Let’s face it, the present state of the Rockies is gloomy.

They entered the weekend with a 54-72 record and were on pace to finish with 93 losses. With 23 of their final 36 games on the road, things could get gloomier still.

But there is genuine hope on the horizon. And that’s not just spin coming from the folks at 20th and Blake.

As recently as 2020, the Rockies’ farm system was ranked 28th by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, which is run by MLB.com. This month, the Rockies were ranked 10th by Baseball America and ninth by MLB Pipeline. Even ESPN, which has been a consistently harsh critic of the Rockies, has proclaimed some improvement, with the organization climbing from 23rd in the spring to its current rank of 16th.

Chris Forbes, Colorado’s director of player development, admits that it’s nice to see the farm system receive some praise.

“Internally, we’ve kept that total belief that we were in a much better spot than most people thought we were, on the farm,” Forbes said. “But it’s nice to hear and it’s much better than hearing the other way.”

While the farm system is certainly not going to provide the Rockies with immediate success at the major-league level, there is a wave of position talent not that far away.

“More than a specific position, I would say that the Rockies’ rise has been fueled by a lot of strong talent that’s coming up from the lower levels,” said Kyle Glaser, a national writer for Baseball America, the well-respected publication that has evaluated minor and major league players for more than four decades.

“Last year at low-A Fresno, it was very apparent that there was a lot of talent on that team,” Glaser continued, noting how outfielder Zac Veen, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and catcher Drew Romo stood out in the California League. “At that time, Veen was the only one who was considered a top-100 prospect. But watching that team I could see that there was a lot of talent.”

The best players from Fresno moved up to High-A Spokane while Veen and Tovar are now at Double-A Hartford. Tovar is likely going to be promoted to Triple-A once his groin injury has sufficiently healed. Tovar will almost certainly make his major league debut early in 2023 and Veen is not that far behind.

Here is Baseball America’s synopsis: “The Rockies have the biggest breakouts from the 2022 season in Ezequiel Tovar, Drew Romo and (shortstop) Adael Amador. As those players rose up the Top 100 they joined 2020 first-rounder Zac Veen among the premier prospects in the game.

“With strong international classes in recent years and the addition of five players within the top 100 picks of the 2022 draft. The Rockies’ system boasts high-end, up-the-middle talent with strong depth and upside throughout their lower levels.”

Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline is also bullish about the young blood in the Rockies’ system.

“There is talent at every level and the Rockies’ top-30 prospect list is much more robust than it was a couple of years ago,” Mayo said. “That’s why they moved into our top 10.”

Here is MLB Pipeline’s thumbnail evaluation of Colorado’s system: “The Rockies had been making small, incremental progress up the rankings until this huge leap, putting them in the top 10 for the first time since the 2017 preseason (when we only did a top 10).

“There weren’t any big trades that caused the push, but rather a combination of several players already in the system breaking out as top-notch prospects (three of the four Top 100 prospects in the system were not on the list at the start of this season) and a strong 2022 Draft class — six from the top 100 of our Draft Top 250 are now Rockies — that added seven new names to a much deeper Top 30.”

Reporters such as Glaser, Mayo, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel make their prospect evaluations and compile their lists and establish rankings based upon conversations with scouts, front-office personnel and minor-league managers and coaches. There are also a lot of in-person visits to minor league games.

“It’s hours and hours of reporting, and we talk to opposing teams to get their view, too,” Glaser said. “It’s very, very comprehensive and it’s very challenging culling down all of that information.”

While not all farm directors take kindly to the rankings and evaluations, Forbes said that he respects them.

“I had a scouting background previously, so I do (find) some validity from the guys who are sitting in the stands, and talking to people in baseball and truly evaluating our farm system,” he said.

As for his own view of the Rockies’ system, Forbes is optimistic.

“Seeing this wave is encouraging,” he said. “They are not all going to hit, of course, but I kind of like the makeup and competitiveness of the group. Plus, they are physical and they are toolsy. I’m liking some of our versatility pieces. I like the balance of it. And I really like where our catching is at. It’s been a long time since we have had a complete catching corps like this.”

But it’s the other half of the battery — pitching, starting pitching in particular — where the Rockies remain thin. Injuries and poor performance from recent high draft picks have left the cupboard bare.

Right-hander Peter Lambert (second round, 2015) has made just two starts since making 19 starts as a rookie in 2019 and he’s still recovering from his 2020 Tommy John surgery. Lefty Ryan Rolison (first round, 2018) climbed to Triple-A last year but didn’t pitch at all this year and underwent shoulder surgery in July.  Lefty Helcris Olivarez, an international signing, would likely have made his Rockies debut this season but he’s been injured since spring training and needs surgery to repair his shoulder capsule and faces a lengthy rehab. Righty Mike Nikorak (first round, 2015) retired without getting close to the majors because of elbow issues.

“There’s no question about it, that right now, the strength of the Rockies organization and the players fueling this rise are position players and catchers,” Glaser said. “We did see the Rockies spend three of their top five picks on pitchers in this year’s draft, including (first-rounder) Gabriel Hughes at No. 10 overall.

“And they got Jaden Hill last year, who’s now back on the mound after Tommy John (surgery). So I will say that the Rockies have some arms that are interesting, but there is no question that there are fewer of them than position players, and for the most part, they are unproven.”

Forbes, while optimistic that Colorado’s young pitchers will eventually blossom, is also realistic.

“That’s one of the things we’ve talked about. How are we going to fill that gap, with Lambert and Rolison going on the shelf?” Forbes said.  “That’s where the free-agent class and trades and waiver claims, and the things that (general manager) Bill Schmidt is going to do, will help out.

“We are all under the impression that we are mostly going to have to grow our own pitchers. There are some intriguing names in our starting pitching, but we are doing them a disservice if we tried to force their debut next year.”

Rockies Top-10 Prospects from Baseball America