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Rockies No. 9 Prospect Colton Welker 1B/3B | Hartford Yard Goats (AA)
23 Years Old | Throws: R | Bats: R | 6’1″ | 235lbs | ETA: 2021
| Hit | Raw Power | Power | Field | Arm | Speed | FV |
| 40/55 | 45/55 | 40/50 | 40/50 | 55/60 | 40/40 | 50 |
Colton Welker is a Coral Springs, FL native who was taken in the 4th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies out of Stoneman Douglas high school. Welker signed for $855,000, an above-average slot value with the Rockies to forgo a commitment to the University of Miami.
Professional Debut
The third basemen then went to Grand Junction of the Pioneer League in rookie ball after putting pen to paper where he had an outstanding professional debut hitting .329 (69-210) with 15 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs. He also knocked in 31 runs while scoring 38 and stole 6 bases in 10 attempts.
Hit: 40/55
Colton Welker hits from a slightly open stance with a high handset. He shows bat control with good bat speed and uses a leg lift for timing. The big bodied third basemen is not afraid to take a pitch and can extend his swing when needed to make contact. He had hit at every level before being assigned to Hartford of the Eastern League where he missed a month with an undisclosed injury. At double-a the third basemen hit .252 (89-353). Prior to 2019 he had hit .329 in the Pioneer League, .350 (89-250) in 67 games in the South Atlantic League (A ball) in 2017 and .333 (151-454). He can put the ball into play and uses the entire field.
Power: 40/50
As of now, Colton Welker has more of a gap-to-gap approach at the plate hitting for more doubles than homeruns. As stated earlier, he is not afraid to take a pitch and is more focused on making contact than putting one over the fence. Welker has a line drive swing plane without much loft and shows strong bat control at the plate with the ability to shorten his swing to make contact on inside pitches and extend his swing to drive the ball.
Fielding: 40/50
The Colorado Rockies prospect has shown a decent glove in the minor leagues during his 4 years in the Rockies system and was originally a shortstop at Stoneman Douglas High School before the Rockies transitioned the Florida native to third as a pro. He reacts well to the ball and shows good range in the infield. With Nolan Arenado now heading to St. Louis, Welker will have the opportunity to stick at third with the big club but could also see time at first. His glove should field well as an average everyday player at either position.
Speed: 40/40
The former 4th round pick has a big body and only has a 40-run tool presently and will most likely slow down as he gets older and possibly bigger. Welker has topped out at 6 stolen bases so far in his journey through the minor leagues and might not ever reach that number in the MLB.
Arm: 55/60
Colton Welker’s arm could be a factor to keep him at third rather than to move to first if Arenado is indeed traded. He makes strong throws to first and if he keeps up his development his arm strength should develop into a plus tool.
Future Value: 50
Colton Welker has shown some promise and struggles at the plate during his journey to the big leagues, but if he were to remain healthy and continue to develop the way the Rockies want, Welker could turn into a .280 hitter with average homerun power but should still record a lot of doubles with the type of swing and bat control that he possesses. The former Miami commit should be an everyday third baseman in the MLB once he is there.
With the recent trade of Nolan Arenado. The road to playing time for Welker has opened up and should see himself making starts in Colorado in the near future.
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