Rockies Undrafted Free Agent Signing Has Been Spectacular in Single-A This Season

The Colorado Rockies have a clear focus on building from their young core, and one undrafted free agent has found his stride in the minor leagues.

Jun 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson senior Jimmy Obertop (11) hits against Coastal Carolina senior Trevor Hinkel (19) during the bottom of the first inning of the NCAA baseball Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have had a difficult season all around when it comes to their MLB roster, no doubt. However, the positive news is that they have a few young players on their team who have flashed success throughout the year, and that is especially visible with some of their minor league prospects.

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An exceptional 2025 MLB draft class for the Rockies helped out their chances a ton, especially landing Ethan Holliday, who immediately takes over as one of the best prospects in the entire system for Colorado.

However, some of the most notable prospects in their system currently are the ones at the lower levels, specifically Single-A, where a few names have started to really prove their worth in the past few months.

One of the most notable has been catcher/first baseman Jimmy Obertop, who signed with the Rockies back in January as an undrafted free agent from the 2024 class. A Clemson alumnus, Obertop spent four seasons with Michigan before picking up a fifth season of eligibility with the Tigers.

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Now, he has an opportunity to push forth with a professional career, and after a few months, is already stating his case to be promoted to High-A.

How Well Has Jimmy Obertop Performed in the Minor Leagues Since Signing?

Obertop started out his professional career at the ACL level for only a few games, two to be exact, before immediately proving he was ready for more. He was then promoted to Single-A Fresno, and in the span of 24 games has begun to prove how he is a worthwhile investment in terms of development and skillset.

In those 24 games, Obertop is slashing .319/.417/.472 with 20 RBI, six runs, three stolen bases without being caught, two home runs, a triple, 26 strikeouts and 10 walks.

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Oddly enough, despite being a first baseman and catcher, he has only played in the field about half of the time, with 10 games at DH (eight starts), 10 games at first base (six starts) and four games at catcher (two starts).

In the field, he has been exceptional, though, only picking up one error total across both positions in 99 innings played. He also has 89 putouts, six assists, and five double plays turned. A 98.9% fielding rate overall through his first few weeks playing is very strong, and a sign that he is not just prolific at batting.

Most intriguing of all has been his last week of playing time, where he hit for a .429 average, picking up seven of his RBI and one of his home runs. It is clear that he is progressing nicely and could be a fun player to watch out for in the coming weeks.

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