Rockies make big climb in latest farm system ranking

Another outlet has joined the party in praising the work the Colorado Rockies system has done lately.

The Rockies jumped 11 spots in MLB Pipeline’s updated farm system rankings, climbing from No. 27 in the preseason to No. 16 — one of the biggest leaps by any organization in the game. Pipeline cited four Rockies among its Top 100 prospects: Ethan Holliday (No. 25), Roldy Brito (No. 55), Charlie Condon (No. 58) and Tyler Bell (No. 64).

It’s a different list with different evaluators, but the takeaway is the same: this farm system is moving in the right direction. Baseball America’s post-deadline update released earlier this month had five Rockies in its Top 100. Pipeline landed at four, though it’s more about the arrow than the exact count.

One of the places the two lists diverge most is on Holliday. BA slotted the 19-year-old shortstop at No. 63, notably lower than most outlets. Pipeline likes him much more, ranking him No. 25 in the game despite the stress fracture in his left foot that ended his season. Holliday was slashing .262/.395/.557 with nine home runs in 33 games at Single-A Fresno before going down. Pipeline said of Holliday, “There’s an optimistic vibe with this system right now, even with the injury.”

Pipeline also noted what Rockies fans have been able to see with their own eyes: this system is already producing at the big league level. The write-up specifically pointed to Cole Carrigg and Gabriel Hughes as homegrown contributors, with Hughes joining Jackson Cox in making strong returns from Tommy John surgery to bolster the pitching pipeline — an area where the club is still behind with just three arms in their top 15 prospects.

The 11-spot jump puts Colorado alongside the Nationals (No. 17 to 6) and Angels (No. 28 to 17) as some of the biggest climbers in this cycle. The largest level up was from the Giants, who went from No. 19 to No. 5. Pipeline credited the draft — where the Rockies landed switch-hitting shortstop Bell 10th overall — along with slugger Condon’s power surge at Triple-A and Brito reaching High-A as a teenager.

Between BA ranking the Rockies dead last entering the season and Pipeline having them at 27th, Colorado’s farm system entered 2026 as one of the worst in the sport by any measure. Several months later, both outlets have them solidly in the middle of the pack and trending up. That’s another real sign that the arrow is pointing up at 20th and Blake.

Colorado still isn’t going to contend next year, and the system still needs more pitching at the top but it’s one step at a time and this is another sizable one.

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