DENVER – The Rockies’ Double-A Hartford club, which opens the Eastern League Northern Division Championship Series tonight at Reading, is a true player development success story – a roster that progressed dramatically beyond Opening Day expectations.
“I didn’t feel great about it,” Rockies senior player development director Chris Forbes said. “Some guys who were hoping for some bounceback years, and I just didn’t know where the offense was going to come from. Some guys had repeated that level and really struggled and I never want to dive into hope as a strategy.”
The current Rockies MLB Pipeline Top 30 has five Yard Goats, and two others who began the year at that level and were promoted. Yet, others achieved enough to have their prospect statuses get a new look – or, more importantly, put themselves on the Major League radar. And this team is full of absorbing stories.
ROLLING DESPITE PROMOTIONS: Second baseman Roc Riggio (No. 12) and catcher Bryant Betancourt (No. 27) – key players in the first half – were promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque, as were pitchers Jack Mahoney and Jake Brooks. But some whose backstories include the phrase it has taken awhile emerged:
“With [No. 1/ MLB Pipeline No. 24] Ethan Holliday hurt, Andy is the best defensive shortstop in the organization,” Forbes said.
• OF GJ Hill: After not breaking .233 in April or May, Hill – son of former Rockies first-base coach and Albuquerque manager Glenallen Hill – took in adjustments offered by Rockies Minor League hitting coordinator Nic Wilson and hit .290 in June and .322 in July to rekindle his progress.
• 3B Dyan Jorge: After a combined 54 steals over the past two seasons at High-A Spokane and Hartford, Jorge has 56 steals this year at Hartford.
• OF Jared Thomas (No. 10): It wasn’t slow development, but a long recovery from hamate surgery after last year’s Arizona Fall League. In 28 games with Hartford, Thomas – a second-round pick in 2024, is at .270 with four homers and 15 RBIs with comfort increasing.
• LHP Stu Flesland III: A product of the previous front office’s emphasis on seeking unusual pitching motions in the MLB Draft (11th round, 2023, University of Washington), Flesland, whose handlebar mustache attracts eyes, is averaging 7.71 strikeouts per nine innings this year (Spokane, Hartford and briefly Albuquerque) with a 91-92 mph fastball that sometimes pops in at 94.
“Even on your worst night, deception plays at Coors Field,” Forbes said.
O’Dowd’s Double-A numbers (.254, .767 OPS) aren’t as otherworldly as at the lower levels, but Forbes said he has the tools to find his way.
“He’s held up great – Jack comes from a high-IQ background and you add in his ability,” Forbes said. “He knows how guys are attacking him with the plate. He knows what he needs to work on.”
“We’re in uncharted territory,” Forbes said. “There’s been a little bit of trial and error with that naturally, but you know I’m obviously excited to see him in uniform every day.”
Righty Connor Staine (7-3, 4.60 ERA) will start Tuesday night’s opener, with righty Jackson Cox (combined 6-5, 4.25 ERA at Spokane and Hartford) set for Thursday and Flesland scheduled for Friday. Games 2 and 3 are at home. No. 17 lefty Konner Eaton (5-3, 4.46 ERA), last year’s Rockies Minor League pitcher of the year, also has had a solid season.
“We challenged all of them, and they ended up helping us make a playoff run,” Forbes said.
An organization trying to end a losing rut needs to celebrate winning during development. Hartford manager Robinson Cancel, a former Major League catcher, has a reputation for teaching and communicating, and he managed Spokane to the 2024 Northwest League title.
Teaching nuances and forging a clubhouse atmosphere have been among Cancel’s strengths.
“I always like to look at how the clubhouse is functioning, and it’s a good blend of humans who have gone through their trials,” Forbes said.