Analyst Says Rockies Landed Several Potential Starters in Late Rounds of MLB Draft

The Colorado Rockies have a chance to develop prospects and turn around their farm system after their draft class haul.

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The Colorado Rockies have received praise, rightfully so, for selecting top prospect Ethan Holliday in the MLB draft.

While he was a consensus pick for the Rockies at No. 4 with his high upside and raw power, Holliday alone won’t change the makeup of Colorado’s farm system.

To turn around their recent history as they pace towards their 13th losing season in 15 years, the Rockies must strengthen their pipeline.

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They now have 21 new prospects from their haul in this year’s draft.

Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) released an analysis of the NL West’s draft classes and believes that Colorado’s was “excellent.”

“I know it’s trendy to knock the Rockies, but I think they had a very strong draft this year,” Law wrote.

Law is high on their Day 1 selections, including terming Texas outfielder Max Belyeu at No. 74 overall a great-value pick since he was No. 41 in Law’s prospect rankings.

He sees Southern Miss right-hander JB Middleton at No. 45 as a “high-probability back-end starter.”

Law dug into some of the later round selections on Day 2, including UC Irvine right-hander Riley Kelly at No. 107 overall in the fourth round.

“He’s up to 96, but he sits more 91-93, generating a ton of whiffs on his 82-85-mph straight change, although his 11/5 curveball looks like it should be his best pitch. He has 45 control right now, but if that gets to 50, he’s a starter,” Law wrote.

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Kelly moved from the bullpen to the rotation and lowered his ERA by a run and a half to 3.78.

The Rockies took Wake Forest outfielder Cameron Nelson No. 138 overall in the fifth round, who slashed .319/.489/.485 with one home run, 19 RBI, and 13 strikes to 20 walks in a limited 91 plate appearances.

“I don’t love the swing, but the speed and contact are a good combo,” Law wrote.

Louisville catcher Matt Klein played 33 games last spring around a broken arm, and that small sample size may have led to him dropping to Colorado at No. 167 overall in the sixth round.

Law writes that Klein was “hitting about as well as he had as a sophomore, with a low strikeout rate (11 percent) and below-average power. He has a chance to be a second-division regular and probably would have gone a round or two higher if he’d played the full spring.”

The Rockies went on a pitcher run in rounds 10 through 20.

Law focused in on South Florida righty Austin Newton at No. 287 overall and North Carolina righty closer Derrick Smith at No. 497 overall.

“He [Newton] pounds the zone with a 93-96 mph sinker and mid-80s slider,” Law wrote. “Between school and some time in the Draft League this year, he’s walked just eight batters in 38 2/3 innings (5.2 percent).”

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He believes Colorado “rolled the dice” on Smith, who was North Carolina’s closer in 2024, since he “threw just three innings in 2025 — walking six and striking out eight — due to injury and ineffectiveness.”

Smith had an undisclosed injury that kept him out of a large amount of his 2025 campaign, and it’s not clear how that affected him. However, when he’s the eighth consecutive pitcher selected, there’s some freedom to bet on smaller sample sizes.

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