Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs per game (4.21) and generated the second-lowest slugging percentage (.400) in franchise history in 2024.
Not coincidentally, Colorado lost 101 games last season, two shy of the franchise low point established the year before.
Fortunately for the Rockies, they have some slugging outfielders on the way. They spent the No. 3 overall pick and a Draft-record $9.25 million bonus on outfielder Charlie Condon in July, just as Robert Calaz was putting the finishing touches on an MVP season and Triple Crown in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Yanquiel Fernandez had a strong season at Double-A and could arrive in Denver at some point this year.
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
Condon was the most devastating hitter in college baseball last year, winning the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s best amateur after leading NCAA Division I in batting (.433), slugging (1.009), OPS (1.565), homers (37), extra-base hits (58) and total bases (233) as a redshirt sophomore at Georgia. He not only features top-of-the-scale raw power that plays from foul pole to foul pole, but he also has a relatively compact right-handed swing and makes good swing decisions.
Colorado has yet to see Condon at his best. A bone spur in his right finger led to him changing his grip on the bat during an underwhelming pro debut at High-A. Now he’ll miss the first month of this season after sustaining a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist while diving for a ball on March 11.
“I’ve been here a while,” said farm director Chris Forbes, who started with the Rockies as an area scout in 2006, “and Charlie is probably the most complete hitting prospect we’ve had. We didn’t get the best version of him last year because he got hit by a pitch on his hand at Georgia and tried to play through the injury. There could be more power in there because we haven’t tapped into the strength component yet.”
The prize of the Rockies’ 2023 international class, Calaz signed for $1.7 million out of the Dominican Republic. After posting a .984 OPS in his pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, he came to the United States last year and slashed .349/.462/.651 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 49 ACL games. Already quite physical at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, he continued to mash at Single-A in the final month as an 18-year-old, making exceptionally loud contact for his age.
“Robert didn’t even want to play baseball growing up,” Forbes said. “The kids in his town needed him to fill out their team and he wanted to ride his horse. They were frustrated because they knew how good he could be, so they threw rocks trying to knock him off his horse.
“The beauty of Robert is that he can’t describe how he does what he does. That innocence is intriguing. His body moves really quick. He’s still learning the game.”
Another product of Colorado’s international efforts, Fernandez left Cuba before signing for $295,000 in July 2019. As physical as Calaz, Fernandez totaled 46 homers in his first two full pro seasons but tapered off to 12 last year. He made adjustments and provided more consistent contact when he repeated Double-A to begin 2024 but scuffled following an August promotion to Triple-A.
“In Double-A, we saw his hit ability start to show up,” Forbes said. “He started recognizing what pitchers were trying to do to him and started taking what they gave him. Sometimes he tries to create power, and in Triple-A, guys mixed their pitches and located better and cut him up. He needs to lock into making better swing decisions.”
Camp standout: Zac Veen
The ninth overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Veen has played in just 111 games the past two seasons while dealing with wrist, thumb and back injuries. He’s healthy now and making an unexpected push for a starting outfield job with his play and nonstop energy in the Cactus League. Through last Saturday, he led the Rockies in homers (two), extra-base hits (seven) and steals (six) while slashing .325/.413/.625.
“This is a ton of fun -- the most fun I’ve ever had,” Veen told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. “It’s so much fun because we’re playing baseball every day, and I get to play with a lot of guys I’ve watched growing up and guys that I came up with in the system. It’s a great time.”
Breakout potential: Kyle Karros
An ankle injury at UCLA helped knock down Karros down to the fifth round of the 2023 Draft, but the third baseman won High-A Northwest League MVP honors in his first full pro season and nearly captured the Triple Crown as well by slashing .311/.390/.485 with 15 homers and 78 RBIs in 126 games. The son of 1992 National League Rookie of the Year Eric Karros, Kyle is one of the best pure hitters in the system and could tap into some more power.
“We eventually see Kyle as a 20-25-home run guy,” Forbes said. “He’s done exactly what we’ve asked of him, which is stay with the hittability piece for now. We love the way he has carried himself in his first big league camp. He’s got pedigree and he sure got some good advice from his dad.”
Bounceback candidate: Benny Montgomery
The Rockies still have high hopes for Montgomery, whom they drafted eighth overall in 2021. He lost half of 2022 to a quadriceps injury and most of last season to surgery on his left shoulder. He needs to prove he can make consistent contact but still possesses an all-around tools package as good as any in the system, with double-plus speed and plus raw power, arm strength and center-field defense.
“I think Benny is going to have a very good year,” Forbes said. “He’s healthy and looked good in our high-performance camp in January. He came in from high school and it took some time to get comfortable in the pro setting, but he looks like a man now.”
Jim Callis is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him @jimcallisMLB and @jimcallis.bsky.social. Listen to him on the weekly MLB Pipeline Podcast.
Phillies Prospects Shine at BayCare Ballpark in Exhibition Win
CLEARWATER, FL – For the first time in 2025, Phillies prospects and the Threshers coaching staff took the field at BayCare Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon for a scrimmage with a group of Tigers prospects potentially ticketed for Lakeland. The Tigers scored all of their runs via the home run, but
Phillies Prospects Test Phillies All-Star in Sim Game
CLEARWATER, FL – With the final day of Spring Training upon us, Cristopher Sánchez prepared for his first start of the regular season with a five-inning simulated game at the Carpenter Complex on Monday morning. The 2024 All-Star lefty looked great against a host of Phillies minor leaguers in preparation
Owusu-Asiedu Drives in Two as Phillies Prospects Take Close Win
CLEARWATER, FL – Minor League exhibition games continued on Thursday at the Carpenter Complex. Marty Malloy managed a group of Phillies prospects to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon. The Phillies minor league squads will face the Yankees in Tampa when Spring Training continues on
DeMartini Delivers Go-Ahead Homer in Spring Breakout Victory
WP: Casey Steward (1-0, 0.00) LP: Wilbur Dotel (0-1, 9.00) SV: Aaron Combs (1) BOX SCORE: CLEARWATER, FL – With five of the seven hits for the Philadelphia Phillies Prospects going for extra-bases, including a go-ahead home run, the Phillies farmhands never trailed and earned their first ever Spring Breakout
Phillies Blanked by Blue Jays in Minor League Spring Opener
CLEARWATER, FL – With Spring Training in full bloom, the Phillies’ minor leaguers got their first opportunity to play against an opposing team in 2025. Unfortunately, Marty Malloy’s group fell 3-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays prospects at the Carpenter Complex on Thursday afternoon. The team featured a starting lineup
Phillies Announce 2025 Spring Breakout Roster
CLEARWATER, FL - For the second straight season, each MLB team will select a team comprised of their top prospects to compete against another organization for the second annual Spring Breakout Game. This year, the Philadelphia Phillies will host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, March 14, at BayCare Ballpark. First
Defensive Focus on Day Three of Camp
CLEARWATER, FL - With the big league club on the road, the Phillies minor leaguers had a shortened day of drills on their third day of camp. Hitting was inside due to weather, but pitching and defense continued to be the focus of the early days at the Carpenter Complex.
Exhibition Games Begin at Carpenter Complex
CLEARWATER, FL - For the first time in 2025, the Phillies major and minor leaguers were playing games at the same time, with Threshers Skipper Marty Malloy at the helm of the away team in the first Phillies Intrasquad Game of Spring Training at the Carpenter complex. Each team managed
Phillies Minor Leaguers Start Spring Training
CLEARWATER, FL - With Spring Training well underway at BayCare Ballpark, the Carpenter Complex is starting to liven up even more, as Minor League Spring Training for all Phillies farmhands began on Monday afternoon. Some players are coming to the states to play for the first time, and all are
Clearwater Threshers Announce 2025 Coaching Staff
With the minor league season on the horizon, the Philadelphia Phillies have announced the 2025 Field Staff for the Clearwater Threshers. The reigning FSL West First Half Champions return three members of their 2024 coaching staff, including manager Marty Malloy for his fifth year at the helm. Pitching coach Tyler
Threshers Release 2025 Game Schedule
CLEARWATER, FL. - The Clearwater Threshers, proud Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies and back-to-back Florida State League West Division First-Half Champions, have announced their 2025 schedule with game times. The quest for a third-straight playoff spot begins on the night of Tuesday, April 8th, and concludes with a noon
Threshers Announce 2025 Promotional Calendar
The Clearwater Threshers have announced the full promotional schedule for the 2025 Florida State League season. This summer at BayCare Ballpark is full of fireworks, giveaways, concerts, theme nights, and Beach Dogs. Buy Threshers Tickets Fans can look forward to the return of Dollar Tuesday presented by Top Notch Pest
Job Fairs for 2025 Phillies Spring and Threshers Summer Seasons
Philadelphia Phillies Florida Operations is holding multiple Food and Beverage job fairs in January to hire reliable, positive, seasonal gameday staff for the 2025 Phillies Spring Training and Threshers summer seasons. Food and Beverage positions to be filled include stand lead, cook, warehouse runner, cashiers, food runner, and suites runner.
Threshers Anthony wins 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence have been announced by Minor League Baseball and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company and Threshers infielder Keaton Anthony was named the recipient for the first-base position. From the MiLB news release: "Phillies first baseman Keaton Anthony recorded 593 total
Trio of Threshers Named Florida State League All-Stars
Three members of the Clearwater Threshers earned a nomination to the Florida State League All-Stars. Infielder Devin Saltiban, Outfielder Jordan Viars, and Right-Handed Pitcher George Klassen were the Three who earned a spot on the All-Star Team. All three were on the Thresher's Opening Day roster, with Saltiban remaining a
Threshers Knocked out of Playoffs in 6-1 Defeat
WP: Gabriel Reyes (1-0, 1.50) LP: Titan Hayes (0-1, 81.00) BOX SCORE CLEARWATER, FL – Carson DeMartini gave the Clearwater Threshers (64-63, 0-2) lead in the fourth, but the Lakeland Flying Tigers (80-50, 2-0) scored the final six runs to take a 6-1 win and knock the Threshers out of
Pitcher’s Duel Sends Threshers Home with Loss
WP: Rayner Castillo (1-0, 1.50) LP: Reese Dutton (0-1, 0.00) SV: Micah Ashman (1) BOX SCORE LAKELAND, FL – Three pitchers from the Clearwater Threshers (64-63, 0-1) combined to allow three hits, but the Lakeland Flying Tigers (80-50, 1-0) allowed one as they took down the Threshers 2-1 in game
Owusu-Asiedu Ends Regular Season with Walkoff Home Run
WP: Josh Bortka (4-2, 5.90) LP: Joseph Yabbour (1-1, BS (1), 8.24) BOX SCORE CLEARWATER, FL – Entering the tenth inning down a run, the Clearwater Threshers (64-63, 21-40) scored four runs, including a walkoff home run by Avery Owusu-Asiedu, in the bottom of the tenth to earn a 10-7
Threshers Get Two Hits in Shutout Loss
WP: Dylan Ross (1-0, 0.00) LP: A.J. Wilson (0-1, 3.86) SV: Christian Rodriguez (1) BOX SCORE CLEARWATER, FL – Two hits from Carson DeMartini provide all the offense for the Clearwater Threshers (63-63, 20-40) as they fall 6-0 in a shutout loss to the St. Lucie Mets (45-83, 23-39) on