18. McCade Brown (275 points, 18 ballots)
Brown is what I’d call the first consensus PuRP on this list — he was on all but one ballot and he received five top-ten votes, including mine (I ranked him seventh as a 45 FV player who should be a big league contributor in 2026). The 6’6”, 25-year-old right-hander has long teased prospect watchers with potential big league rotation stuff when he’s been on the mound (he was a PuRP from mid-season 2021 until pre-season 2023). That includes three above-average pitches: a mid-90s fastball up in the zone
with some deception, a mid-80s slider he commands well, and a high-spin rate curveball.
Mid-season 2025 Rank: 26
High Ballot: 3
Mode Ballot: 19, 20
Future Value: 45, mid-rotation starter
Contract Status: 2021 Third Round, Indiana University, 40 Man Roster, three options remaining
MLB ETA: Now
Brown just hasn’t been on the mound enough — even in college at Indiana, when he managed just 67 2⁄3 innings in three years. Those innings were enough for the Rockies to give Brown a $780k signing bonus. After a decent full-season debut in Fresno that saw Brown post an 11.8 K/9 rate in 89 2⁄3 innings, he had Tommy John surgery in April 2023 and was out until May 2024. The Tommy John surgery recovery and another six-week IL stint limited Brown to only 23 2⁄3 innings in 12 games between the ACL and Low-A Fresno in 2024. In that limited sample, Brown had a 6.85 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 6.5 BB/9 rate, but at least he struck out 13.3 batters per 9 innings.
Brown then pitched another 11 1⁄3 innings in the Arizona Fall League, where he appeared in a relief role exclusively and had good run prevention results (3.18 ERA, 12.7 K/9 rate) despite control issues (1.68 WHIP, 8.7 BB/9 rate). With such limited results, it’s no wonder that Brown was not protected and wasn’t unselected in the Rule 5 draft after the 2024 season when he was first eligible.
In 2025 though, a healthy Brown (thanks in part to a re-made delivery) was a revelation on the mound in both High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford (where he was still 0.9 years younger than league average). First, Brown made nine starts with Spokane, posting a sparkly 1.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 12.8 K/9 rate, and 4.0 BB/9 rate in 33 2/3 innings, which was enough to garner a late May promotion to Hartford. In 11 more starts with Hartford against upper minors hitting, Brown threw 43 innings with a 3.14 ERA (3.03 xFIP), 1.07 WHIP, 11.9 K/9 rate, and 3.1 BB/9 rate.
The Rockies were clearly putting Brown (who was the organization’s Pitcher of the Month in June) on a pitch count given his injury history, as he didn’t go more than the six innings he went in his final Hartford start, with 9 of the 20 going less than four innings. Nonetheless, the strikeout stuff was clearly there for Brown (105 in 76 2/3 innings) and the run prevention numbers (2.47 ERA) were also good.
Brown completed his climb up the organizational ladder in late August, as the Rockies selected his contract and jumped him straight up to the big leagues. Brown made seven straight starts with the Rockies down the stretch, and in six of those starts he was pretty rough, never going more than 4 1/3 innings while allowing multiple runs each time. Against the playoff-bound Mariners though in late September, Brown struck out 10 batters in five innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks.
In total, Brown threw 25 2/3 frames for the Rockies across those seven games, allowing a 7.36 ERA (6.14 xFIP) and 1.83 WHIP with an 8.1 K/9 rate and 6.0 BB/9 rate while allowing six homers, which was worth -0.2 rWAR on the season (Brown was 31st in our Ranking the Rockies series).
Here’s some 2025 MLB highlights for Brown, about half of which is the aforementioned start against the Mariners:
For a lengthier look at Brown, check out this video from his last start in Hartford in mid-August.
Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs moved up Brown from a prospect of note (and a reliever) before the 2025 season to a 45 FV pitcher and 5th in the system in an updated system ranking, highlighted by a 60 grade on the fastball and 55 future grades on both the slider and curveball:
Brown was drafted as a big-framed developmental project who pitched just six innings as an underclassman at Indiana and missed all of 2023 and most of 2024 because of a Tommy John. He was back late in 2024 and looked mechanically inconsistent at Fresno and again in the Arizona Fall League. In 2025 he changed his placement on the rubber (now third base side) and began employing a more cross-bodied stride toward the plate. The results allowed Brown’s stuff to tunnel well and he had a breakout 2025 en route to his big league debut. Loose-bodied for a 6-foot-6 guy, Brown’s heater sits in the mid-90s with very little effort, and he hides the baseball for a long time, especially with his new delivery. Brown attacks with a lot of elevated fastballs and bends in a couple different breaking balls, commanding a mid-80s slider more than his upper-70s curveball. It’s plausible a better changeup will come with time (remember, Brown has been hurt a bunch and his delivery has recently changed) but for now he’s forced to use his fastball and curveball to deal with lefties, which could be an issue at Coors Field. We’re talking about a no. 4/5 starter as he’s currently constituted with the possibility for more as Brown’s career unfolds and he accrues big league experience. Either way, this is a feather in the cap of Rockies pitching dev, which is a welcome surprise.
Brown was recently ranked 24th in the system by Baseball America:
After an electric albeit erratic college career, Brown’s strike-throwing took a step forward in pro ball in 2022 only to see that progress halted by Tommy John surgery in 2023. Following a lengthy recovery, Brown looked revitalized in his first full season back in 2025, striking out minor league hitters 34.3% of the time while maintaining a 9.8% walk rate. His jump in effectiveness stems in part from a move to the third-base side of the rubber, a subtle adjustment that better syncs with his mechanics. The new setup enhances his natural deception, allowing him to hide the ball behind his head before delivering from a three-quarters arm slot with a cross-bodied stride.
Brown’s ceiling likely fits toward the back of a rotation and he should compete for a spot in Colorado’s rotation out of spring training.
Brown has finally been healthy and productive with the strikeout stuff in evidence as high as the big league level. I’ve been monitoring Brown for years hoping for such a resurgence and he was a bright spot in what was a dreadful year for the Rockies org in 2025. Brown’s stuff is clearly Major League quality, but he will need to get more efficient against big league hitters to provide consistent length for the Rockies. He might begin the season as the top rotation depth candidate while getting his first look at Triple-A, or he could sneak into the big league rotation to open the year.
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