Well, it happened.
After another not-super-competitive loss to the Giants, your Colorado Rockies have once again amassed 100 losses. After hitting the mark for the third straight season, the team is now desperately trying to find any kind of positive notes to finish out what’s been a historically brutal year. With the playoffs a far-flung dream and .500 baseball far beyond their capabilities, the focus turns to checking out prospects and seeing which newcomers of today have the upside to morph into franchise cornerstones of the future.
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It’s a familiar gameplan.
Still, we fans are uniquely equipped to take stock of these young would-be All-Stars. There’s no more storied tradition on this site than our Purple Row Prospect rankings, a time when we all get to nominate, celebrate, and, uh… rate… the talented new faces that will one day make their way to the Bigs and doubtless become the bastions of hope that we so badly wish them to be.
At this time, despite the ickiness of 2025, Colorado features a nice array of promising players all over the diamond.
No position boasts as much hype as the starting pitching, though, with names such as Gabriel Hughes (No. 11 PuRP), Brody Brecht (No. 5 PuRP), and Carson Palmquist (No. 17 PuRP), as well as the already-arrived Chase Dollander, being heralded as members of a truly formidable rotation in days to come.
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One name that I hear uttered less often, though, is one I feel is just as deserving of consideration: Sean Sullivan (No. 9 PuRP).
This dude is fun.
Okay, in fairness, it’s not like no one is talking about him. After all, he’s currently ranked as Colorado’s #13 prospect per MLB Pipeline, while you ball-knowers have him rated as #9 in our most recent PuRPs. There’s clearly a decent amount of respect for his work, but I feel it’s necessary to really give this lights-out left-hander his flowers.
Since being drafted in 2023, Sullivan has worked his way through Colorado’s minor league system, showing excellent progression through his first three seasons. He was certainly effective in college with Northwestern in Evanston (hey, my hometown!) as he recorded a 4.45 ERA in 2022, but Sullivan has been even more effective in professional ball, at least thus far.
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Take this season.
As I write this on Wednesday afternoon, Sullivan has started 16 games for the Hartford Yard Goats (or, I guess, the Leaf Peepers?). Through those starts, which total to 89 2/3 innings, he’s allowed just 67 hits and a 2.51 ERA while striking out 92. He’s done a decent job of limiting free passes as well, as he’s walked 19 batters during that span. Yes, 2025 has certainly been kind to Sullivan.
Even with a fastball that only tops out in the low 90’s, Sullivan is showing that he’s savvy enough to use it effectively to keep hitters on their back feet and keep hard contact to a minimum. That’s the same kind of gameplan that made Jorge De La Rosa one of the most effective hurlers in the Rockies record books. Far be it from me to say that Sullivan’s on the same trajectory, but speculation abounds.
Thus far in 2025, Sullivan is recording 9.2 strikeouts per nine. That kind of sensational swing-and-miss stuff has evaded the Rockies in recent seasons and would be a major addition to an ailing rotation. In fact, that 9.2 mark ranks higher than any current Colorado starter… by kind of a lot (Dollander’s 7.1 is next-highest among Rockies starting pitchers).
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While I recognize the gulf of difference in Double-A versus MLB hitting, it’s still interesting to consider that Sullivan may possess some of the filthiest pure stuff in the organization. That’s got me, well, stoked.
He’s not perfect, of course — the Boston native has shown a habit of allowing a few too many base on balls, and he’s going to need to keep the ball down and allow less fly balls if he’s going to survive the unforgiving landscape of Coors Field. Still, I believe there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Sullivan’s future in purple pinstripes, if his initial outings are indicative of his ability.
Sean Sullivan’s eighth strikeout | 06/08/2025
How soon could that future arrive? Well, it’s hard to say.
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My dude Skyler recently wrote about Colorado’s lack of success with lefty arms, so there’s certainly a need for Sullivan’s services. At the same time, you never want to rush a prospect to the Major League level too quickly for fear of overexposure or unnecessary hardship, a conversation that’s being had about Chase Dollander currently. Does that mean that Sullivan starts the 2026 season in the Rockies rotation? I say no, barring an otherworldly performance in spring training, but if I were (perhaps 2026) manager Warren Schaeffer, he’d be on speed dial as one of the first names I go to for a call-up next year.
I’ve previously mentioned my vision of Sullivan’s historic rise to Rockies stardom before, and I’m not about to quit now. With so many exciting names coming out of Colorado’s farm system, don’t forget about Sean Sullivan — he may turn out to be truly special.
On the Farm
Triple-A: Round Rock Express 3, Albuquerque Isotopes 0
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The Isotopes couldn’t energize their offense as their five hits weren’t enough to plate a run against the Express. Round Rock’s pitching staff shut down Albuquerque’s offense as Blaine Crim’s double was the sole extra-base hit of the Isotopes’ five total knocks. Mason Albright’s three-run, five-inning start wasn’t bad, but he took the loss in the contest.
Double-A: Reading Fightin Phils 16, Hartford Yard Goats 4
Lol of course Sean Sullivan has a tough outing the day I write about him. In easily his toughest outing this season, Sullivan allowed seven runs on ten hits and four walks to the Fightin Phils, while Carlos Torres and Evan Shawver surrendered five and two runs, respectively, in relief. Hartford’s offense managed to scrape across a few runs in defiance thanks to multi-hit games from Jose Cordova and Braylen Wimmer, but the damage was far too much to overcome.
High-A: Eugene Emeralds 4, Spokane Indians 1 (Game One)
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The Emeralds took both games of their doubleheader against the Indians, who found a hard time managing any significant offense in either contest. Spokane managed just two hits in game one, while they managed to load the bases in the seventh but couldn’t score in game two. The Indians recorded six total hits between both games.
On the mound, Braxton Hyde pitched the entirety of game one, in which he allowed three runs on 11 hits and four walks in six innings. Game two saw Alberto Pacheco surrender one run in three innings, while Francis Rivera gave up three runs in his one frame of work, though none were earned.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 7, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6
The Grizzlies were juuust able to eke out the victory over the Quakes, who made things scary in the ninth when they scored two and put the winning run on base. Still, Fresno was able to do just enough thanks to the contributions of Roldy Brito (1-for-3 with a two-run home run) and Tanner Thatch (2-for-3 with 3 RBIs). Though Rancho Cucamonga made them work for it, closer Wilmis Paulino and the Grizzlies managed to buckle down and secure the victory, making them the sole Rockies affiliate team to earn a win on Wednesday.
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For more on the Rockies farm system, check out this week’s Pebble Report.
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Brenton Doyle’s season was brutal at the start, but he’s really turned things around. Read about what adjustments he made – both physically and mentally – on the road to reclaiming his success.
Who isn’t excited about Ethan Holliday? Take a dive into his process as he continues to climb the ranks of Colorado’s minor league system.
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For those that missed it, old friend Austin Gomber has now signed with the Chicago Cubs as he tries to revitalize his post-Colorado career.
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