1. Jhoulys Chacin, P – Chacin is a groundball machine, which makes him a perfect fit in Colorado. He’s didn’t look very well in his brief call up last year. I think he’ll see some rotation time this year, but will benefit by starting the season in Triple A.
2. Tyler Matzek, P – Matzek is ranked high purely on potential. He has four pitches that will be at least average. He’s got control issues, but he’s young and can fly through the organization once he gets control. He could be a 2-3 starter.
3. Christian Friedrich, P – Friedrich has been perfect since he was projected as an early first round pick and drop to the bottom of the round in 2008. He’s got four good pitches, led by an incredible curve. To move to the next level, he’ll need to fine tune his command. I expect him to be another 2-3 starter.
4. Rex Brothers, P – Brothers is another solid pitcher. There are concerns with having more than 2 pitches and his endurance. At this point, he looks like a solid bullpen arm; worst case scenario is a LOOGY.
5. Juan Nicasio, P – Nicasio has a great arm, which he showed during his stay in Asheville. He was old for the level, so he’ll need to move up quickly to get on track. I expect him to be a back of the rotation starter.
6. Esmil Rogers, P – Another live arm. He saw 4 innings with Colorado last year; he didn’t do horrible, but his Triple A numbers were. He’ll need to work on stretching out more (he average 6.1 innings in Double A), or he may move to the bullpen.
7. Eric Young Jr, 2B – Young is still raw at second base; he’s got to work on his defense. He’s got great speed though, and isn’t afraid to steal a base. He’s seen a little time in the outfield, but probably won’t be able to crack the Rockies line up there. He’s probably going to be up in Denver this year.
8. Wilin Rosario, C – Many see Rosario’s 2009 as a disappointment, but you have to remember that he was young for his level. He’ll probably repeat and hopefully improve. He’ll need to work on both offense and defense to elevate his game.
9. Sam Deduno, P – Deduno has a chance to breakout this year if he can prove he’s recovered from Tommy John surgery. He’s at the last stage, where he’s looking for his command. If it comes back, he’ll move quickly.
10. Hector Gomez, SS – Gomez is an all fielding, no hitting prospect. He’s young, so he can still work on his bat. If he can at least work on his strike zone judgment, he’ll be a worth-while prospect at short. This is a make or break year.
