Rockies’ farm director Zach Wilson says all of the club’s representatives on the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League are living up to their billing as the potential future of the franchise.
Pitchers Ryan Castellani, Mitch Horacek, Justin Lawrence and Jesus Tinoco as well as infielder Josh Fuentes, infielder Tyler Nevin and outfielder Sam Hilliard are Colorado’s seven players in the league, which showcases the top prospects in minor league baseball. Nevin, 21, was a late addition to the River Rafters’ roster after taking the place of infielder Brendan Rodgers, who was held out this fall for precautionary reasons related to shoulder tightness.
Nevin leads the River Rafters with a .421 average (8-for-19) which is second in the league, trailing only the .485 posted by Blue Jays’ phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Nevin has seven RBIs and a .500 on-base percentage.
“Tyler was on the short list of guys to potentially go to the AFL anyway, and when Brendan had that minor shoulder issue creep up right at the end of the year, it made it an easy decision to backfill with Tyler,” Wilson said. “He’s gone there and he’s performed, and not to the surprise of any of us after he had a very strong year in the Cal League (in Class-A Advanced).”
Colorado’s front office placed a high emphasis on the development of Nevin’s defensive versatility. After making the majority of his starts at first base for Lancaster this season, the natural third baseman continued his “position addition, not position change” by playing first base in the Arizona Fall League.
Fuentes, also a third baseman, has also seen time at first and second this fall while hitting .242 with a team-leading 15 total bases. It’s the latest indication that the undrafted Fuentes, the 2018 Pacific Coast League MVP, is on track to make himself known as a player who’s much more than ‘s cousin.
“In our minds, he’s a big-league player,” Wilson said. “When and how all of that happens, I don’t know. Time will tell. But he’s proven time and time again through his work, through his efforts with the coaching staff, that he’s a major leaguer.”
On the pitching side, Tinoco also finds himself adapting to a new role. The right-hander, with an arsenal complete with a plus-fastball, a slider, a curve, and a change, has posted a 2.45 ERA in seven-plus innings out of the River Rafters’ bullpen.
“This is pretty much of the very first time he’s pitched out of the bullpen, much like we did with last year in the fall league after being a starter in the minors all season,” Wilson said. “I’m not going to say that Jesus Tinoco is a bullpen arm, but he’s performed well in this role. He’s been throwing a ton of strikes and he’s attacking the zone aggressively with three, really four different pitches.”
Lawrence, a right-handed sidearmer with a 4.50 ERA skewed by a poor initial appearance, has also made a solid impression. The 23-year-old throws 97-99 mph on his fastball and pairs that with an 87-90 mph slider.
“He’s learning some lessons in the fall league, and he’s improving through those lessons, but he’s also showing he’s a guy who can hopefully impact us at some point over the next couple years at the big league level,” Wilson said. “You don’t come across a (high-velocity sidearmer) like him every day.”
Wilson said he’s also pleased with the progression of Castellani, Horacek and the 24-year-old right fielder Hilliard, who’s batting .296 (8-for-27) with a dozen total bases.
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