Colorado Rockies select 30 players on MLB Draft’s final day

Rockies select 14 pitchers and 16 position players in rounds 11-40

June 6th, 2019

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Colorado Rockies concluded the final day of Major League Baseball’s 2019 First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday, selecting 30 players in rounds 11 through 40. Of the 30 picks today, the Rockies selected 14 pitchers and 16 position players.

Among today’s selections was outfielder Yorvis Torrealba, selected in the 20th round with the 609th overall pick of the draft. He is the son of former Rockies catcher and 2019 Rockies draft representative Yorvit Torrealba, who played parts of five seasons for Colorado (2006-09, 2013). Another son of a former Rockies catcher was drafted by Colorado today, as Silas Ardoin, son of Danny Ardoin, was selected in the 36th round (1089th overall).

The Rockies also selected a Colorado native, right fielder Alex Achtermann, who hails from Aurora and who attended Cherokee Trail High School.

The Rockies did not select a high school player until the 31st round. Overall, across the three days of the draft, the Rockies selected 32 players from the college ranks and nine high school players.

Colorado selected 20 pitchers (17 right-handers, three left-handers), seven outfielders, six catchers, three third basemen, two first basemen, two shortstops and one second baseman.

Below is a pick-by-pick breakdown of the Rockies’ Wednesday selections:

With the 339th overall pick in the 11th round, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Mike Ruff, a junior at Florida Atlantic University … the 6-foot-2, 212-pound native of Orlando, Fla., made 16 starts for the Owls in 2019 and went 6-5 with a 5.80 ERA (85.1 IP, 55 ER), 41 walks and 98 strikeouts … went 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA (17.1 IP, 7 ER), eight walks and 18 strikeouts for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League over the 2018 season.

The Rockies selected shortstop Christian Koss out of the University of California, Irvine, with the 369th overall pick in the 12th round … a right-handed hitting junior originally hailing from Riverside, Calif., the 6-foot-1, 182-pounder batted .307 (62-for-202) with 45 runs, 12 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 30 RBI, 25 walks, 51 strikeouts and 11 stolen bases in his junior season … was named Big West Player of the Week on May 27 after going 6-for-6 with a double and a home run in his final game of the season on May 25 and concluding his junior year on a 15-game hitting streak.

In the 13th round, with the 399th overall pick, the Rockies selected catcher Daniel Cope out of Cal State Fullerson … the first catcher selected by the Rockies in this draft, the 6-foot, 195-pound junior from San Diego, Calif., batted .278 (32-for-115) with 16 runs, four doubles, one triple, two home runs, 19 RBI, 11 walks, 26 strikeouts and one stolen base this past season … caught 12 runners while allowing 12 stolen bases this past season, 25 runners caught stealing and 53 stolen bases allowed in his career for a .321 caught stealing percentage.

With the 429th pick in the 14th round, the Rockies selected left fielder Joe Aeilts, a junior at Illinois State originally from Carbondale, Ill. … at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Aeilts batted a career-high .346 (88-for-254) with 53 runs, 16 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 49 RBI, 25 walks, 56 strikeouts and 14 stolen bases for the Redbirds this past season …

was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year twice in high school (Champaign Central HS, Ill.) … his father played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns, the New Orleans Saints, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers.

In the 15th round, with the 459th pick, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Alex Haynes out of Walters State Community College in Tennessee … the 6-foot-3, 205-pound native of Knoxville, Tenn., was originally signed by the New York Mets in the 29th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft … went 9-2 with six complete games over his 16 starts this past season, compiling a 2.50 ERA (82.2 IP, 23 ER) with 31 walks and 114 strikeouts (12.4 strikeouts-per-nine).

The Rockies selected left-handed pitcher Trysten Barlow out of Mississippi State with the 489th overall pick in the 16th round, the first left-handed pitcher selected by the Rockies in this draft … a native of Halls, Tenn., Barlow has gone 3-1 with a 5.25 ERA (24.0 IP, 14 ER), 12 walks and 32 strikeouts across 27 relief appearances this season … he and his Mississippi State teammates will play Stanford in the NCAA Super Regionals on Saturday.

Colorado once again selected a left-handed pitcher, Zak Baayoun, in the 17th round with the 519th overall pick … a junior at Long Beach State, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound native of Irvine, Calif., made 12 starts this season and went 3-9 with a 5.54 ERA (79.2 IP, 49 ER), 37 walks and 47 strikeouts … was a Second Team All-Big West selection as a sophomore after going 9-3 with a 3.58 ERA (98.0 IP, 39 ER), 24 walks and 84 strikeouts.

With the 549th overall selection, in the 18th round, the Rockies selected outfielder Trevor Boone out of Oklahoma State …a native of Tulsa, Okla., the 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-handed junior has batted .292 (61-for-209) with 40 runs, eight doubles, two triples, 20 home runs, 54 RBI, 21 walks, 73 strikeouts and six stolen bases for the Cowboys … his 20 home runs lead the team as they head into the NCAA Super Regionals vs. Texas Tech on Friday night … was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection following the 2018 season.

In the 19th round, with the 579th overall pick, the Colorado selected Turner Brown, a senior shortstop out of East Carolina University (North Carolina) … the Whiteville, N.C., native has batted a college career-high .300 (67-for-223) with 39 runs, 11 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 33 RBI, 22 walks, 30 strikeouts and 11 stolen bases for Eastern Carolina, who will face Louisville in the NCAA Super Regionals on Friday.

Outfielder Yorvis Torrealba, son of former Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba, was selected by Colorado in the 20th round with the 609th overall pick out of the University of Tampa (Florida) … the 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-handed junior was named the NCBWA South Region Player of the Year and was named to the All-America second team … has slashed .403/.492/655 this past season with 83 hits, 59 runs, 15 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 43 RBI, 31 walks, 29 strikeouts and 25 stolen bases … he and the Spartans are currently playing in the NCAA Division II Championship Series.

In the 21st round, with the 639th overall pick, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Stephen Jones out of Samford University (Alabama) … the 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior closer went 3-0 with 13 saves, a 2.21 ERA (36.2 IP, 9 ER), 11 walks and 36 strikeouts this past season … the native of Tallahassee, Fla., was previous selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 38th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft.

The Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Fineas Del Bonta-Smith, a senior out of San Jose State, with the 669th overall pick in the 22nd round … the 6-foot, 190-pounder posted a 4.85 ERA (29.2 IP, 16 ER) with 11 walks and 31 strikeouts for the Spartans … went 3-3 with nine saves, the second-most saves in a single season in school history …attended University of The Pacific during the 2015-16 season and Delta College (California) for the 2016-17 season prior to transferring to San Jose State.

Colorado selected right-handed pitcher Blair Calvo in the 23rd round with the 699th overall pick … a redshirt senior at Flagler College (Florida), Calvo went 2-3 with one save, a 4.96 ERA (49.0 IP, 27 ER), 14 walks and 53 strikeouts across 12 starts with one relief appearance for the Saints … the 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of St. Augustine, Fla. missed the 2017 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery … was originally drafted by Texas in the 31st round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Eastern Florida State College.

With the 729th overall pick in the 24th round, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Jordan Spicer out of the

University of Central Florida … it is his 22nd birthday today … the 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior went 3-0 with a 3.14 ERA (63.0 IP, 22 ER), 35 walks and 47 strikeouts across 13 starts and one relief appearance … the native of Hialeah, Fla., played two seasons at Polk State prior to transferring to UCF and was previously drafted in the 26th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft by the Minnesota Twins.

Colorado’s 25th-round selection, with the 759th overall pick, is right-handed pitcher Keegan James out of Mississippi State … the 6-foot-3, 214-pound redshirt junior has gone 4-1 with 5.49 ERA (39.1 IP, 24 ER), 29 walks and 38 strikeouts across eight starts this season … Mississippi State will play Stanford in the NCAA Super Regionals beginning on Saturday.

With the 789th overall pick in the 26th round, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Luke Chevalier, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound redshirt senior at Northern State University (South Dakota) … the native of Barnstable, Mass., made 10 starts and two relief appearances this past season, going 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA (69.2 IP, 16 ER), 20 walks and 77 strikeouts … was named to the NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Teams this season … pitched for Cotuit in the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2018 and posted a 3-0 record with a 3.67 ERA (34.1 IP, 14 ER), 10 walks and 32 strikeouts for the Kettleers.

Colorado’s 27th-round selection (819 overall) is right-handed pitcher Cameron Enck of Rollins College (Florida) … 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Lancaster, Pa., went 7-5 with a 4.33 ERA (42 ER, 87.1 IP), 31 walks and 68 strikeouts in 16 starts and one relief appearance for the Tars …previously attended the University of Maryland … as a high schooler at Lampeter-Strasburg (Pennsylvania), earned 2015 Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American honors.

In the 28th round, the Rockies selected junior right-handed pitcher Keven Pimentel out of the University of Tampa (Florida) with the 849th overall pick … the 6-foot-3, 230-pound native of Huntington Station, N.Y., went 12-2 with a 2.64 ERA (112.2 IP, 33 ER), 32 walks and 106 strikeouts in 18 starts for the Spartans this past season … was a NCBWA second team selection and ABCA/Rawlings first team selection as well as a first-team All-Sunshine State Conference selection … previously attended University of Miami.

Colorado selected catcher Colin Simpson out of Oklahoma State with their 29th-round pick (879th overall) … has batted .241 (53-for-220) with 38 runs, 13 doubles, 15 home runs, 35 walks, 63 strikeouts and five stolen bases this season … a native of Edmond, Okla., he allowed 56 stolen bases while throwing out 15 baserunners … was an All-Big 12 Second Team catcher and ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region First Team member following the 2018 season … he and his Oklahoma State teammates will face Texas Tech in the NCAA Super Regionals on Friday.

In the 30th round, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Alex Achtermann, a senior out of Pittsburgh State University (Kansas) … the left-handed hitter (right-handed thrower) is a native of Aurora, Colo., who attended Cherokee Trail High School … is a two-way player, who batted .286 (50-for-175) with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 26 RBI, 41 walks, 44 strikeouts and eight stolen bases while going 7-5 with a 3.51 ERA (89.2 IP, 35 ER), 34 walks and 99 strikeouts across 16 starts for the Gorillas … previously attended University of Nebraska, Kearney, where he was a third-team All-American in 2018, and Western Nebraska Community College prior to that.

Colorado selected their first high school player of the draft in the 31st round (939th overall) as they selected third baseman Michael Curialle out of JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. … the 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior and UCLA commit is batting .413 (26-for-63) with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs and 12 RBI during his senior season … a native of Mission Viejo, Calif., he was named the #10 Southern California draft prospect by Baseball America prior to the draft.

In the 32nd round, with the 969th overall pick, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Tyler Nesbitt out of LaBelle High School (Florida) … the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has committed to Florida State … he went 8-2 with a 1.15 ERA his senior year, following a junior campaign in which he went 8-3 with a 0.88 ERA … at the plate this season, has batted .349 (22-for-63) with three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 24 RBI.

The Rockies selected third baseman Hunter Fitz-Gerald out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla in the 33rd round with the 999th overall pick… a native of Margate, Fla., the left-handed hitting senior has committed to Florida Southern University … batted .515 (35-for-68) with two doubles and nine home runs in his senior season … was named to the Perfect Game and Rawlings Sports 2018 Underclassman Preseason All-American

team.

Colorado selected Tanner Allen, a 5-foot-11, 184-pound first baseman out of Mississippi State in the 34th round with the 1,029th pick … today is his 21st birthday … Allen, a native of Theodore, Ala., has batted .350 (89-for-254) with 55 runs, 22 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 63 RBI, 32 walks, 35 strikeouts and one stolen base for Mississippi State this season, who will face Stanford in NCAA Super Regionals on Saturday … was previously chosen in the 36th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft by the Chicago Cubs.

In the 35th round, with the 1,059th overall pick, the Rockies selected catcher Cade Hunter out of Lenape High School in Medford, N.J. … the 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-handed hitter is the son of Scott Hunter, the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Seattle Mariners … batted .463 (31-for- 67) with six doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 31 RBI, 11 walks and five stolen bases in his senior season … he has committed to Virginia Tech.

Colorado selected catcher Silas Ardoin out of Sam Houston High School (Louisiana) with the 1,089th pick in the 36th round of the draft … he is the son of former Rockies catcher Danny Ardoin, who played for Colorado in parts of two seasons from 2005-06 … the 5-foot-11, 195-pound right-hander threw out 21 of 27 runners that attempted to steal, and batted .417 with nine doubles, three home runs and 36 RBI … has committed to the University of Texas.

The Rockies selected switch-hitting catcher Hayden Dunhurst out of Pearl River High School (Mississippi) in the 37th round with the 1,119th overall pick … the 5-foot-11, 208-pound senior and native of Carriere, Miss., batted .396 (38-for-96) with 51 runs, 10 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs this past season … has committed to the University of Mississippi.

With the 1,149th pick in the 38th round of the draft, the Rockies selected catcher Darius Perry out of La Mirada High School (California) … the 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-handed hitter and UCLA commit has batted .323 (31-for-96) with six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 30 RBI, 16 walks and 34 strikeouts this season.

With the 39th pick (1,179th overall), the Rockies selected left-handed hitting center fielder Brady Hill out of Mt. Spokane High School in Washington … at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds, Hill is a two-way player who was the Greater Spokane League MVP this season.

With their final pick of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft (1,209th overall), the Rockies selected outfielder Kendal Ewell out of Marist High School in Chicago, Ill … at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, has batted .355 (27-for-76) this season with six doubles, two triples and five home runs … has committed to Eastern Kentucky University.

Below is a breakdown of all 41 selections in the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft:

Rd. Pick Last First Pos. B T HT WT School Hometown State

1 23 Toglia Michael 1B S R 6-5 226 UCLA Gig Harbor Wash.

2 62 Schunk Aaron 3B R R 6-2 205 Georgia Atlanta Ga.

CBB 77 Kauffmann Karl RHP R R 6-2 200 Michigan Bloomfield Hills Mich.

3 100 Wallace Jacob RHP R R 6-1 190 Connecticut Methuen Mass.

4 129 Doyle Brenton RF R R 6-3 200 Shepherd U. (WV) Warrenton Va.

5 159 Ethridge Will RHP R R 6-5 240 Mississippi Lilburn Ga.

6 189 Hollowell Gavin RHP R R 6-7 215 St. John’s (NY) Skillman N.J.

7 219 Horn Jared RHP R R 6-4 225 UC Berkeley Napa Calif.

8 249 Kostyshock Jacob RHP R R 6-5 185 Arkansas O’Fallon Mo.

9 279 Collins Isaac 2B S R 5-9 185 Creighton Maple Grove Minn.

10 309 Yalowitz Jack RF L L 5-11 180 University of Illinois Chicago Ill.

11 339 Ruff Mike RHP R R 6-2 212 Florida Atlantic Orlando Fla.

12 369 Koss Christian SS R R 6-1 182 UC Irvine Riverside Calif.

13 399 Cope Daniel C R R 6-0 195 Cal State Fullerton San Diego Calif.

14 429 Aeilts Joe LF R R 6-2 200 Illinois State Carbondale Ill.

15 459 Haynes Alex RHP R R 6-3 205 Walters State CC Knoxville Tenn.

16 489 Barlow Trysten LHP L L 6-1 215 Mississippi State Halls Tenn.

Rd. Pick Last First Pos. B T HT WT School Hometown State

17 519 Baayoun Zak LHP L L 6-1 180 Long Beach State Irvine Calif.

18 549 Boone Trevor OF R R 6-2 210 Oklahoma State Tulsa Okla.

19 579 Brown Turner SS S R 5-9 160 East Carolina Whiteville N.C.

20 609 Torrealba Yorvis OF R R 6-0 195 University of Tampa Parkland Fla.

21 639 Jones Stephen RHP R R 6-4 195 Samford University Tallahassee Fla.

22 669 Del Bonta-Smith Fineas RHP R R 6-0 190 San Jose State Soquel Calif.

23 699 Calvo Blair RHP R R 6-3 195 Flagler College St. Augustine Fla.

24 729 Spicer Jordan RHP R R 6-3 210 Central Florida Hialeah Fla.

25 759 James Keegan RHP R R 6-3 214 Mississippi State Southaven Miss.

26 789 Chevalier Luke RHP R R 6-1 200 Northern State U. Barnstable Mass.

27 819 Enck Cameron RHP R R 6-4 225 Rollins College Lancaster Pa.

28 849 Pimentel Keven RHP R R 6-3 230 University of Tampa Huntington Station N.Y.

29 879 Simpson Colin C L R 5-9 228 Oklahoma State Edmond Okla.

30 909 Achtermann Alex RF L R 6-3 210 Pittsburgh State U. Aurora Colo.

31 939 Curialle Michael 3B R R 6-3 200 JSerra Catholic HS San Juan Capistrano Calif.

32 969 Nesbitt Tyler RHP R R 6-2 185 LaBelle HS LaBelle Fla.

33 999 Fitz-Gerald Hunter 3B L R 6-4 215 Stoneman Douglas HS Margate Fla.

34 1029 Allen Tanner 1B L R 5-11 184 Mississippi State Theodore Ala.

35 1059 Hunter Cade C L R 6-2 195 Lenape HS Lenape N.J.

36 1089 Ardoin Silas C R R 5-11 195 Sam Houston HS Lake Charles La.

37 1119 Dunhurst Hayden C S R 5-11 208 Pearl River HS Carriere Miss.

38 1149 Perry Darius C R R 6-2 220 La Mirada HS La Mirada Calif.

39 1179 Hill Brady CF L R 6-1 170 Mt. Spokane HS Spokane Wash.

40 1209 Ewell Kendal OF R R 6-3 195 Marist HS Calumet City Ill.