Ezequiel Tovar is well ahead of schedule to make his Coors Field debut sooner than later

Imagine a player with Garrett Hampson’s speed, Brendan Rodgers’ power and Trevor Story’s defensive ability.

Then imagine those skills being a notch above what you’re expecting.

Now place it all inside a 20-year-old shortstop.

That’s Ezequiel Tovar.

The youngest player on the Colorado Rockies’ 40-man roster has been turning heads since batting .550 (11-for-20) with three home runs and seven runs batted in during his first big league camp this past March.

On Tuesday night, his two-run blast helped the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats in a win that moved them to first place in the Eastern League Northeast Division. It was his 12th home run of the season, most on the club and fourth-most in the league.

Deficit no more.

Sixth-ranked @Rockies prospect Ezequiel Tovar gives @GoYardGoats the lead with an opposite-field homer. pic.twitter.com/1prlHjcJUz

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2022

It’s not just fans of the Colorado Rockies’ farm system who have noticed his incredible upside. 

In an intriguing bit a news last week, Tovar was ranked as the 26th-best prospect in MLB during a reshuffling of Baseball America’s top 100 list. Even more impressive: he was not on the pre-season list. (He was ranked ninth in Colorado’s system to start the year before turning heads through the first two months of the season.)

Of course, the manager at the big league level has also taken notice.

“He’s been fantastic,” Bud Black said last week of his young shortstop. “We saw him in Spring Training and the coaching staff and I were impressed… The thing that has caught our attention: you look at all our prospects over the years since I’ve been here and look what they did in that league… And look at Tovar. ”

To underline his point, Black ran through the list of every hitter on the Rockies’ active roster – and then some – who played in the Eastern League since 2017. That short list includes Ryan McMahon, Brendan Rodgers, Garrett Hampson, Sam Hilliard and Colton Welker.

Though Trevor Story wasn’t mentioned, he did play in the EL with the New Britain Rock Cats in 2016 just before Black arrived, and the numbers still point to Tovar being better offensively at a full year-and-a-half younger than the prospect from Irving, TX that eventually became a two-time All-Star. 

Tovar has been elite in an at-bat-per-home-run rate (15.8 AB/HR) even when breaking down beyond those established players we know at a big league level, 

Only two players have homered more frequently than Tovar with the Yard Goats: 1B/DH Roberto Ramos (13.3 AB/HR) in 2018, who went on to hit 38 home runs with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization two years later; and Vince Fernandez (15.3 AB/HR) in 2019, who was suspended for 50 games that season for testing positive for Amphetamine.

And if his defense is a question, his glove has long been the calling card that many scouts and talent evaluators have never wavered. This component of his game may already be ready for prime time.

No matter what type of fantasy league you are in ….

You are going to want to look at @Rockies Ezequiel Tovarhttps://t.co/o6ZnCUy9XE pic.twitter.com/cNC0bdXz6V

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 2, 2022

In the past, Colorado had a tendency to leave some of their higher-profile prospects at the same level for a full-season. Under new GM Bill Schmidt, the approach has been more aggressive and the results have been glaringly positive.

Last season, four Rockies’ affiliates did well to have the best record in their league or reach the championship round. It’s more of the same this year as Hartford and Low-A Fresno are in first place while High-A Spokane is in second place. Altogether, the organization is at a .560 winning percentage in the minors through Tuesday night.

It’s only a matter of time before Tovar helps replicate some of his success for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes and, eventually, the big league club.

DIAMOND DETAILS

• Black also confirmed a shoulder surgery will end the year for a pair of 24-year-old prospects: 3B Colton Welker and LHP Ryan Rolison.
  • Though Colorado has a full 40-man roster, they’ll have the ability to add two players once Welker and Rolison are placed on the 60-day injured list.
• Infielder Coco Montes homered twice on Tuesday night in a 10-4 Isotopes win.
  • The 25-year-old was a 15th round pick in 2018 out of the University of South Florida. He led the EL in doubles with 37 last season before repeating the level to start 2022. Since being promoted to Triple-A on April 28, he has an OPS of .974 and has scored 28 runs in 27 games while playing every infield position except first base.