Rockies Pitching Prospect Jackson Cox Finding Rhythm at Double-A Hartford

After missing time due to Tommy John Surgery, the 22-year-old right-hander is getting his groove back with the Yard Goats

An Equipment Bag with the Colorado Rockies Logo | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Over the past couple of seasons, the Colorado Rockies have jump-started the careers of their best young prospects, and their growth has begun to show.

While the team's spot in the standings isn't great today, there's plenty of hope on the horizon with the talent the team has at every level of its farm system.

Leading the School of Rox will be phenoms Charlie Condon and Ethan Holliday, but they will have plenty of help when all of the names reach the Colorado roster.

One of those names is thought to be 22-year-old Jackson Cox, a right-handed pitcher who the Rockies selected in the second round in 2022. He stands 6-2 and weighs in right around 200 pounds, so he's not an intimidating presence, so to speak. But he does enough to be effective, which is why he's moved all the way up to number six on the list of top Rox prospects, according to ESPN.

Cox was knocked off trajectory when he had to undergo Tommy John Surgery in July 2023. It ended his debut season in Single-A and kept him sidelined for all of 2024. Since then, he's been rounding back into form. He has posted a solid 6-3 mark, with a 4.09 ERA and 122 strikeouts, through 17 starts and 92.1 innings this year for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.

What the Scouts Are Saying

Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The book on Cox is that he should have improved velocity as he picks up his workload. While the arm injury may havehindered in his progress, he could react like several other hurlers have and actually come back stronger.

"Cox’s stuff started coming back once he was on the mound, running his fastball up to 95 mph routinely and reaching back for more at times with good life up in the zone, but it’s his curveball that is still the talk of the town," his official MLB scouting report reads.

Having a solid complementary pitch is a great sign for Cox, who could be knocking on the door of the Majors sometime next year, assuming he makes the jump to Triple-A Albuquerque sometime this year. Given his injury history, Colorado may be reluctant to do. Completing the season at Hartford and continuing to pitch well may be a better pathway to that jump.

With the potential for a labor stoppage in the offseason, it's hard to say how Cox may be spending his spring. But assuming spring training isn't truncated for any reason, he's a candidate for a non-roster invitation to spring training. He probably wouldn't compete for a rotation job in the Majors, but that could be his springboard to getting to Albuquerque and positioning himself for the Rockies by late 2027 or 2028.