Rockies Have Underrated Hitting Prospect Set for Potential Breakthrough

The Colorado Rockies have been waiting for this outfield prospect to reach the higher rungs of their minor league system.

A detailed view of a Colorado Rockies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

On the surface, outfield feels like one of the few areas where the Colorado Rockies have good coverage in the Majors and the minors.

In the Majors, the Rockies have Jordan Beck, Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak, Zac Veen, Jake McCarthy and Tyler Freeman in competition for spots in spring training. That doesn’t include other 40-man roster players like Yanquiel Fernández, Troy Johnston and Sterlin Thompson.

In the minors, one of the organization’s top prospects is Charlie Condon, who plays right field but can also play first base. There is solid organizational depth behind him.

But there’s another outfielder Colorado could add to the mix soon, one that has consistently proven he can hit. Baseball America (subscription required) calls Derek Bernard the organization’s “sleeper” for 2026.

Derek Bernard, Rockies Prospect Sleeper

Bernard was a Colorado international signee in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic. His build-up has been slow, but productive. Even though he hasn’t played higher than Class-A Fresno, Baseball America believes this could be his year to accelerate his development through the system.

He has a career minor league slash of .306/.383/.467 with 18 home runs and 125 RBI. He doesn’t have much power, but he has above-average speed in the field and on the bases and has a frame that would invite more power as it fills out.

The 20-year-old has never played above Fresno and that invites a simple question — why? He’s hit at or near .300 his entire career. His bat isn’t the issue. But there are other factors holding him back, per Baseball America’s Jesús Cano. First, he’s struggling defensively and improvement there would make him less of a liability in the field.

Second, raw power and contact only gets a hitter so far.

“Bernard showed plus raw power and above-average in-game exit velocities but still needs to prove he can handle spin and high-octane offerings,” Cano wrote.

Those are the kinds of offerings he’ll start getting at Double-A and Triple-A ball, which figure to be next in his development. That’s the difference between minor league prospects who never pan out and Major League talent, an ability to handle more than just fastballs.

This is the right time for Bernard to break out. He’s in his fifth year of pro baseball, which means he’ll be Rule 5 draft eligible next offseason. A breakout season puts Colorado in a position of having to move him to the 40-man roster to protect him or leave him exposed and hope for the best. How he performs this season will inform what happens next.  

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