Rockies Arizona Fall League updates

Seven Rockies prospects are playing for the Salt River Rafters in the 2019 Arizona Fall League: Third basemen Colton Welker (No. 3) and Bret Boswell, right-handers Ryan Castellani (No. 15), Ashton Goudeau, Antonio Santos and Alexander Guillen, and catcher Brian Serven. First baseman Roberto Ramos (No. 28) slashed .162/.295/.324 with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs in 10 games before being removed from the roster on Oct. 9. Right-hander Ryan Castellani (No. 15) was removed from the roster on Oct. 23 after posting a 2.16 ERA with 20 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings.

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Oct. 26: Salt River 5, Surprise 1
Colton Welker walked and scored in the fourth inning and laced a double to the right-center-field gap (101.3 mph exit velocity) in the sixth during a 1-for-3 performance in Salt River’s 5-1 win over Surprise in Saturday’s AFL championship.

After posting 13 scoreless frames during a tremendous AFL regular season, Ashton Goudeau entered in relief of Salt River starter Dakota Chalmers in the third inning and delivered 2 2/3 scoreless frames, striking out three and allowing one hit. The 27-year-old right-hander’s fastball topped out at 95.5 mph in the outing and he threw five of his eight curveballs -- a 12-to-6, downer pitch -- for strikes. Overall, Goudeau threw 19 of 26 pitches for strikes while facing the minimum in the outing.

Antonio Santos replaced Goudeau on the mound in the sixth inning and posted a scoreless frame, offsetting a leadoff single with an inning-ending double play, then retired the side in order in the seventh. He topped out at 97.1 mph, throwing 15 of 19 pitches for strikes in the outing.

Oct. 25: Salt River 6, Peoria 1
Brian Serven and Colton Welker both recorded multiple hits on Friday to help power Salt River past Peoria. Serven, batting ninth for the Rafters, hit a leadoff triple off Forrest Whitley in the third inning and scored the Rafters’ second run of the game on a Jose Devers single. In the fourth, the Rockies catching prospect tagged Whitley for a two-run homer to left-center field that plated Bret Boswell, who had reached via a two-out walk. Serven’s homer was his second in the Fall League and had an exit velocity of 104.6 mph. He scored two runs in the contest, finishing 2-for-3. Welker improved his average to .229 with a 2-for-4 performance, while Boswell’s 0-for-2 showing dropped his to .098. They each scored one run.

Oct. 24: Salt River 0, Mesa 0
Bret Boswell continued to struggle, going 0-for-3 for Salt River and bringing his AFL average to .103.

Oct. 23: Glendale 5, Salt River 4
Colton Welker is batting .215 in the Fall League after a 1-for-5 performance from the three-hole in Salt River’s lineup. Bret Boswell went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, though he did score a run after reaching via a walk. Antonio Santos recorded the final out in the fifth inning for Salt River and then returned to work a scoreless sixth. The 23-year-old right-hander has put together a strong campaign in the Fall League, pitching to a 2.77 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 13 innings (eight appearances).

Oct. 22: Scheduled off day for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Here’s a day-by-day look at how Colorado's AFL contingent is faring:

Oct. 21: Salt River 11, Glendale 7
Colton Welker walked three times and scored a run but was held hitless, going 0-for-2. The 22-year-old third baseman is batting .216 with zero home runs through 20 games in the Fall League, but it’s worth pointing out that he’s also amassed more walks (12) than strikeouts (11) in that span. Brian Serven picked his third double, and he’s now hit safely in nine of his past 10 games after a 1-for-5 performance on Monday.

Oct. 20: Salt River 2, Surprise 1 (10 innings)
Phoenix native Ryan Castellani tossed a gem in the shadow of his hometown, working four innings with one unearned run crossing the dish Sunday. The right-hander continued to rack up the strikeouts, compiling four while yielding two hits and three walks for the Rafters. Through 16 2/3 innings in the Fall League, he has 20 strikeouts to his credit. After a rough 10-start stretch for Triple-A Albuquerque during the 2019 regular season, the 23-year-old has rebounded to post a 2.16 ERA over his first five starts.

Ashton Goudeau followed Castellani and continued his AFL dominance as he worked a pair of perfect innings, striking out three batters along the way. He has yet to issue a walk in the Fall League and has a flawless 0.00 ERA through 13 innings pitched, as well. The 27-year-old was a 27th-round pick of the Royals back in the 2012 Draft, and signed with the Rockies as a Minor League free agent ahead of this season, where he spent time at Double-A Hartford. He pitched to a 2.07 ERA there in 78 1/3 innings.

Colton Welker finished hitless in four at-bats, lowering his Fall League average to .222. Bret Boswell collected his first double of the season to finish 1-for-4. Alexander Guillen pitched two scoreless frames to close out the game, allowing only one hit and striking out a pair of batters to earn the win in the extra-inning affair.

Oct. 19: Salt River 8, Surprise 1
Bret Boswell went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts from the bottom of Salt River’s lineup. Antonio Santos struck out four of the seven batters he faced over two scoreless innings out of the Rafters’ bullpen. The 23-year-old right-hander has fanned seven batters in four innings across his last two appearances.

Oct. 18: Peoria 9, Salt River 0
Colton Welker and Brian Serven’s singles accounted for two of Salt River’s five hits against Peoria. Welker’s knock with two outs in the first inning was the Rafters’ lone hit against Javelinas starter Reggie Lawson, and he also reached base via a hit-by-pitch in the sixth. Serven picked up his single in the seventh before finishing 1-for-4. Bret Boswell went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .125.

Oct. 17: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 16: Salt River 4, Peoria 2
No Rockies prospects were in Salt River's lineup on Wednesday.

Oct. 15: Scottsdale 2, Salt River 1
Ashton Goudeau has been one of the better relievers throughout the Arizona Fall League and proved so once again Tuesday. The right-hander threw 20 of his 24 pitches for strikes and struck out four over two scoreless innings. Goudeau has yet to allow a run through five appearances (11 1/3 innings) and has also struck out 15 in that span (while surrendering just four hits). Alexander Guillen followed Goudeau out of the ‘pen and put together a scoreless outing of his own. Guillen struck out two in one inning and has held opponents scoreless in four straight appearances (six innings).

Oct. 14: Scottsdale 6, Salt River 5
Colton Welker played third and hit third for Salt River on Monday night. He went 1-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout and a run scored. He’s now hitting .230 with a .600 OPS for the fall. Bret Boswell played center field, a position he’s continuing to learn after playing there for the first time in 2019, and hit sixth. He went 2-for-4 with a walk. Catcher Brian Serven also went 2-for-4 and struck out twice. Additionally, he drove in a run, with his single in the third.

Ryan Castellani missed a lot of bats over his four-inning start. The right-hander whiffed eight and walked just one, while allowing five hits and two runs (one earned). Antonio Santos followed Castellani on the mound and gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.

Oct. 13: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 12: East 4, West 2
Here's how every player performed in the Fall Stars Game. More »

Oct. 11: Mesa 3, Salt River 2
Colton Welker went 0-for-2, but he scored Salt River’s first run of the game in the fourth inning after reaching via a walk. Brian Serven went 1-for-3 with a single from the bottom of the lineup. Welker and Serven are batting .228 and .233, respectively, in the Fall League.

Oct. 10: Mesa 9, Salt River 3
Colton Welker’s AFL average dipped to .236 after an 0-for-4 performance on Thursday.

Oct. 9: Salt River 6, Glendale 2
Colton Welker went 2-for-4 with an RBI single from the three-spot in Salt River’s lineup. Bret Boswell, who batted ninth and started at second base, remains hitless in the Fall League after an 0-for-3 performance. Ashton Goudeau entered into a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the second inning and needed only one pitch to record the final out in the frame and then returned to work a scoreless third. In four appearances out of the Rafters’ bullpen, Goudeau has given up just three hits while racking up 11 strikeouts in nine innings.

Oct. 8: Salt River 11, Glendale 10
Roberto Ramos got off to a slow start in Arizona, but began to turn things around on Tuesday. The 24-year-old, who has hit 62 homers over the past two Minor League seasons, put his power on display with a grand slam in the second inning. The blast, Ramos’ second of the AFL, had an exit velocity of 114.7 mph, according to TrackMan. Ramos later added a single, giving him his first multihit effort of the season.

Ryan Castellani was solid in his first two AFL starts, but he struggled on Tuesday. The right-hander tossed 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs (three earned) on five hits. Antonio Santos took over for Castellani and fared a bit better, but the defense let him down. Santos gave up three runs, all unearned, over 1 1/3 innings. Alexander Guillen picked up the win, his first of the AFL, for Salt River with two scoreless innings out of the ‘pen. Guillen fired 24 of his 31 pitches for strikes and struck out four. Colton Welker went 0-for-4 at the plate, but he reached base twice -- once via a walk and he was also hit by a pitch. Brian Serven went 0-for-5.

Oct. 7: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 6: Salt River 6, Surprise 4
Colton Welker went 1-for-3 and drove in a run. The first baseman also drew a walk and now has hits in nine of his past 10 games. Roberto Ramos, batting .125, has struggled in Arizona, but he did single and score as part of a 1-for-4 effort.

Oct. 5: Peoria 9, Salt River 7
Ashton Goudeau was strong in relief for Salt River, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. The junior college product racked up three punchouts. Brian Serven collected his first multihit effort of the fall, slashing a pair of singles to raise his average to .273 over six contests. The Arizona State product is attempting to reclaim his swing after a 2019 campaign in which he produced a .649 OPS at Double-A. Bret Boswell drew a rare start for Salt River, but was unable to notch his first hit with the club. He finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and went down looking as the go-ahead run in the eighth.

Oct. 4: Salt River 10, Peoria 9
Colton Welker hit a two-run single in the fourth inning and finished 1-for-5 as Salt River’s designed hitter. He’s batting .250 through 10 games this fall. Antonio Santos gave up three hits and a walk, but only allowed one run while tossing two frames out of the Rafters’ bullpen. In the ninth, Alexander Guillen pitched around a pair of hits to record his second AFL save.

Oct. 3: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 2: Salt River 4, Scottsdale 2
The Scottsdale offense was paced by catcher Brian Serven out of the nine-hole on Wednesday. The 24-year-old went 1-for-3 and drove in two for the squad that ended up on top 4-2. No. 3 prospect Colton Welker went 0-for-4 batting cleanup and playing third base for the Rafters, while No. 28 prospect Roberto Ramos lowered his average to .107 with an 0-for-4 day, striking out three times.

Oct. 1: Salt River 5, Scottsdale 2
Ryan Castellani has yet to surrender an earned run in the Fall League after throwing four solid innings for Salt River on Tuesday. The Rockies’ No. 15 prospect, a second-round pick from the 2014 Draft, gave up an unearned run, but was otherwise brilliant as he cruised through four innings. Castellani, who threw 40 of his 60 pitches for strikes, retired the first eight batters he faced and was perfect until Jalen Miller (Giants) reach on an error. The next batter tripled, but that was the extent of the damage. Castellani retired three of the next four batters he faced and finished his outing with four strikeouts. Ashton Goudeau extended his scoreless streak to five innings through two AFL appearances. After throwing three innings in his first appearances, Goudeau cruised through two innings on Tuesday, striking out three and giving up just one hit.

Roberto Ramos hit his first homer of the AFL, a two-run blast out to right field in the sixth inning. The homer had an exit velocity of 102.2 mph and traveled 412 feet. Colton Welker went 1-for-4, but left his mark on the game with a booming double in the seventh inning. The double, Welker’s second of the AFL, brought home a pair of runs and had an exit velocity of 102 mph. He has now driven in three runs and is hitting .290 through eight games.

Sept. 30: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Sept. 29: Salt River 4, Glendale 3
Brian Serven served as the catcher, batting eighth, and picked up a hit in four at-bats. He did strike out twice, however. Bret Boswell played in left field and hit in the No. 9 spot in the order, and he was hitless in three at-bats, although he did draw a walk and drive in a run with the bases loaded in the second inning.

Sept. 28: Salt River 10, Mesa 3
Colton Welker did a little bit of everything: He hit an RBI single in a 1-for-4 performance, scored a run, drew a walk and stole his first base of the Fall League. Roberto Ramos drew a walk to set up a run, but he went 0-for-3, all on strikeouts.

Sept. 27: Salt River 6, Mesa 1
Colton Welker collected one hit in four at-bats and came around to score a run. The team’s No. 3 prospect is batting .304 so far in Arizona.

Sept. 26: Glendale 5, Salt River 4
Brian Serven put his tools on display as the backstop for the Rafters. The Arizona State University product launched his first AFL homer in the fifth inning, a two-run blast to pad Salt River’s lead. A half-inning later, he produced a 1.96 sec pop time to cut down Micker Adolfo stealing second base. First baseman Roberto Ramos finished 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Sept. 25: Salt River 8, Glendale 4, postponed due to lightning
A trio of Rockies prospects powered Salt River’s offense on Wednesday as Colton Welker (Rockies’ No. 3), Roberto Ramos (No. 28) and Bret Boswell combined to go 6-for-9 with three RBIs. Boswell led the group with a 3-for-3 performance that included a double, while Welker tallied singles in his first two at-bats before finishing 2-for-3. Ramos delivered a two-run single in the fourth inning to pad the Rafters’ early lead, though the game was postponed in the following frame.

Sept. 24: Salt River 4, Hermosillo 1
Antonio Santos gave up two runs over 1 2/3 innings in his first start of the Fall League, but was much sharper Tuesday as he struck two of the three batters he faced. Alexander Guillen closed things out for Salt River but gave up a run on one hit with no walks and one strikeout in his lone inning. Colton Welker went 1-for-3 at the plate, but showed good plate discipline and strike zone awareness as he also drew a pair of walks. He committed a fielding error, his second of the Fall League.

Sept. 23: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Sept. 22: Salt River 11, Scottsdale 4
Colton Welker singled and scored in the first inning, but that was the extent of his performance as the 21-year-old ended up going 1-for-5. Roberto Ramos went hitless (0-for-2), but he scored a run and reached base twice (two walks and a hit by pitch). Brian Serven’s rough start to the AFL continued with his 1-for-4 night at the plate. The catching prospect is batting .143, but he did pick up his first RBI of the fall via a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Sept. 21: Surprise 12, Salt River 0
Roberto Ramos drew a walk, but was otherwise 0-for-3. Bret Boswell popped out in his lone at-bat of the night.

Sept. 20: Surprise 4, Salt River 1
Colton Welker doubled as part of a 1-for-3 night at the plate, but also got thrown out at home while trying to score on a base hit. Roberto Ramos went 1-for-4 at the plate and is hitting .111 in the AFL. Antonio Santos gave up three hits -- including a two-run homer -- over 1 2/3 innings. He also struck out three.

Sept. 19: Salt River 4, Mesa 1
Ryan Castellani looked sharp in his first start of the Fall League. The right-hander threw 25 of his 39 pitches for strikes, fanned three and gave up just two hits over two scoreless innings. Castellani spent his season pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and struggled to an 8.31 ERA in 10 starts. The 23-year-old did not pitch after June 13, when he was placed on the injured list for the second time this season. He was followed by righty Ashton Goudeau, who tossed three perfect frames with four strikeouts. The 27-year-old righty was drafted by the Royals in 2012 and joined the Rockies on a Minor League contract this past offseason. He pitched to a 2.07 ERA in 78 1/3 innings for Double-A Hartford this year. Colton Welker connected on a single for his only hit in four at-bats while playing third base and batting third. Brian Serven served as the catcher, striking out in all three of his plate appearances.

Sept. 18: Peoria 10, Salt River 6
No. 3 prospect Colton Welker came to the Fall League to work on playing first base and rediscover his swing. He did both on Wednesday, starting at first and hitting in the three-hole for the Salt River Rafters. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, with one hit registering as 102.1 mph off the bat. No. 28 prospect Roberto Ramos hit behind Welker in the cleanup spot and while he hit 30 homers in Triple-A this year, he went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, though he did drive in the first run of the game on a groundout.