DENVER -- Sterlin Thompson is OK with waiting for his chance.
In the meantime, the 31st overall pick in the 2022 Draft plans to continue making a convincing case for promotion to the Majors.
“You always want to get to the big leagues as soon as you can, but I’ve been able to use the process to develop,” said the Rockies’ No. 15 prospect. “I just want to be prepared for my time when I get there.”
Given how Thompson has performed during the bulk of his Minor League career -- particularly last season at Triple-A Albuquerque -- that time might be soon.
Thompson, whom the Rockies took with their compensation pick from the Red Sox for signing shortstop Trevor Story in free agency in March 2022, posted a .296/.392/.519 slash line with 18 home runs and 12 steals in 120 games for Albuquerque in 2025.
Overall in four professional seasons, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Thompson has an .819 OPS. It’s the 24-year-old’s sterling hit tool that the Rockies liked the most when they selected him out of the University of Florida -- with a smooth left-handed stroke that generates hard contact to all fields, Thompson’s profile as a hitter seems to fit Coors Field well.
It’s why he was one of three players Colorado placed on the 40-man roster on Tuesday to shield them from the Rule 5 Draft.
But despite a plethora of prospects getting the call to the Majors as the Rockies slogged through a 119-loss season in 2025, Thompson wasn’t one of them.
There simply wasn’t an opening, as others like Warming Bernabel, Yanquiel Fernández, Braxton Fulford, Kyle Karros and Ryan Ritter were all brought to Colorado.
Not that there wasn’t a concerted effort to find one -- Thompson has appeared at first base, second, third and the corner outfield spots as a pro. He seems to have found a home in left field.
“I was hoping for a September callup,” Thompson said. “But it was a packed outfield and a lot of other uncertainties I can’t control.”
What Thompson can control is his mindset and his work ethic. Even though he didn’t get that September callup, he has been making the most of his time.
That includes the ever-important adjustments he needed to make at the plate as he ascended in the farm system. Upon being promoted to Double-A Hartford in 2023, and on into ’24, Thompson struggled to acclimate to pitching in the upper Minors.
“I’ve always kind of been tinkering with a toe tap and a leg lift,” Thompson said of his approach in the batter’s box. “It’s just something where I finally made a change early in the [2025] season. I struggled in the beginning of the season, and around May, I made a little change and it’s the longest I’ve stayed with a little leg kick.
“That kind of just changed my outlook on the whole season, and I kind of just built off that little change and made a few minor adjustments here and there.”
There have been significant adjustments in the Rockies’ front office this offseason with the hiring of Paul DePodesta as president of baseball operations, and Thompson is encouraged by the direction the franchise appears to be taking.
“It’s off to a great start,” Thompson said of the DePodesta era in Colorado. “From what I heard with him speaking and reports, I think he’s going to change the culture and he’s going to get guys on the right page. I like his mentality with development -- I think he’s going to develop a lot of these guys and turn them into the best players they can be.”
While he remains patient, Thompson’s continued production in the farm ranks and possibly a strong spring showing in Arizona could place him on the precipice of making his Major League debut.
When that day comes, it will obviously be special for Thompson, but uniquely so. He was born 35 miles from Coors Field in Longmont, and though he and his family moved to Florida when he was 1, he nevertheless became a Rockies fan. His favorite player was Troy Tulowitzki.
Thompson is well-versed in Rockies history, and he even hopes to demonstrate similarities at the plate with some of the franchise’s greatest players.
“I actually got to meet [Tulowitzki] like a year after the ’22 Draft,” Thompson said. “He was a guy I liked to watch growing up. Growing through the system with the Rockies, it’s a great honor to meet Charlie Blackmon and Todd Helton and really kind of pick their brains. That’s something I’ve always enjoyed.
“Because looking at it, I have more of a profile of being a hitter like Blackmon or Helton.”
Thompson describes himself as a “doubles and home run hitter, but just a pure hitter like what Blackmon possessed in his swing -- he was a guy who was very versatile at the plate, who could do many things with the bat.”
Thompson added that he feels Coors Field is “a great place for doubles hitters.”
If his trajectory continues the way it has been trending, he might soon find out for himself.