Rockies Lefthander Konner Eaton Shines In Pro Debut
The Rockies face a decision regarding 23-year-old lefthander Konner Eaton.
Does he continue to relieve, which he did in his 2024 pro debut after the Rockies drafted him in the sixth round? Or does he return to starting, which he did in college at George Mason?
Regardless, Rockies assistant farm director Jesse Stender said Eaton is “a really special arm and a steal where we got him in the draft.”
Because he threw 62 innings in 14 college starts, the Rockies eased him into pro ball as a reliever.
Eaton throws a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider that Stender said has “heavy action late with depth” and “basically takes a right turn.” He has a usable changeup that has fading action and a feel for the pitch.
Eaton struck out 12 batters in nine innings for Low-A Fresno. The Rockies promoted him to High-A Spokane to help that club in its successful Northwest League championship quest. He made one scoreless two-inning appearance on the final day of the regular season.
Eaton didn’t have a passport, so couldn’t travel to Vancouver where Spokane began the best-of-five NWL championship series. In Game 3, with the series even, Spokane manager Robinson Cancel brought in Eaton with a 3-2 lead and one out, bases empty in the eighth to face Vancouver’s No. 3 and 4 batters, both lefthanded.
Eaton got a first-pitch ground out and a four-pitch strikeout.
He told Stender he could pitch the following day, but the Rockies don’t let pitchers just taken in the draft work consecutive days.
“I’d rather the kid be knocking down doors, asking for the ball than happy he got through it and kicking back,” Stender said. “So there’s definitely a competitive fire in there, a desire to be good (and) wants the team to win.
“All the intangibles that you hope you see, they definitely played out in the short time that we’ve been around him.”
ROCKY ROADS
— Outfielder Robert Calaz had surgery on Sept . 13 to his left (non-throwing) shoulder to repair his posterior labrum and capsule. He is expected to be ready for minor league spring training but might be limited early in camp. The 19-year-old Dominican won the triple crown and MVP award in the Arizona Complex League after hitting .349/.462/.651 in 49 games. He led the ACL with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs as well as on-base percentage and slugging.
— Calaz’s surgery is similar to outfielder Benny Montgomery’s procedure. He injured his left shoulder diving for a ball on April 20 with Double-A Hartford and had season-ending surgery on May 10. The 22-year-old Montgomery, drafted eighth overall in 2021, will play for Ponce in the Puerto Rican League this winter. Ponce will be managed by Rockies assistant hitting coach Andy Gonzalez.
— Righthander Yujanyer Herrera had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 30 and will miss the entire 2025 season. The Rockies acquired the 21-year-old Herrera from the Brewers along with righthander Bradley Blalock on July 27 for big league reliever Nick Mears. Herrera recorded a 3.58 ERA with 11 walks, 26 hits allowed and 33 strikeouts in 32.2 innings in six starts for High-A Spokane, where his elbow problems arose late in the season.
— Dustin Garneau was named the Rockies’ bullpen coach after spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons as the organization’s catching and game-planning coordinator. The game-planning portion of that assignment was created specifically for Garneau, 37, whose catching career included parts of eight seasons with the Rockies, Athletics, White Sox, Angels, Astros and Tigers after the Rockies drafted him in the 19th round in 2009 out of Cal State Fullerton. He was an adept defensive catcher who hit .205/.285/.373 with 15 home runs in 168 big league games.
— Garneau replaces Reid Cornelius, whom the Rockies let go after three seasons. They also fired assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere, who was in that position three years.
