Colorado Rockies Select Eight Players On Day Two Of The 2024 First-year Player Draft
SCOTTSDALE – On the second day of Major League Baseball’s 2024 First-Year Player Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected eight total players, five pitchers and three position players, including one catcher. All 11 of the Rockies’ picks thus far have come from the collegiate ranks.
Below is a pick-by-pick breakdown of the Rockies’ Monday selections:
C Cole Messina - Round 3 (#77)
Messina, 21, slashed .326/.465/.701 (73-for-224) with 19 doubles, one triple, 21 home runs 71 RBI and 50 walks for the South Carolina Gamecocks this season … led the team in batting and finished seventh in the SEC in on-base percentage …was named to the SEC All-Tournament team after setting a tournament record with 16 RBI through five games … won the Johnny Bench Award … named a Second-Team All-American by Perfect Game, NCBWA, ABCA, Baseball America and D1Baseball.com … totaled a .305/.436/.635 slashline in 138 games over three seasons for the Gamecocks (2022-24) … hit .492 with a .641 on-base percentage in his senior season at Summerville (S.C.) High School.
INF Blake Wright - Round 4 (#106)
Wright, 22, moved between second base (17 games) and third base (47 games) for the Clemson Tigers during his senior season in 2024, slashing .340/.383/.652 (87-for-256) with 10 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs and 75 RBI … led the team in batting average, runs, hits, RBI, two-out RBI (29) and total bases (167) … won the Mitchell Award, given to the team MVP … was a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award … two-time All-ACC selection and three-time All-ACC Academic selection … through four seasons at Clemson, hit .303 (209-for-690) with 42 home runs and 165 RBI … graduated with a degree in economics in May 2024 … was named the No. 15 shortstop in Florida by Perfect Game coming out of Clearwater Central Catholic High School.
RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr.- Round 5 (#139)
Johnson, 22, went 11-9 with a 4.04 ERA (176.0 IP, 79 ER) and 203 strikeouts through three seasons at the University of Texas (2022-24) … 3-4 with a 5.60 ERA (72.1 IP, 45 ER) and 84 strikeouts through 17 appearances (15 starts) in 2024 … was named the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year … was named a Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big 12 selection in 2023 after going 8-4 with a 2.91 ERA (86.2 IP, 28 ER) in 20 total appearances (13 starts) as a sophomore … named the 55th-ranked right-handed pitcher nationally by Perfect Game coming out of Paxon School for Advanced Studies (Fla.).
LHP Konnor Eaton - Round 6 (#168)
Eaton, 21, went 3-2 with a 5.66 ERA (62.0 IP, 39 ER) through 14 starts this season for George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. … led the team with 14 starts and 82 strikeouts … in three total seasons with the Patriots, went 4-5 with a 5.90 ERA (105.1 IP, 69 ER) and 129 strikeouts over 29 games (28 starts) … pitched for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League in 2023 … three-year letter winner at Prince George (Va.) High School, earning first base All-Region Player of the Year honors … his cousin, Nate Eaton, was selected in the 21st round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft by the Kansas City Royals.
RHP Fidel Ulloa - Round 7 (#198)
Ulloa, 21, went 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA (23.1 IP, 12 ER) and 26 strikeouts in 19 appearances as a reliever this season at Louisiana State University … was named to the 2024 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll … transferred to LSU after two seasons (2022-23) at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. … went 9-3 with a 4.37 ERA (101.0 IP, 49 ER), a complete game, and 127 strikeouts in 29 appearances (21 starts) in his two junior college seasons … played four years of varsity baseball at Lodi High School in Lodi, Calif.
RHP Luke Jewett - Round 8 (#228)
Jewett, 21, went 2-5 with a 4.35 ERA (82.2 IP, 40 ER) in 14 starts for the UCLA Bruins this season … among qualifying Pac-12 pitchers, ranked ninth in innings and 10th in ERA … was the Bruins’ Opening Day starter in 2024 after coming out of the bullpen in his first two seasons … became first Bruins pitcher since James Kaprielian in 2014 to have his first-collegiate start come on an Opening Day … led the Pac-12 with 35 appearances in 2022 while going 3-1 with a 3.68 ERA (44.0 IP, 18 ER) as a true freshman … overall, went 6-7 with a 4.29 ERA (147.0 IP, 70 ER) in 63 games (14 starts) in his collegiate career … pitched to a 2.37 clip (19.0 IP, 5 ER) with 24 strikeouts in 2022 with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Code League, earning an All-Star nod … ranked as the No. 7 right-handed pitcher in the state of California coming out of JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
INF/OF Tommy Hopfe - Round 9 (#258)
Hopfe, 21, a two-way player and switch-hitter at Fresno State, hit .360 (89-for-247) with 19 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 45 RBI and a .408 OBP while making 16 appearance on the hill (17.0 IP) … led the team in batting and OBP … selected to the All-Mountain West First Team in 2023 and 2024 … also named to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team and was a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete his junior season after leading the team in batting average (.321), hits (70), home runs (13), and total bases (129) … was named an Academic All-Mountain West in 2021, 2022 and 2023 … was as a full-time pitcher in 2021 … through four seasons at Fresno State, slashed .329/408/.536 (89-for-247) with 23 home runs and 117 RBI … as a pitcher, went 3-4 with a 4.86 ERA (92.2 IP, 50 ER) in his 68 college appearances (one start) … batted .294 with a .567 OBP in his 10 games as a senior in Frontier High School in Bakersfield, Calif.
RHP Fisher Jameson - Round 10 (#288)
Jameson, 21, went 5-0 with a 3.99 ERA (67.2 IP, 30 ER) and 79 strikeouts as a junior at the University of Florida this season … led the Gators in ERA, was tied for the team lead in wins and was third in innings pitched and strikeouts … earned SEC Academic Honor Roll honors in 2023 and 2024 … earned SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2022 … in three collegiate seasons, totaled a 7-3 record with a 5.15 ERA (99.2 IP, 57 ER) and 110 strikeouts … went 6-1 with a 0.89 ERA and 72 strikeouts in his senior season at Park Vista Community High School in Lake Worth Beach, Florida and was named the 2021 7A-11 Pitcher of the Year.
The 2024 MLB Draft concludes tomorrow with rounds 11-20 beginning at 11 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. MT