DNVR Exclusive: Rockies next wave of prospects added to 40-man, excelled in Arizona Fall League

Friday, Nov. 19 marked another important day in the future of the Colorado Rockies.

The franchise added three players to their 40-man roster, bringing the total to 39 players, while witnessing the end to another successful season for their prospects in the Arizona Fall League.

LHP Ryan Rolison, RHP Noah Davis and SS Ezequiel Tovar had their contracts selected and are now one step closer to making their big league debut at Coors Field.

Rolison was selected 22nd overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Mississippi. The 24-year-old was outstanding in his first two stops at Rookie Short-Season Grand Junction and Low-A Asheville, thanks to a combined 1.44 earned run average in 12 starts. A solid year in High-A Lancaster with a 4.87 ERA against players more than two years older was still among the best that season with the JetHawks. He was the top pitcher in our 2021 Purple Prospects rankings and very well could remain so in 2022. 

The left-hander had an injury-plagued 2021 season after needing his appendix removed during the summer, then taking a liner off his pitching hand that caused a bone fracture. Rolison still managed to make 10 starts with Triple-A Albuquerque, compiling a 2-2 record with a 5.91 earned run average (45.2 IP, 30 ER), a promising showing in a place where 5.40 was the league average ERA.   

Davis is a newer name to the organization, having been one of two players acquired by the Rockies on July 28 in a deal that sent RHP Mychal Givens to the Cincinnati Reds. The 24-year-old out of the University of California, Santa Barbara picked up where he left off in High-A Midwest, going 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA (35.0 IP, 14 ER), with eight walks and 29 strikeouts in six starts in High-A West with Spokane. 

Tovar spent the year impressing scouts across both levels of Class A with Fresno and Spokane. Playing as a 19-year-old this season, the shortstop combined to slug 48 extra-base hits (30 doubles, 3 triples and 15 home runs), sixth-most among Rockies minor leaguers. In addition to some pop in his bat, Tovar recorded 24 stolen bases and flashed some serious leather on the diamond, leading some to call him a defensive wizard. 

Ranked 18th during the Purple Prospects Week in March, Tovar is a lock to move into the top 10 next season.

Tovar was a non-drafted international signing from Venezuela by Colorado on Aug. 1, 2017 as a 16-year-old. In three professional seasons with the organization, he’s batted .271 (231-for-851) with 40 doubles, 11 triples, 17 home runs, 100 RBI, and 57 stolen bases.

Arizona Fall League

Following an 8-0 shutout on the final day of the Arizona Fall League season, the Salt River Rafters – a club comprised of Rockies’ prospects and those of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets – fell to 10-20 on the season, worst in the entire six-team league.

On the bright side, the only two hits for Salt River came from 1B Michael Toglia and OF Ryan Vilade. The pair was ranked No. 3 and 4, respectively, in our rankings of Purple Prospects at the start of 2021.

The duo batted towards the top and middle of the lineup throughout much of the five-week season, knocking in 12 RBI each, good for a third-place tie on the roster. While Toglia also tied for the team-high with three home runs, Vilade was unable to record a long ball during his 79 at-bats.

Tovar also homered on three occasions, but his slash line of .161/.219/.287 in 25 games provides evidence that his glove will be what elevates him to the majors at first. Regardless of the challenges he faced at the plate, he did enough on the defensive side to be named the 24th best prospect in the AFL on MLB Pipeline’s recent top 25 list. 

In 196.1 innings playing shortstop and second base, Tovar had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, converting all 69 chances and making zero errors. Despite turning 20 during the summer, he was still nearly four years younger than the average age of AFL players.

“His mind is elite and that’s what really impresses me,” Rafters coach and 2021 Hartford Yard Goats hitting coach Tom Sutaris said of Tovar. “He knows how to compete. He understands himself. He’s self confident and also very self aware of what he needs to work on. His energy is infectious, so I just love being around the kid.”

Catcher Willie MacIver, a player who needed to be protected on the 40-man in order to avoid exposure to the Rule 5 Draft, was also impressive defensively. Originally drafted in the 9th Round of the 2018 MLB Draft, MacIver had the best caught stealing percentage on the Rafters (38% or 6-of-16) and did not allow a single pass ball. He batted .242 with just one double in 33 at-bats.

“Willie’s defense is elite. The coaches here can’t stop raving about what he does behind the plate, the way he is invested in the team and the pitchers, the way he blocks, the way he throws. He does so many special things,” Sutaris said of the 25-year-old backstop. “He learned a lot this year when he moved up to Double-A, and he’s learning a lot more now. He’s a sponge and he’s gonna keep getting better. I’m excited for his future as well.”

On the pitching side, Colorado’s crew was extraordinary in a league where 5.66 was the average ERA. Combined, Rockies pitchers had a 2.88 ERA, thanks to Matt Dennis (16.2 IP), Jake Bird (12.2 IP), Reagan Todd (10.1 IP) and Jordan Sheffield (1.0 IP). 

“Those dudes are freaking beasts on the mound,” MacIver said of his pitchers from the Rockies with the Rafters. “Their mentalities are unbelievable. I love catching those guys because they know what they’re doing. It makes my job fun and easy when you got guys like Matt Dennis and Reagan Todd on the mound hitting their spots, being able to throw their pitches for strikes competing on the mound. I love it.”

Todd was the standout amongst the quartet and the lone representative from the pitching staff to make the Fall Stars Game. The Colorado native had a 1.74 ERA, best on Salt River and ninth-best in the AFL for pitchers with as many innings, not to mention a 0.77 WHIP, third-best of any participating pitching prospect.