Mile High Minors: Daniel Jackson's 12-hit week at Fresno, Sterlin Thompson back with 3 HR in 5 games
By Cameron Wright ·
Mile High Minors covers the last 7 days of action for the Rockies farm system.
Daniel Jackson's 12-Hit Week at Fresno
Daniel Jackson (A, C, Rank: 3) went 12-for-21 with two home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, seven walks, and just two strikeouts across 28 plate appearances at Fresno last week. That's a line that doesn't need much context to land, but the context makes it better: Jackson has been at Low-A for only 11 games total, and his full-season numbers already sit at .385/.520/.692 with three home runs and nine RBI. The walk rate is 20 percent over those 50 plate appearances, and the strikeout rate is 14 percent, a combination that far exceeds what you typically see from a 21-year-old catcher making his full-season debut. His 30-day swing rate sits at a disciplined 35 percent, paired with a 71.1 percent contact rate, which suggests he's being selective without sacrificing contact quality.
Jackson is a plus-power catcher with a legitimate shot at an everyday role, and the offensive ceiling is middle-of-the-order impact if the hit tool holds. The primary concern attached to his profile is swing-and-miss risk from a power-oriented approach with some length in the swing, and so far that concern simply hasn't materialized at this level. Seven walks against two strikeouts in a single week is not a fluke sample; it's a pattern consistent with his full-season numbers. Defensively he has a strong, accurate arm and improving receiving skills. The honest question is whether Low-A production translates as he climbs, and pitchers with sharper breaking balls at High-A will eventually test that swing length. For now, this ranks as one of the best debuts in the Colorado system this year, and the evaluation grades him a 60 power tool with a 50 hit grade, which I'd take the over on if the first 50 plate appearances are any indication.
Sterlin Thompson Returns with Three Home Runs in Five Games
Sterlin Thompson (AAA, OF, Rank: 17) was activated from the seven-day injured list on August 18 and went 6-for-15 with two home runs, three doubles, a triple, eight RBI, and seven walks across 22 plate appearances in his first five games back at Albuquerque last week. Layered into the broader month, his last-30-day line at Triple-A reads .429/.600/.929 with three home runs, 11 walks, and only five strikeouts in 40 plate appearances. That's an absurd contact-and-patience combination from a player whose 73.8 percent career contact rate and 27.5 percent walk rate over that stretch suggest a hitter who is seeing the ball exceptionally well coming off the IL.
Thompson's season-long Triple-A numbers tell a consistent story: .319/.465/.504 with 10 home runs across 303 plate appearances, a walk rate of 18.8 percent, and a strikeout rate of just 16.2 percent. The gap between that Triple-A line and his .232/.312/.377 showing in 77 MLB plate appearances with Colorado is the central tension in his profile. He's a 50 hit, 45 power type who produces at a high level through plate discipline and contact rather than pure impact, and that profile can look ordinary in the majors against sharper velocity and premium spin. His MLB strikeout rate jumped to 27.3 percent in the brief cameo. The projection is a .280-.300 hitter with 16-20 home runs in a corner outfield role, and if he maintains this level in Albuquerque, the door to another call-up conversation shouldn't be far behind.
Quick Hits
- Robert Calaz (A+, OF, Rank: 15) · drove in seven runs on 12 hits, including four home runs, across 28 plate appearances at Spokane. This pushed his last-30-day slugging to .597 with five home runs in 72 plate appearances. The power is real, a 60 grade with plus-plus raw in batting practice, but the season contact rate of 65.5 percent remains the sticking point on a profile that needs the bat to carry it. This stretch at least shows the ceiling is accessible when everything clicks.
- Wilder Dalis (A+, SS, Rank: 26) · went 6-for-13 with two walks across 15 plate appearances in his first High-A action after his promotion to Spokane. The 20-year-old switch-hitter had been slashing .356/.424/.609 with six home runs over his last 21 games at Low-A Fresno before the move, and the early results suggest he's not overwhelmed by the jump. His combined numbers across three levels this season sit at .303/.402/.545 with 16 home runs and 26 steals in 366 plate appearances, a broader body of work that earns the promotion even with the hit tool graded at 55.
- Cristian Arguelles (A, OF, Rank: 9) · collected eight hits, five walks, a triple, a double, and three RBI across 28 plate appearances at Fresno. His 30-day contact rate at 86.6 percent is the standout figure; across 124 plate appearances over the last month he's drawn 17 walks against just 15 strikeouts, which reflects the same advanced feel for the zone that made him historically dominant in the ACL a year ago. Combined across both levels in 2026, the 19-year-old sits at .369/.452/.603.
- Cole Messina (AA, C, Rank: 34) · went 4-for-14 with two home runs and eight RBI across 15 plate appearances at Hartford. The eight RBI on a four-hit week signals he was squaring up in high-leverage spots. His season line at Double-A sits at .214/.314/.354 with seven home runs through 315 plate appearances, a modest average that understates how often he's come up with runners on base this year, with 40 RBI on the season.
- Andy Perez (AA, SS, Rank: 25) · knocked two home runs and four RBI on six hits across 24 plate appearances at Hartford. His season-long contact rate of 81 percent and 59.5 percent swing rate are the defining numbers of his profile: an aggressive, bat-on-ball shortstop who limits strikeouts by expanding the zone. Nine home runs through 488 Double-A plate appearances with 24 steals shows the profile is producing across multiple dimensions even without a carrying power tool.
- Jack Natili (A, C, Rank: 7) · drove in five runs on three hits, including a home run, across 15 plate appearances at Fresno in his first games after his assignment from the ACL. The 21-year-old catcher has a plus arm and real all-fields power graded at 55, and his full-season numbers of .292/.393/.625 with two home runs and seven RBI in six games reflect a strong early impression at the level.
- Roldy Brito (A+, 3B, Rank: 5) · went 6-for-13 with a walk across 15 plate appearances at Spokane, though he failed to drive in a run. The hit tool remains the carrying tool for the 19-year-old switch-hitter, graded at 55, and combined across Low-A and High-A he's hitting .321/.376/.483 with 38 steals and a 70-grade speed tool. The walk rate at High-A has tightened considerably from his Low-A marks, something worth watching as the level continues to test him.
- Jacob Humphrey (AA, OF, Rank: 38) · received his first Double-A assignment on August 18, moving from Spokane to Hartford. In his first 12 plate appearances with the Yard Goats, he's hit .273/.333/.455 with a stolen base. He slashed .310/.383/.483 with eight home runs and 26 steals across 266 plate appearances at High-A before the promotion, a well-rounded line from an outfielder making his first trip to the upper minors.
- Mason Adams (AAA, RHP, Rank: 21) · turned in 4.2 innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and no walks in his outing at Albuquerque last week. His ERA sits at 2.08 through three Triple-A starts since joining Colorado's affiliate, a sharp contrast to his 4.25 ERA in nine starts with Charlotte before the move. The command-leaning profile with a 55 command grade fits his up-down reliever projection, and the 24.3 percent strikeout rate in Albuquerque this season shows the slider-changeup mix is generating enough swing-and-miss to profile at the level.
- Jack Mahoney (AAA, RHP, Rank: 44) · logged 4.1 innings with four strikeouts and four walks in his Triple-A start, allowing two earned runs. The transition from Double-A has been bumpy: a 5.09 ERA across 17.2 innings at Albuquerque compared to the 1.99 ERA he posted in 68 innings at Hartford. The walk rate and pitch efficiency have both taken a step backward, with his 30-day mark at 19.7 pitches per inning, and the four home runs allowed over five Triple-A starts reflect a fastball-slider combination that plays fringy when the command is off. The underlying tools, a fastball that sits 93-97 mph and a legitimate put-away slider, still point to a back-end rotation possibility.
- Blas Castaño (AAA, RHP, Rank: 51) · threw five scoreless innings on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts at Albuquerque in his most recent outing. His season ERA in Triple-A with the Rockies stands at 3.20 across 19.2 innings, workable for a swingman type with a 10-appearance MLB résumé showing a 3.92 ERA this year. The 30-day numbers show the command has been a concern, with a 14.9 percent walk rate over the last month, but the stuff, led by a 93-95 mph fastball with armside run, gives him enough to limit damage in shorter outings.