Why This Rockies' Top Prospect Isn’t Close

The Colorado Rockies' No. 6 prospect, Cole Carrigg, has excelled this spring training with an 11-day hiatus to play for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic sandwiched in between.

The 65th overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft was elite over his 36-game introduction to professional baseball after the draft, and his first full season in 2024.

Carrigg batted .283 with 17 homers, 53 stolen bases, and 14 triples over 115 games. He posted good stolen base numbers through his collegiate career, but grew into the power once he made his minor league debut.

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Unfortunately, 2025 wasn't as fun as the previous two seasons. Carrigg batted just .237 and struck out 145 times over 123 games at Double-A Hartford. Despite struggling at times, he still hit 15 homers and stole 46 bases, highlighting his elite base running.

Cole Carrigg’s Strong Spring Start

Mar 8, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Israel shortstop Cole Carrigg (8) hits and RBI single a — Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As he enters his age 24-season, Carrigg is climbing the minor league ranks and getting closer and closer to the big leagues, but he's not there yet. The Rockies center field prospect is batting .385 through 11 spring training games, which is a great sign after last season.

The Rockies outfield dept but certainly a group that Carrigg could break into if he starts the season well.

Something potentially holding him back is the plethora of outfield prospects. The Rockies boast five players in their top six prospects that can play outfield, three of whom (including Carrigg) finished last season at Hartford. This creates a fun, yet daunting dilemma for Carrigg to overcome.

His teammates, Charlie Condon and Jared Thomas, are both college draftees from the first and second rounds of the 2024 MLB draft, and are both listed above him on MLB.com's Rockies top 30 prospects list.

The logjam and competition created by all three of these will be good for Carrigg, but certainly could put him in the backseat.

Charlie Condon’s Position Change May Aid Carrigg Tremendously

Colorado has tried to remedy this by trying him at different positions, and it's worked to some success. He played 27 games at shortstop and seven games as a catcher over his minor league career, and spent all four games at shortstop for Team Israel.

For the other Yard Goats, Condon spent 74 games at first base last season and didn't spend a single inning in the outfield at Double-A. His position change will aid Carrigg's advance to the Majors, especially if Condon sticks at first.

Thomas was a primary first baseman in college, but has only played in the outfield during his minor league stint.

As disappointing as the outfield logjam is, Carrigg has a high ceiling, and it could be good for his development. His high strikeout rate is something that needs to be improved upon.

"With an up-tempo style of play, the Rockies have worked with him on sticking with an approach and staying present pitch-to pitch," Baseball Savant wrote.

He has a high ceiling, but short stop might be his quickest path to the big leagues. The Rockies' No. 6 prospect is an intriguing player to keep an eye on this season.