With the 10th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, not to mention three selections in the top 38 and four in the the top 50, there’s a major opportunity for the Colorado Rockies to improve a farm system currently rated amongst the worst in the sport.

Believe it or not, that evaluation is set to improve following some recent drafts and international signings that have performed well in the lower levels of the minors.

This upward trajectory is thanks in part to 1B Michael Toglia, OF Zac Veen, C Drew Romo and OF Benny Montgomery being taken during the last three drafts, and the growth of SS Ezequiel Tovar as one of the best prospects in the entire sport.

While Director of Player Development Chris Forbes won’t have a major hand in the decisions made in the room that will add 22 new prospects into the Rockies’ fold – that will be Senior Director of Scouting Operations Marc Gustafson – the organization’s motive for every pick is clear.

“It’s always, ‘Take the best player available,’” Forbes said a little more than two weeks before the MLB Draft, held on July 17 in Los Angeles as part of the All-Star Game festivities. 

As the one who’ll be in charge of developing these young men, the noise that typically surrounds the draft is exactly that when it comes to selecting a player that could have a timetable of anywhere from two-to-six years in the minors before appearing in the Majors.

That doesn’t mean Colorado won’t be aggressive in challenging their draftees.

“There are position players,” Forbes explained, “You take a college guy – I would never be opposed to push him to Low-A Fresno or even possibly High-A Spokane. Just get him going.”

The following names have been floating around various baseball circuits as players who could go 10th overall to the Rockies.

3B/1B/OF Jacob Berry, LSU

Berry is a flat out hitter. His batting average is strong and his incredibly disciplined approach and high contact rates means he has more walks than strikeouts on the back of his baseball card. (Such a thing is actually possible now thanks to NIL.)

Jun 11, 2021; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats third baseman Jacob Berry (15) celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the Ole Miss Rebels during the fifth inning during the NCAA Baseball Tucson Super Regional at Hi Corbett Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

He’s a switch-hitter, which the Rockies have coveted more recently after not having developed their own since Cristhian Adames back in 2014-17. Top prospects like Toglia, Romo and SS Adael Amador all bat from both sides of the plate at a high level.

With the University of Arizona, he was a 2021 Golden Spike Award nominee for best amateur player. At LSU this year, he hit .400 against pitchers in the best baseball conference in the country. 

Berry also profiles as a player that may need to move over to first base in the long run. If he puts up the same offensive numbers we’ve seen in the last two seasons, it won’t really matter much what he contributes on the defensive side of the spectrum.

OF Jordan Beck, Tennessee

Beck profiles as a classic baseball player with all the appearances of a surefire first-round pick, particularly as it pertains to his impressive 6’3” frame. But for all the potential upside you get with the Volunteers’ three-hole hitter this season, there’s also a downside that suggests frustrating times ahead.

In 2021, Beck’s stock appeared incredibly high with 15 home runs in that first SEC season. He began 2022 similarly as successful before missing a lot of pitches over the remainder of the year.

Tennessee right fielder Jordan Beck (27) races up the baseline after hitting a two run double against Vanderbilt during the fifth inning at Hawkins Field Friday, April 1, 2022 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: Saul Young – News Sentinel

He can run, has a strong arm well equipped for right field and has even played a credible center field. But buying this lottery ticket could leave many scratching their heads in a similar way to Sam Hilliard, who is stuck in Triple-A right now despite having such tremendous upside that has yet to come to fruition at the big league level.

RHP Brock Porter, St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Park (MI)

Despite being a high school pitcher, Porter is actually 19 years old. With a 6’4” frame, his size gives him the look of someone even older. (All of which could explain the three no-hitters during his senior season.) 

If taken 10th overall, he’d be the highest prep player selected out of Michigan since 2015 (OF Nick Plummer), and the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year is undoubtedly the best pitcher produced by the state since 1988 (LHP Steve Avery).

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s pitcher Brock Porter throws against Forest Hills Northern Friday, June 17, 2022, during the MHSAA D1 semifinal at McLane Stadium in East Lansing. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s won 9-0. Porter threw a no-hitter. Credit: Matthew Dae Smith – Lansing State Journal

Porter sports a mid-90’s fastball and a few solid breaking pitches. The changeup, however, is his best secondary offering, especially on days he’s touching 100 mph.

Taking a high school pitcher is always a dance with the devil. The last time the Rockies decided to cut a rug was in 2016 when they plucked Riley Pint from St. Thomas Aquinas High School (KS) with the fourth overall pick. Six years later, Pint has yet to appear in a Major League game and is currently relieving with the club’s Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.

LHP Brandon Barreira, American Heritage HS, Plantation (FL)

Imagine if Tim Lincecum were a southpaw. Maybe, just maybe, you’d have this young man from the hotbed of amateur baseball. 

At 5’11” and and 171 pounds, Barreira can sling it from the left side. His changeup is not as polished as Porter’s, though his slider is considered to be better by some. His control is also a half-grade better when comparing the two. 

As less of a consensus pick this high in the first-round, Colorado could possibly sign the Vanderbilt commit below the $4,980,400 slot only to use the savings later to convince a college-bound high schooler to suit up in purple instead. 

The real question is whether or not the Rockies really want to take a high school pitcher this early again. The dearth of college arms is not what was available back in 2020 when they waited until their third selection to grab RHP Chris McMahon, so a Hail Mary for Porter or Barreira is not entirely out of the question this year.

3B Cam Collier, Chipola (FL) JC

While Porter seems old for a high school prospect, Collier is quite young for a JuCo player. 

The son of former big leaguer Lou Collier opted to forgo his senior year of high school to play for one of the best JuCo schools in the country at age-17 against players two and three years older than him. 

Collier was one of the better hitters for Chipola JC this season and he did his damage from the left side of the plate. A comparison to Ryan McMahon isn’t half-bad, though the verdict is still out if Collier can stick at third base with his body type.

Regardless, he has a strong chance to be the highest JuCo position player drafted since 2013 (Tim Anderson, no. 17). Based on some recent reshuffling of several prospect rankings, Collier simply may not be available at no. 10 for Colorado.