MLB Prospects 2012: Keith Law Places Colorado Rockies No. 13 In Farm System Rankings

Every year, along with a bunch of other evaluators, ESPN's Keith Law reveals a variety of personal rankings of baseball's prospects, including a ranking of all 30 organizations in terms of farm system talent. The 2012 version of his organizational rankings came out on Wednesday, and the Colorado Rockies are ranked No. 13 among baseball's 30 clubs.

Law notes that he actually thinks that some people don't like the Rockies' farm system as much as they should, and that he's particularly appreciative of the depth that Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd has accumulated.

This is an underrated system, maybe even here by me. I like systems in which the prospects in the No. 8-12 range are just as interesting (if not as high-upside or high-probability) as the prospects in the No. 1-4 range, and the Rockies' lack of a complex-league team can make some of their youngest prospects look less advanced than they are when they jump right to the Pioneer League.

At the moment, Colorado's best prospects include third baseman Nolan Arenado, lefty pitcher Drew Pomeranz, catcher Wilin Rosario, right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis, outfielder Tim Wheeler and shortstop Trevor Story. Arenado is often considered the best prospect at his position in baseball going into the 2012 season, and Pomeranz could help out pretty soon.

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Colorado Rockies Prospects: Arenado, Pomeranz, Rosario, Bettis All Land On MLB.com Top 100 List

The Colorado Rockies have four players appearing on MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list, which was released a few days ago. Compiled by Jonathan Mayo, the website's resident prospect expert includes third baseman Nolan Arenado, left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz, catcher Wilin Rosario and right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis on his list.

Arenado, ranked No. 22, is rated as the best third base prospect in the game by Mayo. A second-round pick by the Rockies in 2009, he's an extremely talented pure hitter that showed improvements in power potential and defensive work while spending 2011 in Advanced Single-A. Arenado turns 21 in April.

Pomeranz, ranked No. 24, comes in as the fifth-best lefty pitching prospect on Mayo's list. Acquired from the Cleveland Indians during last year's Ubaldo Jimenez trade, the former first-round pick offers impressive raw stuff from the left side. Mayo says that, "He may not be an ace, but he could be a very good No. 2 starter very soon."

Rosario, ranked No. 63, is the fifth-best catching prospect in the game according to Mayo. A big-time athlete with huge raw power and a rocket for an arm, he also has little grasp of the strike zone. Last season, he posted a .284 on-base percentage in Double-A, so the soon-to-be 23-year-old needs to make some progress.

Bettis, ranked No. 66, is a high-quality arm, but there's also a chance that he'll end up in the bullpen. He has two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, but he needs to show more consistency with his command and make progress in developing his change-up.

For more coverage of all things Denver sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage of the Rockies, visit Purple Row. For more updates on the MLB Hot Stove, check out Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish.

Chad Bettis Ranked As No. 66 Top Baseball Prospect By MLB.com