As the Colorado Rockies embark in earnest on their rebuild, attention turns to what’s happening in their farm system, especially with the pitching staff. One of those players is RHP JB Middleton (No. 7 PuRP), currently on the Fresno Grizzlies.
Actually, I’ll turn it over to Purple Row’s prospects expert Jeff Aberle:
Middleton became the highest-ever drafted pitcher for Southern Mississippi when the Rockies took him 45th overall in the 2025 draft (Middleton was 41st in MLB Pipeline’s draft rankings),
signing the now 22-year-old right-hander to a $2.072 million bonus that was $100k under slot. Middleton doesn’t possess ideal size for a modern day hurler (he’s only 6’0”), but his repertoire includes a good three pitch mix (fastball, slider, change) that he throws for strikes. He throws from a three-quarter slot with a quick arm action, a mid-90s fastball, a late-breaking slider that gets whiffs, and a good change-up to keep lefties honest.
Although he sent on the seven-day IL last week, prior to his injury in early May, Middleton had a 4.95 ERA (1.70 WHIP) over 20.0 IP. That number includes 18 strikeouts, 3 home runs, and 13 walks.
That said, he was excellent on April 11, 2025, when he strike out five and allowed only one run over five innings.
Purple Row caught up with Middleton at spring training as he recounted what he’d worked on over the offseason and what he antici`pated in 2026 as he was on the eve of making his debut as a professional baseball player.
Middleton said he had some takeaways from his final year of college baseball — that would be his 2025 with the Eagles when he tallied 105.1 IP with a 2.31 ERA that included 122 strikeouts and just 25 walks.
“Just being yourself, having confidence, learning how to pitch, and going out there and winning games for your team,” Middleton said.
His offseason focus was the natural next step: pitching development.
To be specific, according to Middleton, “just pitch shapes, trying to dial everything in and be consistent in the zone and just efficiency pitching — throwing strikes.”
The focus, too, has been on his slider, a pitch that Middleton only threw as some 10% of his pitches.
“I think we’ll probably use it a little more this year,” he said.
Tied to that has been his early work with the Rockies new pitching staff. “It’s kind of been great, everybody on the new staff,” Middleton said. “It’s amazing to think everybody’s on the same page and just go out there and fill up the zone and put guys away.”
He’s also eager to embark on his professional career.
“It’s exciting,” he said of making his debut. “You know, it’s an honor to get to be able to do this and go out there and have fun.”
And his goals for 2026?
“Just stay healthy, go out there, and try to be the best version of me I can, and just have fun.”
Weekly Pebble Report: May 5th-11th
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (5-1, 23-16 Overall)
The Albuquerque Isotopes continue to play a solid brand of winning baseball, taking five of six against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros), and maintain a two-game lead atop the Pacific Coast League standings. Albuquerque won a road series at Sugar Land for the first time, and it was also their first series win on the road against an Astros affiliate since taking three of four in Oklahoma City back in 2012. The Isotopes offense continues to produce as they launched 10 home runs in the series, their most ever in Sugar Land.
⬆️ Stock Up: Carrigg-ing On
Picking up where he left off as the reigning PCL Player of the Week, Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP), enjoyed another fantastic series in Sugar Land. Over five games, he slashed .320/.370/.600, going 8-for-25 with two home runs, a double, four RBI, and six runs scored. Additionally, he added another five stolen bases, bringing him to a season total of 24 bags. Carrigg also extended his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest active among all players in affiliated pro ball. During that stretch, he is slashing .452/.506/.685 with four doubles, two triples, three homers, 18 RBI, and 14 steals. He has also reached base in 30-straight games now.
⬆️ Stock Up: I’ll have the Beef Welinton
Bullpen reinforcements are sometimes difficult to predict in Albuquerque, but Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) has continued to impress working out of the pen in his first year of Triple-A ball. The lefty made appearances in the Sugar Land series, working two innings each time. In those four innings, he allowed just one hit while striking out four against just one walk. In his 16.1 innings of work on the year, Herrera owns a 4.41 ERA, allowing runs in just four of his 12 outings while tallying 24 strikeouts against 13 walks. The Rockies need more left-handed relievers, and the prospects of the 22-year-old are getting brighter and brighter.
Upcoming:
The Isotopes are back home to host the Oklahoma City Comets (Los Angeles Dodgers). Notably, utility player Kiké Hernandez and right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol are beginning rehab assignments with the Comets en route to returning to the Dodgers.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (5-1, 16-16 Overall)
A much-needed winning series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) helped to lift the Yard Goats up to .500 and back in the Eastern League fight. Hartford won three of their first four and then swept a Sunday double header.
⬆️ Stock Up: Roc’s Feather
Roc Riggio (no. 14 PuRP) has really hit his stride over the last few series and turned in an excellent performance against the Rumble Ponies. Riggio went 10-for-20 during the series with three doubles, three home runs, and six RBI. He had two three-hit games and had multiple hits in three of the five games he appeared in.
⬆️ Stock Up: Call of Juarez
Right-handed pitcher Victor Juarez has quietly been one of Hartford’s best relievers. Operating mostly in late innings, Juarez has a 1.69 ERA in 12 appearances with five saves. Juarez made three relief appearances against the Rumble Ponies. In 4.1 innings he gave up just one unearned run and one hit while striking out five batters with no walks.
Upcoming:
The Yard Goats look to keep the wins coming against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) at home this week in a series that includes their first Chivos de Hartford night of 2026.
High-A: Spokane Indians (4-2, 13-20 Overall)
The Spokane Indians are still figuring things out. Pitching—expected to be a strength—has struggled somewhat while the offense has had difficulty finding their footing in the Pacific Northwest. However, the Indians made some great progress this week. They finally won their first six-game series of the season with four wins against the Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels)
⬆️ Stock Up: Cox of the Rox
Jackson Cox (no. 16 PuRP) continues to show he’s recovered from his Tommy John surgery and is able to thrive with the limiters off by showing what made him worth a second round pick back in 2022. Cox made the longest start of his professional career against Tri-City and looked good doing it. Through seven complete innings he gave up just one earned run on one hit—a solo home run—while striking out nine batters for the second time this season.
⬆️ Stock Up: Roynier. Royfar. Roywherever you are.
Second baseman Roynier Hernandez went 7-for-19 against the Dust Devils with three RBIs, two walks, and just one strikeout. His best performance came on Wednesday when he went 3-for-4 and hit a walk-off RBI single to deliver the Indians victory.
Upcoming:
The Indians are off to Oregon to face the Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks). The Hops currently sitting at the bottom of the Northwest League standings.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (4-2, 19-14 Overall)
The Fresno Grizzlies continue to excel as the season rolls on with a record over .500 and a fantastic series against the reigning champion San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants). The Grizzlies took four games of the six and scored at least eight runs in each win. The pitching has been quietly solid, but it’s the offense that is surging. Many players in the Grizzlies lineup are hitting with an OPS close to or above .900 so far this season.
⬆️ Stock Up: The Return of the Roldy Brito Award for Weekly Excellence at Being Roldy Brito
The ever-exciting Roldy Brito (no. 11 PuRP) put together another strong week, going 10-for-28 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, two stolen bases, and two walks to only one strikeout. Brito kicked off the week going 4-for-5 against the Giants and had at least one hit in every other game during the series.
⬆️ Stock Up: Cam you dig it?
Wake Forest outfielder Cam Nelson was one of the more intriguing picks the Rockies made in the 2025 draft. Only a sophomore and having missed playing time due to injury, the Rockies drafted Nelson in the fifth round and paid above slot value to get him into the organization. Nelson’s bat is starting to come around, but where he has really shined is displaying an ability to get on base. With a .403 on-base percentage he has walked a whopping 26 times. He also has impressive speed with four triples and nine stolen bases.
Nelson had one of his best series of his young career against the Giants, going 9-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, a stolen base, and four RBIs.
Upcoming:
The Grizzlies head home to host the Visalia Rawhide (Arizona Diamondbacks) with hopes to continue their winning ways.
Arizona Complex League: ACL Rockies (4-1, 6-1 Overall)
The ACL Rockies were dominant in their first full week of Complex League play, scoring at least five runs in all of their wins. The only loss they suffered is against the ACL Royals (Kansas City Royals) with whom they are tied for the best record in the Complex League.
⬆️ Stock Up: Kamuel is smokin’
18-year-old infielder Kamuel Villar is one of two members of the Rockies’ 2025 international class to make it stateside for the Arizona Complex League this season. In his last five games, playing a mix of second and third base, Villar went 6-for-12 with a double, a triple, five RBIs, five walks to two strikeouts, and two stolen bases.
⬇️ Stock Down: Penalized
20-year-old right-handed pitcher Eliezer Pena—a member of the 2023 international class—made two starts for the ACL Rockies this week. While he did strike out nine batters over 6.1 total innings, he also gave up nine runs (eight earned) on 13 hits and six walks.
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