Colorado Rockies prospect rankings, mid-season 2026: single-ballot players

The mid-season Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) voting period has finished, so it’s time to reveal the community’s top 30 prospects in the Colorado system. These prospects will be revealed over the next couple of weeks to give fans an overview of players who could make an impact on the Colorado Rockies soon.

First up: An introduction to the list and then a rundown of every single-ballot player to get votes (ranking from T-67 to 53). Later this week, I will reveal the multi-ballot players who landed outside

the top 35, then I’ll reveal the five honorable mention PuRPs and move to the top 30 after that, five at a time. I’ll conclude the series with a voting summary and a state of the system post.

There were more qualifying ballots (29) than at pre-season (19), not surprising given the system’s improvement vs. this time last year, including a lauded draft class and some pieces from selling at the trade deadline. There were 68 players named at least once on a ballot (up from 55 in the pre-season 2026 list). There were 53 players named on multiple ballots (up from 46), while 32 were listed on at least 10 ballots (up from 31) and therefore had unmodified point totals. There were 23 different prospects receiving a top 10 placement on at least one list (up from 19), with the top 16 PuRPs all receiving at least one top ten vote. The top 17 made it on over 80% of ballots, so the top group was more or less a consensus. Here is a link to this list’s polling thread.

To score the voting, 30 points were granted for a first place vote, 29 for second, etc. Until a player was named on ten ballots, his vote totals were modified on a sliding scale to avoid an individual ballot having too much say over the community forecast. If necessary, the first tiebreaker went to the player who was ranked on the most ballots, then to the one who ranked highest on an individual PuRPs ballot, the third tiebreaker was the mode ballot — no ties were broken in the top 30 this time around.

All prospects in the system who retained their Rookie of the Year eligibility (fewer than 130 ABs, 50 IP, and 45 days on the active roster — IL time is not included) were eligible for selection on this list. Since the pre-season 2026 balloting, two PuRPs lost eligibility.

For each player on the PuRPs list, I’ll include a link to individual stats and contract status (via Baseball-Reference) and notes on their scouting reports, if applicable. For the sake of full disclosure, I’ll also include where I put each player on my personal ballot. With players receiving votes, I’ll provide the B-Ref link and voting stats, plus a short blurb. All ages will be as of the day the article is posted.

Remember, statistics are not the end-all, be-all when evaluating these players. Context is hugely important (notably, the player’s age relative to the league’s average, the league’s average offensive numbers, or the player’s 40-man roster calendar), as is the fact that injuries to prospects can affect both their tools and their stats. I’ll try to make mention of instances where this is the case as we go on.

Without further ado, here are the single ballot players in 2026 mid-season PuRPs voting:

Single Ballot Players

T-67. Jimmy Obertop (0.1 points, 1 ballot) — The 26-year-old righty is a catcher/first baseman who was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2025 out of Clemson. In two seasons in the system, Obertop has served as a reserve at both positions, moving up the system to Double-A Hartford this year. In 108 plate appearances there, Obertop’s walk/strikeout-heavy .209/.370/.372 line has been slightly above league average (106 wRC+).

T-67. TJ Shook (0.1 points, 1 ballot) — The 28-year-old righty reliever joined the Rockies this off-season in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft from the Mets. The 6’4” pitcher had been toiling in the minors since 2020 and has spent most of his time this season in the Triple-A Albuquerque pen. In a tough environment for pitchers, Shook’s 3.18 ERA in 45.1 innings across 37 games stands out. Shook was added to the 40 man roster and made his Major League debut on June 2nd. He spent a week in early June and one in early July with the Rockies, allowing six runs on ten hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 5.2 innings across four games (-0.1 rWAR).

T-64. Mason Albright (0.2 points, 1 ballot) — The former Angels farmhand has been in the system since the 2023 trade for Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron. The 23-year-old 6’0” lefty starter moved up the ladder since the trade to Triple-A Albuquerque last year, but he has been sidelined by pre-season Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in 2026. No individual pitch stands out in Albright’s mix (maybe the curveball); rather it’s the overall polish and feel for pitching he displays that sets him apart, though we’ll need to wait and see how he recovers entering 2027 for a fresh evaluation.

T-64. Sandy Ozuna (0.2 points, 1 ballot) — The 20-year-old righty pitcher signed out of the Dominican Republic for a mere $45k in 2023, but the 6’3” hurler has emerged as a real prospect who has been limited by injury to just 95.1 innings across four seasons. This season, Ozuna didn’t debut until early June but has thrown 20 innings across nine starts, seven in the Arizona Complex League and two with Low-A Fresno, where in total he has a 5.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 12.2 K/9 rate, and 4.5 BB/9 rate.

Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs listed Ozuna in the “Clipped Wings” honorable mention area of the system in March:

Ozuna had among the best stuff of Colorado’s complex-level group in 2024, but he missed time with an undisclosed injury and his arm strength was way down when he did get on the field. His ultra-long, inconsistent arm action already created a lot of relief risk.

Ozuna is healthy now, so we’ll see if he can carry that potential all the way through the 2027 off-season.

T-64. Riley Kelly (0.2 points, 1 ballot) — The pre-season No. 27 PuRP drops to single ballot status at mid-season. Kelly was Colorado’s fourth-round pick, 107th overall, in the 2025 draft out of UC-Irvine. The 6’5” 21-year-old righty starter signed for a $700k bonus, just about $15k under the slot value. Like many other high Rockies draftees, Kelly was a high school quarterback with some good athleticism. His standout trait is a high-RPM (3,000+) curveball, combined with low to mid-90s velocity and a decent changeup.

Here’s what Keith Law of the Athletic wrote about Kelly when he ranked him 20th in the system before the season:

Colorado’s fourth-rounder in 2024, Kelly sits 91-93 with a straight changeup that missed a ton of bats while he was in college and an 11/5 curveball that looks like it should be plus. If he gets a half-grade of command and control better, he’s a back-end starter.

As a pro, Kelly was assigned this season to Low-A Fresno, where he is league-average age. In 65 innings across 15 games, Kelly’s 5.40 ERA and 1.40 WHIP don’t stand out but his 12.0 K/9 rate (4.3 BB/9 rate) is good. If he had avoided the longball (he’s allowed 10 homers this season) a bit more, Kelly would seem right on schedule, but instead he’s been lost a bit in the shuffle for PuRPs voters this season and is now on the IL. Kelly is a 35+ FV player for me and is still firmly on my radar for future PuRPs lists.

T-61. Kyle Fossum (0.3 points, 1 ballot) — The 24-year-old outfielder was signed as an un-drafted free agent in February out of Youngstown State and was assigned to Low-A Fresno, where he is about two years older than league average. Fossum is hitting .268/.356/.455 with nine homers in 247 plate appearances, good for a 106 wRC+ while manning the corner outfield positions.

T-61. Braylen Wimmer (0.3 points, 1 ballot) — The 25-year-old righty utility player (he played six positions in 2025 but has mostly been in CF and RF this season) was Colorado’s eighth-round pick in 2023 out of South Carolina and received a $157k bonus. Unfortunately, Wimmer had a seizure in early November 2025 during the Arizona Fall League and needed brain surgery to remove a tumor (during which he was awake!).

Wimmer has been mostly available this season, but hasn’t achieved the success he’d had the previous few years in Double-A Hartford, where he is 1.3 years older than league average. After hitting at above league average level everywhere he’s been, Wimmer’s .228/.310/.337 line in 211 plate appearances is only worth 73 wRC+ this year.

Gawlowski of FanGraphs graded Wimmer as a 35+ FV prospect in March, ranking him 41st in the system:

Wimmer was a fourth-year junior when the Rockies selected him in 2023, and he has been old for his level at every stop until Double-A last year. He’s performed — his .284/.346/.389 line in 45 Double-A games was good for a 114 wRC+ — and on tools and peripherals, he has the skill set of a solid utility player. Limited pop curbs the upside here: He has fringy raw power, his flatter swing doesn’t let him get to all of it, and there’s a chance that good spin eats him alive. Still, he’s crushed lefties, and he saw time at six defensive positions last year: He played everywhere but first, catcher, and pitcher in 2025 and has the chops to handle short. He’d have made an ideal bench player in the three-man bench era, and even now, he does enough to give managers a lot of flexibility in a reserve role.

Wimmer is an easy player to fit onto a Major League roster given his ability to play premium defensive positions while providing some pop offensively, but he needs to get right at the plate again for that to come to fruition. Wimmer is a 35+ FV player for me, but that status is tenuous until he can get back to his 2025 form.

T-61. Mark Manfredi (0.3 points, 1 ballot) — The 26-year-old lefty reliever was half of the return for Antonio Senzatela earlier this month. Manfredi, a 2023 9th rounder who was a senior sign out of Dayton, had shown well in both Double-A and Triple-A in the Brewers’ system this year. Including two appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque, the 6’4” pitcher has a 4.13 ERA in 48 innings across 36 games this year with a 1.31 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9 rate, and a 13.5 K/9 rate while allowing lefties to hit just .171 against him.

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had this to say about Manfredi after the trade (ranking him 47th in the system as a 35+ FV player after the trade):

Manfredi has a good fastball. He sits 93-97 with uphill angle. His secondaries aren’t especially nasty, but he has two different breaking balls that play up a little bit against lefties because of his arm slot, and he’ll throw the occasional changeup to keep hitters honest. His fastball is going to play enough for him to be an up/down reliever with the ceiling of a bullpen’s second lefty. But if the Brewers couldn’t coax more out of his secondary stuff, it might not be in the cards for him to climb above the 40-man fringe.

Manfredi’s first exposure to the Rule 5 draft is set for this off-season, so it’s quite possible the Rockies could add him to the 40-man roster for some big league exposure down the stretch this season.

T-59. Cruzmel Arias (0.4 points, 1 ballot) — The 22-year-old Venezuelan catcher was signed in 2022 and spent three seasons in the Dominican Summer League before coming stateside in 2025, where he was the back-up on the ACL team. This season, Arias has again played the back-up role for the ACL team as well as Low-A Fresno for a few weeks. Across those levels in 2026, Arias has hit .247/.322/.325 in 87 plate appearances while throwing out 23% of base stealers.

T-59. Larry Suero (0.4 points, 1 ballot) — The 18-year-old Dominican was signed for $425k in 2025 as a shortstop, but he played 2025 at third base and in 2026 he’s played mostly center field in a repeat engagement in the DSL. The 6’2” lefty hitter, righty thrower has shown well in his second go-around in the DSL, hitting .269/.427/.506 with eight homers in 203 plate appearances (125 wRC+).

Suero was ranked as the 34th best international free agent by MLB Pipeline in 2025, here was their write-up at the time:

Suero boasts a sweet left-handed swing that features minimal moving parts and a slight front-foot toe tap reminiscent of All-Star Michael Brantley. At 182 pounds and growing, he displays minimal drift with his hands and has a repeatable bat path that enables him to make contact consistently, with an elevated feel for tapping into power during game action.

It’s not uncommon for the majority of talented international prospects to spend considerable time at shortstop as youngsters due to their preternatural gifts, which was the case early on for Suero. But as his body continues to fill out and his bat emerges as his primary carrying tool, Suero has been getting extended looks at second and third base. He has solid hands and quick actions along with average speed, which projects to make him an infielder in the long term, albeit one whose bat will make the biggest impact.

Suero’s ability to play both infield and outfield is a good sign, let’s see where he fits in once he comes stateside (presumably next year).

T-57. Eriel Dihigo (0.4 points, 1 ballot) — The 19-year-old Cuban righty third-baseman was signed in 2024 for a $500k bonus — and yes, he is a descendant of legendary Cuban player Martin Dihigo. After two strong seasons in the DSL, Dihigo played 2026 for the Rockies’ loaded ACL team, which won the league championship on Dihigo’s walk-off RBI groundout. Dihigo hit an impressive .351/.475/.532 in 140 plate appearances, walking in 15% of plate appearances (striking out in 19% of them), good for a 152 wRC+. He mostly manned third base but also played a little left field.

Gawlowski of FanGraphs listed Dihigo as a Prospect of Note before the season:

Dihigo got half a million dollars in the 2024 international class. After a strong showing in the DSL that year, he repeated the level last season and was again productive. While he still has a lot of projection ahead, he’s lean and without much power for a third baseman, and even though it’s early days, he has the look of a tweener.

Dihigo’s plate discipline numbers are encouraging and part of why he’s a 35+ FV player for me, let’s see if that offensive production translates to full-season ball next year.

T-57. Jake Brooks (0.4 points, 1 ballot) — The 25-year-old righty starter was acquired from the Marlins this past off-season in exchange for Bradley Blalock. The 6’4” hurler, who will be Rule 5 eligible after the season as a 2023 draftee (11th round from UCLA), has spent the season in the rotation between Double-A and Triple-A.

Brooks has soaked up innings this year, making 22 total starts and throwing 115 1/3 innings between the two levels. In Hartford, Brooks had a 4.71 ERA in 78 1/3 innings with a 7.6 K/9 rate and 1.8 BB/9 rate. In seven starts in the tough Pacific Coast League with Albuquerque, Brooks has posted a 6.81 ERA in 37 frames with a 5.6 K/9 rate and 2.4 BB/9 rate. That’s not a lot of strikeouts, but he’s shown the ability to get some outs in the PCL if the Rockies need a stopgap starter down the stretch.

55. Carlos Torres (0.7 points, 1 ballot) — The 25-year-old righty reliever was Colorado’s 20th-round pick in 2022 out of Lehigh. The 6’4” Puerto Rican pitcher is repeating at Double-A Hartford this season, where he is of league-average age. In 52.2 innings across 34 games, Torres has a 3.93 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 7.3 K/9 rate, and 2.1 BB/9 rate with four saves. He’s done well against right-handed batters, holding them to a .615 OPS, but lefties have hit Torres hard (.933 OPS against).

54. Blas Castaño (0.9 points, 1 ballot) — The 27-year-old Dominican righty reliever was a waiver pick-up this April from the Mariners, with whom Castaño made his big league debut last year after seven years in the minors. The 5’10” Castaño was a starter most of the time until this year, when he began the year in the bullpen with Seattle and continued in that role with both Triple-A Albuquerque and the Rockies.

Castaño was called upon for two one-day stints to the Rockies, then he stuck with the big league club for about a month between late May and late June before going on the IL with a pectoral strain. In ten games, Castaño has thrown 20.2 innings for the Rockies this year with a 3.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 7.4 K/9 rate, and 2.6 BB/9 rate — which is worth 0.4 rWAR, placing him seventh on the team among pitchers this year. He’s also been good with Albuquerque, throwing 12 1/3 innings with a 3.65 ERA in ten games.

Castaño was ranked 20th in the Mariners system before the season as a 35+ FV player by Gawlowski of FanGraphs:

Castaño is a fun watch. He’s a small, lower-slot guy who generates big horizontal movement on all four of his offerings, and his ability to run his stuff on and off the plate helps him limit damage on contact. He’s got a big personality out there, which works for and against him: outward competitiveness is great, emotionally-charged ABS-challenges less so. Castaño’s ability to generate grounders is good but not special enough to work as a full-time starter, given his lack of a bat-missing secondary. He briefly debuted in 2025 and projects as a no. 6/swing type.

Castaño isn’t on the Rockies system rank right now for FanGraphs, but nonetheless he represents a ready relief option who could exhaust his rookie eligibility by the end of the season.

53. Bryson Hammer (1.4 points, 1 ballot) — The 24-year-old lefty pitcher was Colorado’s 12th-round pick in 2023 from Dallas Baptist. After being a pure reliever as a pro through 2025, Hammer stretched out into the starting rotation with High-A Spokane, making his first start in May. On the balance, the experiment has yielded good results, as Hammer posted a 4.34 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 rate, and 4.0 BB/9 rate in 85 innings across 20 games (14 starts) with Spokane before a promotion to Double-A Hartford recently — in fact, he earned the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month award for July.

The role change is intriguing and the results haven’t been bad as Hammer has nearly doubled his 2025 innings total already. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible this off-season.

Thanks to all who voted this time around! Next time I’ll reveal players who were listed between two and five times on ballots.