Best draft picks in Colorado Rockies history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Colorado Rockies history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Will Harris
- Draft: 258th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 447
- Career stats: 23 wins, 2.94 earned run average, 1.11 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 7.7

#24. Jamey Wright
- Draft: 28th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 719
- Career stats: 97 wins, 4.81 earned run average, 1.54 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 9.2

#23. Jeff Francis
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 254
- Career stats: 72 wins, 4.97 earned run average, 1.44 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 9.6

#22. Jason Jennings
- Draft: 16th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 225
- Career stats: 62 wins, 4.95 earned run average, 1.56 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 11.2

#21. Seth Smith
- Draft: 50th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,249
- Career stats: 126 home runs, .261 batting average, .790 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 11.6

#20. John Thomson
- Draft: 212th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 216
- Career stats: 63 wins, 4.68 earned run average, 1.39 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 12.3

#19. Corey Dickerson
- Draft: 260th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Centerfielder
- Games played: 1,083
- Career stats: 136 home runs, .280 batting average, .799 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.0

#18. Jake Westbrook
- Draft: 21st overall pick in 1996
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 315
- Career stats: 105 wins, 4.32 earned run average, 1.41 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 13.1

#17. Ryan McMahon
- Draft: 42nd overall pick in 2013
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 816
- Career stats: 114 home runs, .246 batting average, .758 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.4

#16. Clint Barmes
- Draft: 287th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,186
- Career stats: 89 home runs, .245 batting average, .673 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.9

#15. Chris Iannetta
- Draft: 110th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,197
- Career stats: 141 home runs, .230 batting average, .751 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.0

#14. Tyler Anderson
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 186
- Career stats: 55 wins, 4.2 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.1

#13. Jon Gray
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 2013
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 216
- Career stats: 71 wins, 4.34 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.3

#12. Aaron Cook
- Draft: 70th overall pick in 1997
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 256
- Career stats: 76 wins, 4.6 earned run average, 1.47 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.6

#11. Kyle Freeland
- Draft: 8th overall pick in 2014
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 188
- Career stats: 55 wins, 4.53 earned run average, 1.44 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.9

#10. Juan Pierre
- Draft: 390th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,994
- Career stats: 18 home runs, .295 batting average, .704 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.3

#9. Dexter Fowler
- Draft: 410th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,460
- Career stats: 127 home runs, .259 batting average, .775 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.4

#8. Charlie Blackmon
- Draft: 72nd overall pick in 2008
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,550
- Career stats: 217 home runs, .294 batting average, .834 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.5

#7. Chone Figgins
- Draft: 132nd overall pick in 1997
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,282
- Career stats: 35 home runs, .276 batting average, .712 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.0

#6. Craig Counsell
- Draft: 319th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,624
- Career stats: 42 home runs, .255 batting average, .686 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.4

#5. Trevor Story
- Draft: 45th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 890
- Career stats: 177 home runs, .265 batting average, .834 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 30.3

#3. Troy Tulowitzki (tie)
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,291
- Career stats: 225 home runs, .290 batting average, .856 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.5

#3. Matt Holliday (tie)
- Draft: 210th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,903
- Career stats: 316 home runs, .299 batting average, .889 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.5

#2. Nolan Arenado
- Draft: 59th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,585
- Career stats: 330 home runs, .285 batting average, .863 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 54.0

#1. Todd Helton
- Draft: 8th overall pick in 1995
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 2,247
- Career stats: 369 home runs, .316 batting average, .953 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 61.8

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.