Colorado Rockies Top 20 2016 PRE-SEASON prospects in review

We're almost done with the pre-season prospect list reviews. Let's look at the Colorado Rockies.

Remember, this is the PRE-SEASON list.

This is not a new list.

These are pre-season grades.

Discuss 2016 Rockies prospect news in the comments section.

This list was originally published March 8, 2016

1) Jon Gray, RHP, Grade A-/B+: 23 starts in the majors, 4.61 ERA with 142/46 K/BB in 133 innings; can't complain about any of that, a highly-credible performance for any Coors Field pitcher especially a rookie.

2) Brendan Rodgers, SS, Grade B+/A-: Age 20, first round pick from Florida high school in 2015, hitting .282/.343/.482 with 19 homers, 35 walks, 96 strikeouts in 440 at-bats in Low-A; solid glovework at both shortstop and second base; beware sharp home/road split, .982 OPS in Asheville, .682 on the road.

3) Ryan McMahon, 3B, Grade B+: Uneasy transition to Double-A, hitting .242/.327/.396 with 11 homers, 53 walks, 150 strikeouts; Eastern League is much more difficult than California League in terms of both competition and environment; season split between third base and first base. Detailed reports will be interesting to study this fall.

4) David Dahl, OF, Grade B+/B: Excellent season, .314/.394/.596 in Double-A/Triple-A then .325/.370/.548 in the majors; has some strike zone issues against MLB pitching but it hasn't hurt him much yet; has a great chance to adapt and thrive long-term.

5) Jeff Hoffman, RHP, Grade B+/B: 22 starts in Triple-A, 4.02 ERA with 122/44 K/BB in 119 innings; just promoted to majors; could follow Jon Gray's footsteps into major league success in 2017.

6) Dom Nunez, C, Grade B: Age 21, this is what I wrote in March: aggressive ranking and grade but I think he will be widely seen as one of the top catching prospects in baseball six months from now;  that has NOT panned out, hitting .244/.325/.374 in the Cal League, has thrown out 40% of runners; maybe next year for the breakout but looking like a bad gamble on my part.

7) Trevor Story, SS, Grade B/B-: Hit .272/.341/.567 with 27 homers, 35 walks, 130 strikeouts in 372 at-bats in the major until going down with torn thumb ligament; power, defense biggest positives; don't expect batting championships but should have long and successful career.

8) Tom Murphy, C, Grade B/B-: Strong campaign in Triple-A, .330/.358/.663, 19 homers, few walks but otherwise quite productive, defense still a work in progress.

9) Raimel Tapia, OF, Grade B/B-: 123 games between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .325/.360/.457 with eight homers, 21 steals, 27 walks, 58 strikeouts in 508 at-bats; hits .300 in his sleep.

10) Antonio Senzatela, RHP, Grade B/B-: Seven starts in Double-A with 1.82 ERA, 27/9 K/BB in 35 innings before going on disabled list in June with undisclosed injury.

11) Forrest Wall, 2B, Grade B/B-: Age 20, hitting .267/.331/.359 in High-A with six homers, 21 steals, 38 walks, 92 strikeouts in 435 at-bats; not a great year and not as good as his reputation; remains error-prone at second base; young enough to rebound quickly.

12) Miguel Castro, RHP, Grade B-: Plagued with injuries and command problems, 6.14 ERA in 15 MLB innings, 10.34 ERA in 16 Triple-A innings; outlook unclear at the moment but still just 21.

13) Kyle Freeland, LHP, Grade B-: 25 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, 4.04 ERA with 104/41 K/BB in 156 innings, 161 hits; has held his own in difficult Albuquerque/PCL environs; at this point he projects as a fourth starter for me.

14) German Marquez, RHP, Grade B-: 24 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, 3.05 ERA with 145/39 K/BB in 154 innings at age 21; this guy deserves a lot more attention than he's received; Coors fill factor in on valuation of course but on his own terms he is a very significant sleeper prospect.

15) Ryan Castellani, RHP, Grade B-: 163 innings in High-A at age 20 with 139/49 K/BB, 148 hits, 1.47 GO/AO, fastball in mid-90s; another very promising prospect with rising stock who needs more press.

16) Peter Lambert, RHP, Grade B-: 25 starts in Low-A at age 19, 3.98 ERA with 105/33 K/BB in 120 innings; very polished for his age and has been very effective even in Asheville bandbox.

17) Tyler Nevin, 3B, Grade B-/C+: Age 19, son of Phil Nevin, compensation pick in 2015 draft, has played just one game all year due to a hamstring injury.

18) Sam Howard, LHP, Grade C+: 25 starts between High-A and Double-A, 3.55 ERA with 129/51 K/BB in 142 innings, 141 hits; four/five starter projection.

19) Sam Moll, LHP, Grade C+: 44 innings in Triple-A with 4.87 ERA, 37/17 K/BB; holding lefties to .236 average but right-handers hit .304; LOOGY?

20) Jordan Patterson, OF, Grade C+: 394 at-bats in Triple-A hitting .299/.384/.492, 23 doubles, 13 homers, 45 walks, 107 strikeouts; a solid season but not spectacular by Albuquerque/PCL standards; future role player with some pop.

OTHER GRADE C+: Tyler Anderson, LHP; Carlos Estevez, RHP; Pedro Gonzalez, OF; Carlos Herrera, SS; David Hill, RHP; Harrison Musgrave, LHP; Mike Nikorak, RHP; Roberto Ramos, 1B; Jesus Tinoco, RHP

OTHERS OF NOTE: Cristhian Adames, SS; Alex Balog, RHP; Matt Carasiti, RHP; Ryan Casteel, C; Jairo Diaz, RHP; Sam Hilliard, OF; Jonathan Piron, INF

Discuss 2016 Rockies breakthroughs and breakdowns in the comments section.