Mile High Minors: Thach's Power Surge at High-A, Veen Finally Gets His Call
By Cameron Wright ·
Thach Won't Let You Sleep on Him
Tanner Thach (A+, 1B, Rank: 39) went 11-for-28 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI across 28 plate appearances at Spokane last week, the best raw production line in the system for the period. The timing matters: Thach was promoted to High-A in late June and had been grinding through an adjustment, hitting .248/.319/.433 through his first 36 games at the level before this past week arrived. His combined numbers on the season now read .309/.384/.506 with 17 home runs and 95 RBI across 498 plate appearances between Low-A Fresno and Spokane. The power has been real all year, and the left-handed pull-side thump that carries his profile is showing up on both sides of the promotion.
An honest evaluation here is a 50 hit tool and 55 power grade attached to a corner-only defender with below-average speed and arm strength. That profile demands the bat do heavy lifting, and so far it has. His aggressive 50.9 percent swing rate pairs with a 79 percent contact rate, which is an unusual combination: he expands the zone but makes enough contact to keep strikeouts manageable, with just 72 across 498 plate appearances this season. The concern as he climbs is whether that contact rate holds when pitchers with sharper breaking balls and true premium velocity sequence him more deliberately. His last-30-day line at High-A reads .276/.340/.506 with five home runs and 20 RBI, which suggests the adjustment at the level is going reasonably well even before last week's explosion. At 22, with a second-division ceiling and a genuine run-producing track record, Thach is doing what he needs to do.
The Wait Is Over for Veen
The Rockies recalled Zac Veen (MLB, LF, Rank: 9) from Triple-A Albuquerque on August 11, and the only real question at this point is why it took this long. His Triple-A line at the time of the recall sat at .327/.402/.635 with 24 home runs, 18 steals, and 33 doubles across 445 plate appearances, a massive leap from his .289/.354/.468 line a year ago at the same level. In his first 15 MLB plate appearances since the recall, he's gone 4-for-13 with two home runs, already showing the pull-side power that makes the profile work. He's a plus runner with 55 power and a 50 hit tool who has been lapping the Triple-A environment for months.
The knock has always been timing: the leg lift and long levers can create breakdowns against premium velocity, and a brief 2025 MLB cameo produced a .118 average across 37 plate appearances with 14 strikeouts. The current version looks more composed, and the walk-to-strikeout ratio in Albuquerque (well north of 1-to-2) reflects a disciplined approach rather than a hitter padding his numbers in a hitter-friendly environment. His realistic ceiling remains a .260-.270 hitter with 20-25 home runs and double-digit steals, and the outfield door in Colorado has been open since the Brenton Doyle trade. He just needed someone to wave him through it.
Quick Hits
- Kelvin Hidalgo (A+, SS, Rank: 27) · collected eight hits and six walks across 27 plate appearances, driving in two runs while striking out just five times. That's a disciplined showing from a 21-year-old whose contact rate (67.6 percent) and swing rate (50.3 percent aggressive) have been the persistent drag on his profile. Over his last 30 days, he's hitting .352/.452/.465 with 13 walks against 20 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances, a stretch that suggests his zone recognition is genuinely improving even if the power hasn't fully arrived yet. The 40 hit tool grade and 65 speed remain the poles of his profile; right now the speed is his ticket, but weeks like this one make you wonder if the bat is catching up.
- Roc Riggio (AAA, 2B, Rank: 23) · earned his first Triple-A assignment on August 12 after slashing .256/.371/.492 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles, and 20 steals across 380 Double-A plate appearances in Hartford. He drew four walks in 17 plate appearances in his initial Albuquerque action, though the strikeouts (seven) and lack of extra-base hits show the level is a real step up. His AA-to-AAA profile is a 45 hit, 55 power second baseman whose calling card is left-handed pull power paired with genuine walk rates; his 58 walks against 101 strikeouts in Hartford this season capture both the patience and the swing-and-miss. I'd expect an adjustment period before the damage shows up at this level.
- Jack Natili (A, C, Rank: 7) · was promoted from the ACL to Low-A Fresno on August 11 and immediately went 4-for-14 with a homer and a double across 14 plate appearances in his debut at the level. A plus arm behind the plate with real all-fields power and a 55 grade on the power tool, Natili is the catching prospect the Rockies need moving through the system. The swing can get long and the catching actions still need polish, but a .333/.385/.667 first look at Fresno is a promising debut. At 21 with an everyday projection, there's real upside here if the bat-to-ball quality holds as the pitching sharpens.
- Konner Eaton (AA, LHP, Rank: 35) · spun five shutout innings on two hits with six strikeouts and two walks in his best start in over a month. That one-start snapshot is welcome after a brutal stretch: over his last 30 days, he carries a 9.45 ERA across 13.1 innings at Hartford with four home runs allowed. The underlying problem is a 40 command grade that keeps his solid stuff from playing up consistently; the fastball sits 94-97 and the slider at 86 is a genuine bat-misser (27.8 percent whiff rate on the season), but when release consistency slips, the walks and home runs pile up. His season ERA at 4.73 across 80 innings reflects a back-end ceiling with a real risk of settling into multi-inning relief if the command doesn't tighten.
- Mason Adams (AAA, RHP, Rank: 19) · gave up two earned runs on three hits across four innings in his weekly outing, but the bigger story is his last-30-day stretch at Albuquerque: 2.89 ERA across 18.2 innings with 20 strikeouts and zero home runs allowed. Adams has a 55 command grade and a five-pitch mix that lives in the 92-94 range, and that approach-over-stuff identity is showing up in results. His combined 2026 ERA sits at 3.63 across 57 innings after a Tommy John layoff wiped out 2025. The projection is a long reliever or shuttle starter, and the current Albuquerque run is a reasonable audition for that role.
- Juan Martinez (A, SS, Rank: 31) · drove in two runs on six hits in 26 plate appearances, adding two triples and four walks against four strikeouts. The 19-year-old switch-hitter has a 55 hit tool and a 74 percent contact rate that holds up even while being selective at the plate (44.2 percent swing rate). His last-30-day line at Low-A Fresno shows he's gone hitless on power, but the approach and speed (29 steals combined this season) continue to carry the profile. He projects as an offensive-minded second baseman, and the plate discipline is already ahead of what most teenagers show against pro pitching.
- Robert Calaz (A+, OF, Rank: 16) · went 2-for-10 with a homer and a double in limited action, hitting his fifth home run of the year. The 20-year-old's season-long challenges remain visible: a .206/.284/.312 line through 359 plate appearances at Spokane reflects a 64.8 percent contact rate that struggles to convert the 60 raw power grade into consistent game damage. His last 30 days have been difficult (.128/.250/.255), but the arm strength and raw power give him a legitimate profile if the hit tool and swing decisions improve. He's young enough that the development window is still open, but adjustments need to come soon.
- Wilder Dalis (A+, SS, Rank: 26) · was promoted to Spokane on August 11 after posting a .310/.408/.578 line with 15 home runs and 22 steals across 306 plate appearances at Low-A Fresno. His first 21 plate appearances at High-A show a .190/.190/.333 line with one homer and three steals as he runs into the predictable adjustment wall. Dalis was featured in this column just a few weeks ago as a name to watch; the promotion is earned, and the High-A debut numbers are a data point, not a verdict.