2016 Draft Report Card: Colorado Rockies

BEST PURE HITTER: SS Garrett Hampson (3) hit .303 in three seasons at Long Beach State, which plays at Blair Field, a notorious pitcher’s park. He has good hands to go with a solid hitting approach that helped I’m hit .301 in his pro debut. 3B Colton Welker (4) also has good hands and some present strength.

BEST POWER HITTER: With a sturdy 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, OF Willie Abreu has plus raw power and no-doubt right field tools.

FASTEST RUNNER: Hampson always had at least plus speed but never stole more than 23 bases in a season at Long Beach State. He stole 36 bags in 40 attempts this summer in his debut and has the speed to play center field if he winds up in a super utility role.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Hampson lacks only a true plus arm at shortstop, as he has a quick transfer, average arm, soft hands and infield actions. He profiles a bit better at second base than short, where he made 20 errors in his debut.

BEST FASTBALL: RHP Riley Pint (1) has to be on the short list of best fastballs ever by a prep pitcher, hitting 100 mph regularly this spring and sitting in the mid- to upper 90s in his pro debut.

BEST SECONDARY PITCH: Pint’s changeup gives him a true plus secondary pitch, and his breaking ball, which the Rockies call a power slurve, gives him a third potential plus pitch. He’ll try to hone it into a true curve.

BEST PRO DEBUT: Hampson led the short-season Northwest League in stolen bases (36) and walks (48) while hitting .301/.404/.441. Welker debuted at Rookie-level Grand Junction and hit .329/.366/.490, solid even for the offense-first Pioneer League.

BEST ATHLETE: Hampson has excellent baseball athleticism, lacking only excellent strength. Pint’s athleticism stands out for pitchers and helps him throw strikes despite his high-octane stuff and lack of experience.

MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: Rangy 3B/SS Taylor Snyder (13) is the son of ex-big leaguer Cory Snyder, who was the fourth overall pick in the 1984 draft. RHP John Hendry (32), who didn’t sign, is the son of ex-Cubs GM and current Yankees special assistant Jim Hendry.

CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: LHP Ben Bowden (2) made five starts for Vanderbilt in the spring but pitched better out of the bullpen and should move quickly in that role, thanks to his 92-95 mph fastball. He’s also a competitor with the toughness needed to put bad outings behind him, a requirement for a future closer.

BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: An Ivy Leaguer drafted out of Columbia, RHP George Thanopoulos (27) has one of the firmer fastballs in the Rockies’ draft class (non-Riley Pint division), sitting at 93-95 mph in shorter bursts this summer.

THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: RHP Troy Bacon (37), who started his college career at Florida, didn’t sign after striking out 53 in 35 innings in the Northwoods League over the summer. He’s back at Santa Fe (Fla.) JC. The Rockies also made a run at OF Michael Toglia (35), a switch-hitting, rangy center fielder who went to UCLA.