Amador put on extra weight to improve in '23

ATLANTA -- Shortstop prospect Adael Amador -- ranked 51st on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospect list and second in the Rockies' system -- took a simple step to a logical place for improvement in 2023.

“It’s more about the weight room, because the approach is the same,” Amador said in Spanish, with teammate Bryant Quijada interpreting. “I felt like before my lower body didn’t have too much power. So, I worked hard in the offseason.”

Amador is up just five pounds, from 195 last year to 200, but it’s part of the reason for his strong across-the-board numbers. Amador, who turned 20 on April 11, entered Sunday slashing .315/.406/.535 with nine home runs at High-A Spokane (he had 15 last year at Single-A Fresno) and 35 RBIs. Name a significant hitting category, and his stats are top 10 in the Northwest League.

The power jump is impressive, but remember what Amador said about his approach? That’s what could make him a quick riser in the system.

“The first thing that really sticks out is the guy really walks a lot,” Rockies Minor League hitting coordinator Nic Wilson said. “And he hits the ball really hard. He’s growing in terms of approach. You’re starting to see a hitter who understands situations and is starting to become a winning baseball player.

“You hear him talking in the dugout, and he’s talking to teammates about things to impact the game in order to win. That’s a really big step he has taken.”

Signed out of Santiago, Dominican Republic, for $1.5 million in the 2019-20 international class, Amador is part of a deep lineup that is the key reason Spokane has spent the year at or near the top of the league’s first-half standings. Defensively, he has held his own at shortstop, though he likely will move if he reaches the Majors quickly, since rookie Ezequiel Tovar is handling the position adeptly. Amador has played 10 games at second base this year, after playing a combined 13 there in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in 2021 and Fresno last year.

Amador, whose first name is pronounced “ah-da-EL” also is part of a fun brigade. The team has been through several home run celebrations. A lover of “The Mandalorian” space western, Amador brought a stuffed Baby Yoda (Grogu) to Spring Training. For a while this season, Spokane players would hand it to a player as he completed his home run trot, until it happened to be in the way of a frustrated teammate.

“I like it because we’re together and it’s a good chemistry in the clubhouse and on the field,” said Amador, clearly not too broken up about his Grogu. “I like we’re all together and push each other.”

When not building his own career, Amador has delighted in watching the Rockies introduce Tovar and outfielders Brenton Doyle and Nolan Jones.

“I’m 100 percent excited about that, because we have a pretty good chance to play there,” Amador said. “It gives me a lot of motivation.”

Hitting reports

• Shortstop Ryan Ritter won a collegiate Gold Glove Award last year at the University of Kentucky, and the Rockies banked on the bat when they took him in the fourth round. Through Saturday, he has a .559 slugging percentage, 14 home runs, 12 doubles and two triples at Single-A Fresno.

“You’re talking about a shortstop [who] is as smooth as can be,” Wilson said. “He’s swinging the bat with some power, putting together good at-bats and accepting his walks.”

• At Double-A Hartford, outfielder Zac Veen (MLB Pipeline's No. 30 prospect, Rockies' No. 1), catcher Drew Romo (Rockies' No. 3) and third baseman Warming Bernabel (Rockies' No. 6) all went into the weekend with an OPS of .630 and below. All three also are 21 and among the younger players in the Eastern League. Romo, however, has surged recently -- 10-for-27 with four doubles, one home run and six RBIs through his past seven games going into Sunday.

Struggles at that point are not uncommon, especially against older and highly talented 40-man roster players, but Wilson said they could be beneficial.

“We expected those guys to learn a ton this year, and they are,” he said. “Each of those guys are extremely motivated to be good. They work hard in practice. When you’re learning a lot, it’s important to take in as much as you can and put it into play. We’re starting to cross some of those bridges in terms of [when] it's time to put it into play, and those guys are excited to do so.”