Baseball season is right around the corner – and that means the Albuquerque Isotopes will take the field soon. If the Major League Baseball lockout ever ends, that is. Whenever baseball does happen, here are four players we hope to see play for our beloved Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate for the Colorado Rockies.

Michael Toglia

Colorado’s prized first-base prospect is on track to spend time in Triple-A this season and would certainly be fun to watch in action at elevation in Albuquerque. Rated the organization’s top power prospect, Toglia split his 2021 season between High-A and Double-A and hit 22 home runs in 115 games.

Zac Veen

It’s unlikely to happen absent an unfathomably quick ascent through the minors, but we can dream, can’t we? Veen, the ninth overall pick in 2020, had quite the pro debut in 2021, swatting 15 home runs and swiping 36 bases for the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies. Again, we almost certainly won’t see him in Albuquerque this year, but we can’t wait until we do!

Ryan Rolison

With any luck for Rolison, he’ll be on the Rockies’ roster come April, but we’d certainly love to see him pitch in Albuquerque for a bit. The impressive left-hander, a former first-round pick, struggled with the Isotopes last year, but some of that can probably be attributed to midseason appendix surgery. Regardless, as the top pitching prospect in the Rockies organization, he’s got all sorts of potential.

Elehuris Montero

An unheralded prospect acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in last year’s blockbuster Nolan Arenado trade, Montero produced monster numbers for the Isotopes and Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. In his first year with the Rockies organization, he belted 28 home runs – six of those here in Albuquerque. It’d be fun to see what he can do in a full season with the Isotopes. Check out Montero’s power in action.

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