Colorado Rockies 2024 International Review

Top Of The Class

The big signing this year for the Rockies was shortstop Ashly Andujar, who signed for $1.7 million out of the Dominican Republic. Andujar is young for the class—he’s 16 until July 29—and especially early in the scouting process, his lack of strength gave some scouts pause, even though they liked his actions on both sides of the ball. Andujar has slowly started to layer more strength on to a still wiry, high-waist frame (6-foot-1, 165 pounds), standing out for his hitting ability and instincts more so than his raw tools.

He’s a switch-hitter with good hand-eye coordination and a low swing-and-miss rate, spraying line drives to all fields. He’s a smart hitter with gap power, potentially fitting at the top of a lineup, though getting stronger will be key to do more extra-base damage. Andujar is a quick-twitch athlete with average speed who reads pitchers well and should be able to steal bases. He’s a high-energy player whose game acumen is also evident at shortstop, where he has a good chance to stick. He has good body control, soft hands and a plus arm. 

Names To Know

Cristian Arguelles, OF, Venezuela: Arguelles was Colorado’s top Venezuelan signing this year, joining the organization for $700,000. He’s another player young for the class (Arguelles turns 17 on June 30), with polished actions for his age both at the plate and in the outfield. He’s 6 feet, 175 pounds, a lefty with a short, sound swing and an approach geared for line drives with gap power. Getting stronger will be key for Arguelles to be able to generate more power, especially if he has to move to an outfield corner. He’s an instinctive center fielder who gets good jumps, moves around with ease and takes efficient routes, but his fringe-average speed could ultimately shift him to a corner. 

Oscar Pujols, RHP, Dominican Republic: Pujols signed for $600,000, the fourth-highest bonus for a pitcher this year and No. 2 for a pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He’s 6-foot-2, 165 pounds with physical projection to add to a fastball that has reached 93 mph at 17, showing advanced pitchability and strike-throwing from a calm, low-effort delivery with good arm action. Pujols has shown feel for his secondary pitches as well, including a hard curveball with good depth and a changeup. 

Eriel Dihigo, 3B, Cuba: Dihigo, 17, signed for $500,000. He played in Cuba’s U-18 national league when he was 15 in 2022 and hit .265/.386/.397 in 84 plate appearances while playing third base for Matanzas. Dihigo trained as a shortstop when he got to the Dominican Republic, though he’s moving back to third base in pro ball. He has a mix of steady tools across the board with the athleticism and physical upside in his wiry 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame for more to come. He’s a righthanded hitter with solid bat-to-ball skills and gap power with occasional over-the-fence shots. He projects to stick at third base as an average runner with a solid-average arm. 

Roldy Brito, SS, Dominican Republic: Signed for $420,000, Brito has been an arrow-up player and has immediately become one of the more exciting athletes in the organization. Brito is an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale, and while the 17-year-old has long been a quick-twitch, speedy athlete, he has grown and added strength to a compact 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame as well. He makes frequent contact from both sides of the plate with the bat speed to drive the ball for extra-base damage.

He does have the power to drive the ball out of the park occasionally, though his approach is more geared for line drives with a chance to rack up a lot of doubles and triples. Brito split time between shortstop and center field as an amateur, and while his speed would be a weapon in the outfield, he has been at shortstop since signing. He will make typical young shortstop mistakes at times, but his athleticism and solid-average arm strength give him a chance to stick there. 

Nicolas Ortiz, C, Colombia: There wasn’t one marquee prospect this year in Colombia, but Ortiz, 17, signed for $300,000, the top bonus for a Colombian player in 2024. He has a chance to develop into an above-average defender, an athletic catcher at 6 feet, 175 pounds with good actions behind the plate. His hands work well and he has a quick release with a strong arm. He’s a defensive-oriented catcher with doubles power. 

Gregory Sanchez, RHP, Dominican Republic: When teams were scouting Sanchez, he drew attention for his size, delivery and projection to add to a fastball that was up to 89 mph. That projection has materialized quickly. Now 6-foot-4, 190 pounds at 17, Sanchez has been up to 97 mph, a power fastball that he generates from low-effort mechanics. It’s an athletic frame with more room to fill out, so there might even be more velocity in the tank. It’s an easy power arm with his fastball his best pitch, but he has shown some feel for his secondaries as well, with some scouts believing his changeup could end up better than his slider. He signed for $285,000.

Anderson Tovar, OF, Venezuela: Tovar signed for $225,000 after standing out for his power. He has a strong, wide build at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, using his strength to drive the ball with big raw power in batting practice for a 17-year-old from the right side of the plate. It’s a power-over hit offensive game from a corner outfielder with average speed and a fringe-average arm. 

Herlinton Herrera, SS, Dominican Republic: Herrera is a gamer who won’t dazzle with tools but is a heady, instinctive player with a chance to stick in the middle infield. Signed for $185,000, he’s 5-foot-11, 150 pounds at 17, a lefthanded hitter with a simple swing and good bat-to-ball skills, though without much strength yet. He’s a fundamentally sound player who reads hops well and could bounce between shortstop and second base. 

Eric Veras, LHP, Dominican Republic: A pitchability lefty signed for $125,000, Veras is 6 feet, 180 pounds at 17 with a sound delivery and ability to throw three pitches for strikes. He’s mostly pitching in the upper-80s, touching 91 mph with feel for a curveball and changeup.

Sleeper Watch

A 17-year-old righthander from Panama signed for $80,000, Marcos Pimentel has shown good touch and feel on the mound. He was advanced enough that he pitched for Panama in the U-18 World Cup in 2023 when he was 16, with his fastball now progressing to touch 92 mph. There’s projection for more velocity once he adds weight to his 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame, but it’s his pitchability that stands out the most. He has a good delivery that he repeats to throw strikes with feel for a curveball that’s ahead of his changeup.