Grand Junction Rockies
As the Colorado Rockies chase history this month by way of a first divisional title, the Grand Junction Rockies made theirs.
Colorado’s rookie league team played in its first Pioneer League Championship Series after defeating the Ogden Raptors — the Dodgers’ rookie affiliate — in the South Division finals in order to advance.
Grand Junction was then swept 20 in the title round by the White Sox’s Great Falls Voyagers last week, ending the successful season under firstyear manager Jake Opitz, a 2004 graduate of Heritage High School.
Catalyzing Grand Junction’s run was an array of 2018 draft picks, as first baseman Grant Lavigne (No. 42 overall), right fielder Niko Decolati (No. 186) and infielders Coco Montes (No. 456) and Hunter Stovall (No. 636) highlighted the offense while Colorado’s firstround selection, southpaw Ryan Rolison, posted a 1.86 ERA in nine starts.
Lavigne, who was playing high school baseball in New Hampshire just four months ago, has already progressed quickly up minorleague baseball’s initial learning curve by leading the team with a .350 average, a .477 onbase percentage, 45 walks and a .996 OPS.
“As a player, I’m trying to learn as much as I can about first base and how I can improve my skill set around the base, and I’m always trying to improve as a baserunner, whether that’s studying pitcher tendencies or getting better dirtball reads,” Lavigne said. “As a hitter, I’m learning as much as I can about myself, too, through experience and study.”
It was a bounceback season for Decolati, who paced Grand Junction in total bases (140), RBIS (56), and steals (17) in addition to being tied for the lead in home runs at 11 with third baseman Reese Berberet, also a 2018 pick at No. 516 overall.
“I didn’t have the year I wanted to or expected to (as a junior at Loyola Marymount), so it’s nice to reset here and have a clean slate,” the Boulder native said. “That fresh start has propelled me to what I’ve done so far.”
Decolati & Co. have made an early statement about the legitimacy of Colorado’s most recent draft class.
“Being able to (have said) we’re still alive, and still competing for a championship, is pretty cool considering we got here in June with a brand new group of guys and we didn’t really know what to expect,” Decolati said. “But we have awesome chemistry, and clearly a lot of talent.”