Rockies' mascot has a new fan in this Colorado Draft pick

DENVER -- Dinger, the Rockies’ head-spinning purple triceratops mascot, has a new fan in Cole Messina.

If Messina, a catcher from the University of South Carolina, lives up to the attributes that led the Rockies to take him in the third round of the MLB Draft, Dinger just may like Messina every bit as much.

• Rockies show they value versatility on Day 1 of Draft
• Under tutelage of Rox legend, 2nd-round pick draws comparisons to current Rockie

The explanation?

Early in the 2023 season, one of Messina’s Gamecocks teammates gave him a headband that featured another popular mascot, the Philly Phanatic. Messina homered, and stayed with it every game. He went to something else this season, but brought the lucky mascot look back for the Gamecocks’ late-season surge.

The pre-Draft scouting report on Messina, the No. 100 Draft prospect, gives him high marks for leadership skills, and his movement and arm behind the plate. More on the scouting of Messina later.

But how about Messina’s breakdowns of the mascots, Dinger and the one whose headband he won’t be wearing anymore?

“He's actually a pretty funny mascot compared to the Phanatic,” Messina said. “The Phanatic is kind of basic -- he sets the tone. But I think that Dinger is a pretty good mascot. I like the way he looks. You know, he's funny.”

Messina, 21, is the earliest drafted catcher for the Rockies since high school standout Drew Romo in 2020. What are the attributes that the Rockies believe will lead to Messina, well, ending up like Dinger and wearing a mask at Coors Field?

The Rockies dramatically increased the experience in their Draft room by including their special assistant to player development and scouting, Jerry Weinstein, one of the leading experts on modern catching and baseball fundamentals. Never mind that he is 80. Weinstein brings his knowledge and willingness to learn to the baseball audience via social media -- @JWonCatching, available on various platforms.

Weinstein studied catchers across the country, and had Messina at the top of his list. Using an old-time principle -- you never know a player at his best until you see him at his worst -- Weinstein paid particular attention when Messina struck out four times against one of South Carolina’s top rivals -- the Georgia Bulldogs (from whom the Rockies drafted corner slugger Charlie Condon third overall).

Weinstein kept watching from afar via TruMedia, and kept with him through the postseason. He saw a central-casting catcher -- 6-foot, all of 230 pounds, yet with nimble footwork and a quick arm. Then there was power to all fields, as evidenced by his 21 home runs during an All-American, Johnny Bench Award performance this season.

“He's one of the hardest players I’ve ever seen play,” Weinstein said. “He’s totally locked in with his pitchers. He works his butt off -- catching, blocking, throwing. He was the heartbeat of that South Carolina team, and I saw him on the night they had a rough night. But he’s a prime-time player. When you need a big hit, he's going to give you a big hit. He's the ultimate competitor.”

As a freshman, Messina proved that -- when the Gamecocks moved him to first base -- no one could take the catcher out of him. He would convene mound meetings, when necessary, and kept the eyes and spirits of his teammates from the corner of the infield.

But Messina brought fun with leadership. It’s easy to be followed, and hard to get on anyone’s nerves with a furry entertainer keeping his hair out of his eyes.

“That’s how I was raised -- my mom is a school teacher and my dad is a fleet manager for construction companies, so they both had to be leaders, and they instilled that into me and my siblings, younger and older,” Messina said. “That’s what I take pride in. I enjoy being that guy. So I try to stay level-headed, but make sure the guys are having fun, breaking the ice on everything.”

Draft Summary
The route to the Majors is long and curvy -- with all the heartening and nerve-racking connotations of either word. But the Rockies wouldn’t mind the road taking less time. Of the 21 picks (13 pitchers and eight position players), all but one played at a four-year school. The one that didn’t, right-handed pitcher Sam Gerth, played at Navarro (Texas) College, a two-year school.

More will be known about these players in the coming days, weeks and years. Will they be seen at Coors Field sooner than later? Senior director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson answered a question about Condon in a way that applies to most everyone selected in ‘24.

“Everybody has a different pace,” Gustafson said. “But I'd like to refer to Jordan Beck [an outfielder taken 38th overall in 2022] -- he got here pretty quick. We feel that certainly Condon has that particular ability.

“When we get him into our system and get him moving, if he's checking off some of the things that we're going to come up with on his player plan that he’s got to take care of, why are we looking to hold him back?”