Colorado Rockies Add Three Prospects to 40-Man Roster

The Colorado Rockies added three prospects to their 40-man roster before Friday’s deadline, ensuring they would not be selected in next month’s Rule-5 Draft.

Friday, November 20th, marked the last day that prospects eligible for the Rule-5 draft could be added to their respective team’s 40-man roster to avoid being selecting in December’s draft. Players eligible to be selected for the Rule-5 Draft include: players who spent five seasons in the team’s farm system without being added to the 40-man roster (if 18 years or younger at signing) or four years for those over the age of 19 at the time of signing. The Colorado Rockies added Trevor Story, Raimel Tapia, and Antonio Senzatela to protect them from the Rule-5 Draft.

The Colorado Rockies envision this trio of prospects to be in their future; thus, they decided to protect them from another team taking their talent away from them. Story, Tapia, and Senzatela all rank within the Colorado Rockies’ top 13 prospects, so the team needed to lock them up to avoid Rule-5 eligibility. Additionally, each one of the three prospects made a big splash in their respective organizations during the 2015 season. The Colorado Rockies are in the midst of another rebuilding season, so they could not afford for some of their highly touted prospects to leave for nothing in return.

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Raimel Tapia entered the 2015 season as the Colorado Rockies’ seventh-best prospect in their farm system and the 45th ranked prospect in the MLB (Baseball Prospectus). The Colorado Rockies signed Tapia as an international free agent in 2010 at the age of 16. Tapia has spent five seasons in the Rockies’ farm system, ranging for the Dominican Summer League to High-A. Raimel Tapia put together one of the best seasons of his professional career in 2015, slashing .303/.333/.467. With his strong slash line and plus speed (26 SB in 2015), Tapia earned a Futures Game Selection and was selected as the Colorado Rockies’ organization All-Star.

In addition to Raimel Tapia, Trevor Story had a great season in 2015. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Story hit 20 home runs and drove in 80 RBI in the Colorado Rockies’ farm system. Additionally, he stole 22 bases to put him in the 20-20 club for 2015. With Story’s nice blend of speed and power, he presents a nice option for the Colorado Rockies at shortstop once the Jose Reyes era is over (and hopefully soon). In 2015, Trevor Story, like Tapia, earned a Futures Game Selection. Story entered the 2015 season as the Rockies’ 13th-best prospect, but he concluded the season as their 11th-best.

Finally, the least-known Colorado Rockies’ prospect, Antonio Senzatela looked sharp in 2015 with the Colorado Rockies’ High-A affiliate. The Colorado Rockies signed him as an international free agent, and he began playing with the Dominican Summer League Rockies in 2012. Senzatela is on the same path and timeline as Tapia, and both players put together strong campaigns in 2015, with Senzatela posting a 2.51 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 3.56 FIP. Also, he struck out nearly a batter an inning, finishing with 143 strikeouts in 154 innings pitched. With Antonio Senzatela’s strong performance in 2015, he was named California League Pitcher of the Year. This strong year put him on the Colorado Rockies’ radar for the future.

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The Colorado Rockies have a nice farm system lining up, and with the team looking to rebuild for the future, the team needs all the help they can get from their prospects. Thus, these prospects addition to the 40-man roster should not come as a surprise. While Tapia and Story present more upside than Senzatela, the trio figures to be in the Colorado Rockies’ future. With these players off of the board for Rule-5 eligibility, perhaps the Rockies try to draft someone in next month’s Rule-5 Draft. Keep an eye on these prospects entering Spring Training next season, because Trevor Story likely makes his MLB debut in 2016.

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