Colorado’s top prospects are coming to major-league spring training.
The Rockies’ top overall prospect, Zac Veen, and top catching prospect Drew Romo are among the club’s 22 non-roster invitations to 2023 spring training. The 2020 first-round picks will be making their Cactus League debuts.
Veen finished last year in Double-A Hartford before starring in the Arizona Fall League and could find himself as a late-season call-up if he plays well. Meanwhile, Romo projects to climb the ladder in the upper minors this year. Also included on the list are a couple of notable right-handed starting pitching prospects, Karl Kauffmann (Colorado’s pick at No. 77 overall in 2019) and Case Williams (the Douglas County product whom the Rockies traded to the Reds, then back for).
Left-handed Ty Blach is back with Colorado as a non-roster invite for a second straight year. In 2022, the Regis Jesuit alum parlayed the opportunity into a spot on the opening-day roster, and finished the season with a 5.89 ERA in 24 games.
Another southpaw to watch is Logan Allen, who the Rockies signed to a minor-league deal last August. Allen, an eighth-round pick by Boston in 2015, has played for the Guardians, Padres and Orioles, with a 5.89 ERA over 33 games (15 starts).
Of the 22 invites, eight of them came to the Rockies from other organizations: Fernando Abad (Seattle), Harold Castro (Detroit), Jeff Criswell (Oakland), Matt Koch (Seattle), Josh Rogers (Miami), Cole Tucker (Arizona), Phillips Valdéz (Seattle) and T.J. Zeuch (Cincinnati).
Rockies pitchers and catchers are due to report to Scottsdale on Feb. 15th; the first full squad workout is Feb. 20th. Colorado’s Cactus League opener is Feb. 25th against the Diamondbacks at Salt River.
The full list of non-roster invites:
Left-handed pitchers: Fernando Abad, Logan Allen, Ty Blach, Josh Rogers
Right-handed pitchers: Jeff Criswell, Stephen Jones, Karl Kauffmann, Matt Koch, Phillips Valdéz, Case Williams, T.J. Zeuch
Catchers: Braxton Fulford, Hunter Goodman, Willie MacIver, Jonathan Morales, Ronaiker Palma, Drew Romo
Infielders: Coco Montes, Grant Lavigne
Outielders: Zac Veen
Utility: Harold Castro, Cole Tucker