Weekly Pebble Report: Why is Everything Chrome? (August 12th - August 18th) (2024)

This is the new home of the Weekly Pebble Report here on Purple Row, your weekly Colorado Rockies minor league update. We have decided to make the Pebble Report a stand-alone article for ease of access and to better even out our content for our readers. Starting today, the Pebble Report will go up on Tuesday mornings.

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Everything is chrome in the future!

If you haven’t been paying attention, here on Purple Row it’s time for the release of our midseason PuRPs prospect rankings! We’ve made it through the small ballot players and honorable mentions from nos. 72 to 31 and now it’s time for the good stuff. Keep following up with Purple Row as we start the top 30 Colorado Rockies prospects as voted on by our readers and staff!

Meanwhile, right-handed pitcher Bradley Blalock (no. 31 PuRP) has his first two big league starts in the books. The 23-year-old rookie pitched back-to-back 5 ²⁄₃ innings starts in Arizona and at Coors Field, striking out six batters and giving up four earned runs over 11 ²⁄₃ total innings.

Top catching prospect Drew Romo (no. 7 PuRP) made his big league debut on Todd Helton night over the weekend. Although he was unable to get his first career hit, Romo made contact in three of his four at-bats and reached base on a fielder’s choice.

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (2-4, 46-74 Overall)

Lost in the shuffle of another dropped series by the Albuquerque Isotopes is the fact that they probably played their best, most complete ballgame of the season against the Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers) on Wednesday. The Isotopes’ pitching and hitting were both excellent in a 15-2 beatdown that was a lot of fun amongst five other games that were more of the same.

A Quality Start in the Palmquist of His Hand: Tricky lefty Carson Palmquist (no. 18 PuRP) is adjusting well to Triple-A after a difficult debut at the beginning of the month. On Thursday against the Express he was dialed in and pitched an absolute gem of a PCL start. Palmquist pitched six innings while allowing just one earned run that came from a solo home run. He walked just two batters and gave up only four total hits, but also struck out eight batters. There’s a non-zero chance Palmquist will make his major league debut in the coming six weeks.

Seth Them Up and Knock Them Down: Right-handed reliever Seth Halvorsen (no. 42 PuRP) had his first truly bumpy Triple-A outing on Thursday, but the box score makes it look a lot worst than it actually was. Halvorsen gave up two earned runs on five hits, but those five hits were all singles that came via soft contact or ground balls. Halvorsen then rebounded beautifully on Sunday night as he struck out all three batters he faced on 15 pitches. Halvorsen already has ten strikeouts in six innings of work with the Isotopes.

Willie Mac Tonight: With Drew Romo called up to the show, the stage is set for Willie MacIver (no. 36 PuRP) to show his stuff as the Isotopes’ primary catcher. MacIver went 7-for-17 against Round Rock with a double and two home runs for six total RsBI. He had multiple hits in two of his four games played last week, including a two homer game on Wednesday.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (1-4, 62-49 Overall)

It was a tough week for the Yard Goats as they played host to the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) and dropped four of the five games played with a rainout on Sunday to wrap up the week. Thankfully, the some of the usual suspects turned in performances to take ours minds off the series loss.

A Hardy Worker: Right-handed reliever and minor league Rule 5 draft pick from the New York Mets Brendan Hardy (no. 68 PuRP) came off the 7-day injured list and got right back to work over the weekend. He pitched on Friday against the patriots and turned in a scoreless inning with two strikeouts as his ERA dropped to 3.89 for the season. Drawing comparisons to Freddy Peralta and former Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino, Hardy has pitched well in 37 innings of work for the Yard Goats with 41 strikeouts over 30 appearances.

Zero Agony with Agnos: Reliever Zach Agnos (no. 35 PuRP) continues to be part of a bright potential future for the Rockies coming out of the bullpen. Agnos pitched two scoreless outings against the Patriots without allowing a hit or a walk and striking out three batters. He sat down the side on strikeouts Saturday afternoon. His combined ERA across High-A and Double-A is down to 1.10 this season with 51 strikeouts over 41 innings.

He’ll Make You Chase: Another week, another gem of an outing from Rockies top pitching prospect Chase Dollander (no. 2 PuRP). Dollander has made five starts in Double-A and each outing has been an improvement on the last. He took the mound on Friday and tied his season high for innings at seven while maintaining a shutout. He did struggle somewhat with command, giving up five hits, walking three batters, and hitting another. However, he also struck out nine batters, a new high for him with the Yard Goats.

The Kids Are Albright: 21-year-old lefty Mason Albright was named MiLB Pitcher of the Week for his seven inning shutout performance against the Patriots to kick off the series. Albright allowed just three hits and struck out three batters without walking or hitting any opposing batters. It was an excellent recovery after a difficult outing on August 6th against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants).

High-A: Spokane Indians (2-4, 68-44 Overall)

The Spokane Indians dropped their series to the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays) with four losses, including getting shut out in the series opener and getting blown out 1-10 in Friday. However, in both of their wins they blanked the Canadians.

Senzy in Spokane: Rockies right-handed starter Antonio Senzatela pitched in-game for the first time since tearing his UCL on May 10th, 2023 as he started for the Indians on Sunday. Senzatela looked like someone who had only pitched 7 ²⁄₃ innings in almost two full years after his ACL tear in August 2022. Senzatela pitched 2 ¹⁄₃ innings against the Canadians and gave up two earned runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out one batter. His arm looked healthy and he topped out at 98 MPH for his fastball velocity.

Running Up That Hill Jr.: Glenallen “GJ” Hill Jr. continues to be red hot at the plate with the Indians. He has five home runs in the month of August after hitting another three against the Canadians in four games. Hill went 6-for-13 at the plate with a double and four RsBI. Since being promoted to Spokane the son of longtime Rockies coach Glenallen Hill Sr. has an OPS of .917 in 32 games.

How’s the Weatherly Up There?: Lefty reliever Sam Weatherly has spun seven consecutive shutout appearances dating back to July 25th when he was still with Low-A Fresno. After being promoted to Spokane this month he’s got three straight scoreless outings with five total innings pitched and six total strikeouts. On Wednesday against the Canadians he pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout to earn his tenth save of the season.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (3-3, 59-54 Overall)

The Grizzlies rattled off three straight wins against their dreaded rival Modesto Nuts (Seattle Mariners) to kick off the series, only to end the set with a split after losing the final three games. The Grizzlies had Sunday’s finale in reach for a walk-off with runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to capitalize.

Baby, you got a Stu going!: Lefty pitcher Stu Flesland III is continuing to stretch out into starting shape and made his second consecutive start—his third of the season. Flesland III pitched four shutout innings while allowing just one hit and one walk, all the while striking out four batters. Flesland III has 15 total strikeouts across 9 ²⁄₃ total innings in August.

Andy for Perez-ident: Young Grizzlies infielder Andy Perez went 8-for-24 against the Nuts while striking out just twice and stealing three bases. Perez, 20, is batting .292/.326/.434 in his second season with the Grizzlies and is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak dating back to the beginning of August.

Are there other good name-based one-liners for Jared? Because I did “he went to Jared” last week: 2024 draft pick Jared Thomas played only three games against the Nuts, but had multiple hits in two of them. Thomas hit his second professional home run and his first professional double while going 4-for-14 with 2 RsBI. He also hit the walk-off single that took the series opener for the Grizzlies.

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