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Etkin: Rockies' farm report

Published April 6, 2007 at midnight

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All too often, Triple-A is a level populated by older players, castoffs and retreads with precious few prospects. For the Rockies, it’s happily different at Colorado Springs.

"We’ve been able to put together a competitive club there to open up the season, and it’s guys that have grown up together and have been in the system," player development director Marc Gustafson said. "It’s going to be fun to give the people in Colorado Springs the opportunity to see a homegrown product."

Assistant general manager Bill Geivett said, "We have a lot less disgruntled employees than a lot of other clubs, just because we have more of our own players that are working their way up to the major leagues."

By definition, Triple-A is not going to be utopia since there inevitably are players coming and going from the big leagues during the season, some with bitter feelings at their situation. Obviously, shortstop Clint Barmes and center fielder Cory Sullivan, both members of the Rockies Opening Day lineup in 2006, aren’t clicking their heels about beginning the season in the Pacific Coast League. But they’re both players with too much character to avoid brooding, realistic about what happened in spring training and determined to work on improving their games and get back to the big leagues.

Sullivan, 27, and Barmes, 28, are on a Sky Sox team rich in prospects, giving the Rockies more encouragment that their build-from-within approach will pay off. The last time the Sky Sox were in the PCL playoffs was 1997 and they last won a league championship in 1995. This season bodes well for the Sky Sox but for developmentally sound reasons and not because the roster is populated with a host of 4A players.

In addition to Sullivan, the outfield includes Ryan Spilborghs, 27, who played 67 games with the Rockies last year. Right fielder Seth Smith, 24, who has hit at every level, has moved up from Double-A Tulsa and reserve outfielder Sean Barker, 26, returns to the Sky Sox after hitting .297 with 13 homers and 55 RBI for them last year.

Sky Sox third baseman Ian Stewart, 22, the Rockies first-round pick in 2003, has moved up one level annually. There was offseason discussion about having the power-hitting Stewart develop his outfield skills, but he’ll concentrate on third base at Colorado Springs as he did in spring training.

Former third baseman Vinny Castilla, now a Rockies special assistant, worked with Stewart on catching balls with one hand more often, which led to smoother results than a two-handed approach. Stewart’s bat has always impressed, but Castilla came away confident in Stewart’s defensive ability.

"He could be a good one," Castilla said. "He’s got great range, a good arm, good instincts and his feet are pretty good."

Omar Quintanilla, 25, who made big strides offensively in spring training is defensively solid whether at shortstop or second base. Second baseman Jayson Nix, 24, is coming back from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered July 31 in a collision at home plate in Memphis and which sidelined him the final month of 2006.

Rockies hitting coach Alan Cockrell, who held that position with the Sky Sox last year, said, "He was just starting to figure it out with his hands. He was putting himself in a position to where his hands control the barrel. It was starting to happen on the field more and more, each and every day and each and every week. And I literally got sick to my stomach when he had the collision at home plate in Memphis and I got news he was going to be out for the rest of the year. He was just starting to get it."

Make no mistake, Nix’s star has fallen after three consecutive disappointing offensive seasons, two at Tulsa before last year when he hit .252-2-26 in 103 games for the Sky Sox with a .317 on-base percentage. He has become a very good second baseman, but now that he’s no longer in the developmental spotlight, Nix needs to make notable strides at the plate this season.

Other prospects among the position players include power hitting first baseman Joe Koshansky, 24, who moves up from Tulsa and has a combined 69 homers and 224 RBI in his first two professional seasons, and catcher Alvin Colina, 25.

Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, 23, a glittering prospect who did well in big league camp, will start the season at Colorado Springs but is expected to pitch for the Rockies at some point this year. Other Sky Sox pitching prospects include relievers Ryan Speier, 27, Denny Bautista, 26, Alberto Arias, 23, and left-hander Josh Newman, 24, and starter Marc Kasier, 24, who has led two leagues in innings pitched while moving up one level each year.

Triple-A Colorado Springs

The Sky Sox began the season with a rotation that had Brian Lawrence pitching the first game Thursday night on a rehabilitation assignment followed by Ubaldo Jimenez, Bobby Keppel, Eric Dubose and Marc Kaiser . . . Infielder Russ Johnson was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named. Johnson, 34, who has played in 364 games in the majors and was last there for 18 games with the Yankees in 2005, signed just before the start of spring training and came to minor league camp with the understanding he would have to make the Sky Sox club. When that didn’t happen, the Rockies traded him to the Pirates who had a need at Triple-A Indianapolis, where Johnson started when the season began Thursday.

Double-A Tulsa

Greg Reynolds, the Rockies first pick and second player taken in the draft last year, started Thursday night with the rest of the rotation lined up to include left-hander Franklin Morales, Ryan Mattheus, Ching-Lung Lo and Jon Asahina . . . Samuel Deduno will likely join the Drillers rotation soon. He was unable to arrive in spring training until mid-March because of a visa issue in the Dominican Republic. Authorities were investigating someone with the same name, delaying Deduno’s departure by about two weeks . . . Stephen Register and Juan Morillo returned to Tulsa in different roles. Register, a starter his first three seasons, had moved to the bullpen and will close for the Drillers. He was a closer at Auburn, where the Rockies took him in third round in 2004. Morillo, who can pitch at 97-98 mph and his hit triple digits, began working out of the bullpen in spring training, and the Rockies wanted to keep him at Tulsa to facilitate his adjustment to relieving . . . Pitcher Scott Beerer, 24, drafted in the second round in 2003 out of Texas A&M, retired near the end of spring training when he learned he had not won a spot in the Drillers bullpen. Beerer, who went 3-1, 3.81 with 11 saves in 28 games last year at high Single-A Modesto where he missed a month with shoulder tendonitis, explained to the Rockies he had told himself when he came to camp that he would not pitch anymore if he wasn’t in Double-A . . . Left-hander Zack Parker began the season in Tulsa’s bullpen as a long man, spot starter. He threw well in spring training but with left-handers Mike Gallo and Newman pitching relief at Colorado Springs, Parker didn’t make the Sky Sox. Parker, 25, came to big league camp as a non-roster player last year but had a hugely disappointing season, going 2-6, 6.63 at Colorado Springs in 15 games and eight starts and 2-2, 10.24 at Tulsa in 10 games and six starts. This will be the final opportunity for Parker to salvage his career in the Rockies organization . . . Second baseman Corey Wimberly began the season on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring that isn’t expected to sideline him very long. The speedy Wimberly, whose game in essence is his legs, who stole 50 bases in 87 games at high Single-A Modesto last year, when he was hampered by right hamstring problems . . . Third baseman Matt Macri (left hamstring) opened the season on the disabled list. He came back and played in spring training after suffering the injury only to hurt the hamstring again. Wimberly and Macri are likely to spend about a month in extended spring training where games start Monday. Ideally, both players would get about 40 at-bats before leaving the extended program.

High Single-A Modesto

Pitcher Brandon Hynick made the leap to Modesto after spending all but the final 10 days of 2006 at Rookie Casper before moving up to short-season Single A Tri-City. Drafted in the eighth round last year out of Birmingham-Southern College, finished with nine walks and 79 strikeouts in 71 innings while going 4-3, 2.41 overall . . . The Nuts’ rotation to begin the season was Alan Johnson, Chaz Roe, left-hander Brandon Durden, Hynick and left-hander Xavier Cedeno. There wasn't real slotting per se, so much as keeping the rotation on schedule as it was at the end of spring training . . . Roe, 20, who was a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds of the 2005 draft and the 32nd player taken overall, seems poised for a big season. The 6-foot-5 Roe went 7-4, 4.06 last year in 19 starts at low Single-A Asheville but has made some mechanical adjustments that enable him to use more of his body in his delivery and not, as he did last year, rely mostly on his arm . . . Andrew Johnston, a sinkerball pitcher who went 0-3, 2.84 with 25 saves for Asheville and five walks in 44 1/3 innings will close for the Nuts, who can get to Johnston with the power arms of set-up men Pedro Strop and David Patton.

Low Single A Asheville

The Tourists’ rotation to begin the season was Josh Sullivan, Andrew Graham, left-hander Keith Weiser, Simon Ferrer and Aneury Rodriguez. The latter turned 19 in December. Ferrer is a knuckleball pitcher who spent his first four professional seasons as an outfielder, including 2004 with Asheville and 2005 with Modesto after two seasons in the Dodgers organization, and began pitching last year . . . Closer Craig Baker will be making his professional debut with the Tourists. Drafted in the fourth round last year out of Cal State Northridge, Baker didn’t pitch because of elbow soreness.