Weekly Pebble Report: Y’all got any more of those big league debuts? (April 21st – April 27th)

Colorado Rockies minor league report for Tuesday, April 29th, 2025

Things may be well… pretty darn bad for the Colorado Rockies as they are off to a historically bad start to 2025. The silver lining is that minor league baseball continues to be fun—especially if you’re the Hartford Yard Goats—and there are plenty of prospects making their big league debuts.

The Call-Ups

Juance again, with feeling: Right-handed reliever Juan Mejia (no. 33 PuRP) was on quite the tear when he was added to the roster as the Rockies’ 27th man for a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. He was riding a five-game, nine-inning shutout streak with 17 strikeouts and just three walks, and was then called to action to make his MLB debut. Mejia pitched a solid inning against the Royals, giving up an unearned run on one hit and tallying his first big-league strikeout. He was officially added to the 26-man roster on Monday and made his second career appearance against the Atlanta Braves. In the ninth inning he worked a quick 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (2-4, 11-16 Overall)

The Isotopes were handed a 2-4 series loss at the hands of the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks). The Aces scored 44 total runs over the four losses as revenge for the 18-3 beatdown delivered by the Isotopes in game two.

Warming up: Isotopes infielder Warming Bernabel (no. 36 PuRP) put together his best series offensively of the young season so far. Bernabel had a hit in all six games against the Aces, and had multiple hits in five of those games. He went 11-for-25 at the plate with five doubles and 11 RBIs while striking out just three times.

Get the Carreras running: Despite sliding down our Purple Row prospect rankings, infielder Julio Carreras is off to a strong start in Triple-A. He’s currently hitting .341/.391/.463 through 14 games in his repeat assignment with the Isotopes. Carreras went 10-for-23 with a double and triple against the Aces while only striking out twice.

This Kelly isn’t green: Left-handed reliever Antoine Kelly—originally a 2019 draft pick with the Milwaukee Brewers—made his season debut with the Isotopes after starting the year on the injured list. Kelly worked two scoreless outings against Reno and struck out four batters over 2 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (3-3, 12-8 Overall)

The Hartford Yard Goats squared off against the rival Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) for the second time this season and earned a series split over a mostly even series. I say mostly because two of the Yard Goats’ wins were extremely lopsided. The Yard Goats won 19-4 on Friday and 13-5 on Sunday. Hartford remains the Rockies’ only affiliate with a winning record as we near the end of April.

Lovely Weatherly we’re having: I’m not sure how much longer left-handed reliever Sam Weatherly will be in Double-A if he keeps this up. I feel like I’m talking about him every week. Weatherly continued his seven game shutout streak with two more scoreless appearances against the Patriots. Over 2 ¹⁄₃ total innings he struck out another two batters—raising his season total to 14—and didn’t allow a hit.

A real page Turner: One of the more interesting stories in the Rockies farm system this season is 25-year-old left handed reliever Matt Turner. Originally selected in the 11th round of the 2017 draft by the Cleveland Guardians, Turner was out of affiliated ball after struggling in the lower levels of the Cleveland organization. Turner made 49 appearances with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution with a 2.44 ERA and 62 strikeouts. He then played winter ball with Mexico’s Sultanes de Monterrey under manager Vinny Castilla. Over 17 appearances and 17 ²⁄₃ innings, Turner struck out 21 batters and earned a minor league contract with the Rockies. So far this season, Turner has given up just two earned runs over seven innings of work. He pitched 1 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings against the Patriots and struck out two batters.

The Bryce is right: 25-year-old right-handed reliever Bryce McGowan has yet to allow an earned run this season over four appearances and 4 ²⁄₃ innings of work. He’s also yet to allow a hit. McGowan has had just four baserunners this season with three via the walk and one via a hit batter. While he’s struck out only three hitters, he’s avoiding hard contact and keeping a clean scoresheet. McGowan worked another 2 ²⁄₃ innings over two appearances against the Patriots.

High-A: Spokane Indians (3-3, 10-11 Overall)

The Spokane Indians earned another series split, this time against the Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants). The Indians roared off to a hot start with 27 runs in their first two games—including a 17-5 victory in the series opener—before cooling off and losing three straight. They bounced back to win the series finale and cement the split.

Thomas, Transcendent: Outfielder Jared Thomas (no. 14 PuRP) remained red hot against the Emeralds, going 13-for-25 and playing in all six games while being named the Northwest League Player of the Week. Thomas had 24 total bases and nine RBIs in the series with three home runs. He also drew five walks. After 21 games, Thomas is hitting .366/.480/.561 and is among the Northwest League leaders in most offensive categories.

This train runs on Cole: While his numbers aren’t gaudy, catching prospect Cole Messina (no. 27 PuRP) has been steadily chugging along to start the season. He’s successfully gotten on base in ten of 15 games so far via a hit or drawing a walk. Messina had a hit in four of five games against the Emeralds with a double and a home run with a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio at three apiece.

I might be reaching the bottom of the Welinton when it comes to wordplay for this guy: Left-handed reliever Welinton Herrera (no. 34 PuRP) has lowered his ERA on the season to 0.93 through seven appearances. The 21-year-old southpaw has struck out 16 batters in 9 ²⁄₃ innings of work. Herrera pitched another two scoreless innings against the Emeralds with two more strikeouts.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (1-5, 8-13 Overall)

The Fresno Grizzlies did not have a ton of fun against the San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants), dropping five of six and being outscored 17 to 46. The low point of the series came on Friday where the Grizzlies were crushed 17-0 and had just two runners in scoring position all night.

LeBarron’s Jewel: 2024 fifth-round pick LeBarron Johnson Jr. has been pitching well to start his first professional season. He turned in an absolute gem of a start against the Giants with a six-inning shoutout Quality Start, striking out eight batters with no walks issued and giving up only two hits. Johnson Jr. was named the California League Pitcher of the Week for his efforts.

He didn’t get Brecht: After a difficult last outing against the Lake Elsinore Storm, right-handed pitcher Brody Brecht (no. 6 PuRP) bounced back in a big way. In a three inning shutout start, Brecht struck out three batters and gave up just three hits. He did struggle with command—issuing four walks—but escaped without damage.

Pour yourself a cup of Hopfe: Grizzlies outfielder Tommy Hopfe continues to be one of the team’s most productive batters, even in a series where the offense struggled against the Giants’ pitching staff. Hopfe had six hits during the series, two of which were home runs.

★ ★ ★

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!