Rockies call-up highly touted prospect, but place big bat on IL
Apr 30, 2024, 1:23 PM | Updated: 2:37 pm
One of the top 100 prospects in baseball is joining the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, as the club announced they have called up Jordan Beck to the majors.
Beck, 23, was selected No. 38 by the Rockies out of the University of Tennessee in 2022 where he hit 33 homers in his final two years of school. Beck’s first full season in pro baseball was split between High-A Spokane and Double-A Harford in 2023, where he recorded a 20-20 season, slamming 25 homers and swiping 20 bags across 563 plate appearances in 126 games. This got Beck named MLB Pipeline’s No. 81 prospect in the sport and the Rockies fifth-best prospect coming into 2024.
Beck has begun 2024 on fire, slashing .307/.405/.594 with five homers, 17 extra-base hits, five steals (in five tries), in 121 plate appearances. According to wRC+, he’s been 40% better than the league and that even dings him for playing in very hitter’s friendly Albuquerque.
Beck’s start to the season earning promotion has been a dream while Nolan Jones’ start to the year has been a nightmare. Jones goes on the Injured List with a back injury that has bugged him recently. The pain is the capper on the outfielder’s struggles where he’s slashing an abysmal .170/.243/.277 with a 36% strikeout rate on the season in 103 plate appearances.
Jones had an awesome rookie year, slashing .297/.389/.542 with 20 dingers and 20 stolen bags. But his .401 BABIP hinted that regression would be coming and his struggles to both see strikes and swing in general is costing him in 2024.
Beck should get a real shot at the everyday right field job, a spot he’s played a good chunk at in the minors. Jones, even with his struggles, seems to have left locked down for a while and Brenton Doyle is following up his Gold Glove rookie year in center by going ballistic at the bat in April. Beck’s right-field competition comes down to Sean Bouchard and Hunter Goodman, now that Michael Toglia has been sent down. Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant should also be counted on to take some corner outfield at-bats away from that group. Though Bryant is also on the Injured List with a back injury that may be more serious than initially thought.
