Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus released the annual preview of the top prospects within the Colorado Rockies farm system (subscription required to read the entire article) this morning, and the reviews are very good.
Calling the overall system "well-rounded" and "solid", Goldstein highlighted eleven names for Rockies' fans to keep an eye out in the future. 2009 first round selection Tyler Matzek leads the list, cited as a potential elite ace. One other name was rated as "five stars", though the name may not be familiar to most. Catcher Wilin Rosario had a breakout campaign in 2010, .285/.342/.552 at AA Tulsa. Rosario is one of the elite catching prospects in baseball right now, though he tore his ACL at the end of last season and will likely not have recovered by the start of the 2011 season.
LHP Rex Brothers is the most likely name to join the Rockies this season. This power lefty bullpen arm has lit up the minor leagues by striking out over 10 batters per nine innings, and could be a very valuable addition in case of struggles by lefties Franklin Morales or Matt Reynolds.
Aside from those two big names, the majority of the Rockies' Top 11 is projected to be ready for the major leagues by 2014. So keep an eye on these names in future prospect chats and at Purple Row, but enjoy the current crop of young talent in Denver like Carlos Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Troy Tulowitzki.