The state of the Colorado Rockies farm system, August 2026

In the process of writing about every player who received votes in our biannual Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) list — this edition it was 68 players across 29 qualifying ballots — I learned a bit about trends and system strengths and weaknesses. So for anyone who missed a few write-ups or even who has a more casual relationship with the farm system, I wanted to synthesize some of those thoughts into a bigger picture than any individual prospect. Even with a baseball operations regime that looks outward more often than we’re used to as Rockies fans, the players on this list are likely going to play a big role in the next 5-7 Colorado Rockies teams.

Here are the big picture items I took away after my review of Colorado’s top prospects as 2026 winds down:

The system has rebounded in a big way since the pre-season thanks to a strong draft class and some key breakouts

At the beginning of the year, the Rockies’ minor league system was perceived to be firmly in the bottom third of MLB. However, only two PuRPs lost eligibility between pre-season and the trade deadline, the Rockies were sellers at said deadline and received some potential impact players, and Colorado took advantage of a large draft pool to select and sign a well regarded draft class. Beyond that, a couple less-heralded players before the season in Roldy Brito and Cristian Arguelles launched themselves into top 100 prospect territory. The result is that the Rockies have moved firmly up into the middle third of MLB farm systems.

FanGraphs, which uses a system that ranks farm systems according the expected Major League value of their prospects based on historical outcomes by scouting grade, ranked the Rockies 24th ($137 million) in their late 2025 rankings. These days, the Rockies rank 13th in MLB for FanGraphs with 49 ranked players (11th in MLB) and five in the top 100. The net is a total system value of $450 million, though that inflation is more due to FanGraphs updating their prospect valuation methodology recently, which roughly doubled their estimate of Colorado’s farm system on its own.

MLB Pipeline, who ranked the Rockies 27th in MLB before the season, placed the Rockies 16th recently with four players in the top 100:

There’s an optimistic vibe with this system right now, even with the injury (foot stress fracture) that ended Holliday’s first full season early. Condon has started to show the power output the Rockies thought they were getting when they took him No. 3 overall in 2024, Brito has reached High-A as a teenager and they added Bell via the first round of this year’s Draft. Beyond the Top 100, this system has produced some big-time big league contributors like Cole Carrigg and Gabriel Hughes, who has joined Jackson Cox in making a very strong return from Tommy John surgery to bolster the organization.

The new baseball ops team has brought a more conventional, open approach to the roster, trades, and the draft. That appears to be helping, but so too is the development of players who were already on board entering the season.

2027 PuRPs Impact

Here are some details about the players who could be impacting the Rockies by this time next year.

Already made their MLB debuts (6):

Zac Veen (No. 6 PuRP): former first-round outfielder who made a dramatic change to his body this off-season and has recently made a successful re-entry to the big leagues
Gabriel Hughes (7): first-round polished righty starter who is now two-plus years out from Tommy John surgery and who has seemingly secured his position in the rotation for the near future, has exhausted his rookie eligibility already
Sterlin Thompson (16): former comp round A pick whose refined hit tool stands out in the system, though he’s limited defensively even in left field, struggled in initial big league look but is raking in Triple-A
Mason Adams (17): righty starter who was part of the return in the Brenton Doyle trade with the White Sox a few weeks ago, has good command and polish with a high floor albeit lower ceiling
McCade Brown(18): key rotation depth with potential to earn a full-time rotation slot provided his shoulder inflammation injury recovery goes well
Sean Sullivan (21): command lefty starter who gets lots of strikeouts despite sitting in the mid-80s on his fastball thanks to excellent deception and extension
Welinton Herrera (27): lefty reliever who can touch 100 but tore his UCL and could be out for a while

Likely starting in Double-A, Triple-A, or MLB next year (9):

Charlie Condon (2): 2024 first rounder who is near MLB and could be an impact corner bat
Jared Thomas (8): talented hitter with utility at all three outfield positions and first base (where he played in college), was delayed by hand injuries this year but is on track to impact next year’s squad
Jackson Cox (11): righty starter who has recovered well from 2023 Tommy John surgery, known for his high spin rate curveball
Roc Riggio (13): second baseman acquired from the Yankees at last year’s trade deadline as part of the Jake Bird deal, short of stature but does a lot of things well (include getting his raw power into games) and is now at Triple-A
Jack Mahoney (15): polished right-handed starter who relies on a heavy sinker/slider combo and who really pitched well in Double-A this year
Andy Perez (25): athletic up-the-middle player with decent speed and good contact ability in a large frame (likely 6’4″, 210 pounds) whose production has yet to match his potential
Konner Eaton(28): lefty starter who rose all the way to Double-A in his first full professional season
Roynier Hernandez (29): good fielder with an excellent approach at the place but mostly lacking in power

Of the players who haven’t made their MLB debut, I’d expect Condon and Cox to lead WAR production for the Rockies in 2027.

The top ten of the PuRPs ranking remains flush with outfielders, the bottom half with pitching

Five of the top eight PuRPs have a likely or potential big league fit as outfielders, including three who will start 2027 in Double-A or higher. Only Veen from that group is in MLB already, but there will undoubtedly be a spirited competition this spring for a big league role among the group. Meanwhile, there were six players on the list who took meaningful reps at shortstop this season, making a conflict for reps at the position inevitable especially in the upper minors.

You can never have too much pitching at Coors Field, so it’s no surprise the Rockies have historically prioritized pitching in the draft and in trades. The pre-season PuRPs list contains 13 pitchers, but only two of them are in the top 10. One of those guys (Hughes) has just graduated from rookie status while the other (Logan Reddemann) was just drafted this year and has yet to throw a professional pitch.

As I do each PuRPs cycle, I’m going to look at the current system and project which players could be on the 40-man roster in the lead-up to the Rule 5 draft this off-season. The upcoming Rule 5 Draft will see players who were signed either in 2022 (if they were 18 or younger at signing) or 2023 (signed at 19+ years old) become eligible for the first time.

When I did this exercise in March, I listed 43 players who would be under contract, on the 60-day IL, had a likely team option, or were prospects that were very likely to be added before the Rule 5 draft. Today, nine of them are off the 40-man roster or the 60-day IL, including three traded players in Brenton Doyle, Seth Halvorsen, and Victor Vodnik plus Michael Lorenzen and Carson Palmquist.

The new regime has been more willing to move on from players than in the past and I would expect the pace to continue during their first full off-season in charge. With that in mind, let’s take stock of the 40-man roster moves which could occur between now and the end of the year.

Sure things (current)

These players are on the current 40-man roster, have already seen major-league action, and will still be on the roster after the Rule 5 draft barring trades (which is a condition that applies to every category). Players with multi-year guaranteed deals are generally ranked higher than arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players:

Likely (current)

These players have major-league experience, are currently on the 40-man, and will likely be on the post Rule 5 draft 40-man roster — but under-performance could cause them to lose their spot to a DFA or non-tender — or they could retire. I also consider players with a likely to be picked up player or club option in this category. Presented roughly in my order of confidence:

11. Willi Castro

12. Kris Bryant (60 Day IL, possible “retirement” in which he’s still collecting checks a la Prince Fielder)

13. Brennan Bernardino

14. Juan Mejia

15. Mason Adams

16. Connor Norby

17. Ryan Feltner

18. McCade Brown (60-day IL)

Likely (future)

These players haven’t yet seen MLB action but are in good shape to retain their 40-man roster spot or get added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft. Players who don’t need to be Rule 5 protected after the season (most notably Condon) aren’t listed, though a couple of them could also squeeze their way onto the roster. Again, presented in order of confidence:

19. Jackson Cox

20. Roc Riggio

Under contract but at risk

These players are on the 40-man or 60-day IL now but are serious candidates for a DFA or non-tender during or after the 2026 season (I also consider players with a possible player or club option in this category as well as those signed as minor league free agents who won’t have the service time for major league free agency) — presented from most safe to least:

21. Sterlin Thompson

22. Sean Sullivan

23. Welinton Herrera (60-day IL)

24. Nick Frasso

25. Jaden Hill

26. Ryan Ritter

27. Tanner Gordon

28. Mark Manfredi

29. Zach Agnos

30. Jimmy Herget

31. Jordan Beck

32. Adael Amador

33. Braxton Fulford

34. Tyler Freeman

35. Troy Johnston

36. Eiberson Castellano

37. Brett Sullivan

38. Blas Castano

39. Pierson Ohl (60-day IL)

40. RJ Petit (60-day IL, Rule 5)

41. Jeff Criswell

42. TJ Shook

43. Chad Stevens

44. Blake Adams

I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the above players were not in the organization after 2026, but in particular anyone Herget and below should consider their 40-man roster slot vulnerable. That gets us to 44 players (including two new prospects and the 60-day IL), so we’ve already got a full house.

Remember though that the Rockies will probably re-sign some free agents and/or exercise options, which also will take up spots (at the expense of some of the more vulnerable players above, some of whom could be designated for assignment or non-tendered).

Here’s how I would rank other players (among those with no non-IL MLB service time) in terms of getting a 40-man spot after 2026:

I would guess the top three guys may be protected. I listed 15 players here and still somebody from off this list could make a surprise appearance, as I think the bottom 10-12 slots on the 40-man are quite fluid. With the 40-man roster, change is always the expectation.

Hopefully that summary of the system and the 40-man roster was helpful, I’d love to read your own projections and opinions in the comments. Until next time!

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