries premier upside as a result. 2025 will be an exciting season for Casilla, as he looks to carry his success over to Single-A Fresno.

Tomorrow we will break into the top 20 prospects in the BSB Top 40 Prospects list. Thanks for coming along for the ride so far!