The Hartford Yard Goats (Class AA; Eastern League) and the Colorado Rockies have extended their player-development contract (PDC) through the 2018 season.
The original agreement signed in the fall of 2014 was set to expire at the conclusion of the 2016 season, the first for the Yard Goats in a new Hartford ballpark. As it ends up, Hartford certainly provided a challenge to the Rockies, with Dunkin’ Donuts Park not ready for an opening until the end of May.
The Rockies minor-league system recently ranked third among all 30 Major League clubs on the MLB.Com listings. The Rockies also had seven of the top 100 prospects, which were tied for the most in baseball. Last season, four Rockies farmhands were promoted from the Eastern League to the Major Leagues. In addition, Colorado sent two Major League rehabilitation assignments to its Eastern League club, including former American League MVP Justin Morneau.
“We are thrilled to extend our PDC with the Colorado Rockies,” said Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall. “This relationship will continue to allow our fans to see the future stars of Major League Baseball nightly in Hartford at Dunkin’ Donuts Park. The Rockies provide very talented players for our fans to watch, and are dedicated to our community programs which are so important to the Yard Goats organization.”
“The Colorado Rockies are extremely excited about extending and continuing our partnership with the Hartford Yard Goats,” Rockies Senior Director of Player Development Zach Wilson said. “The commitment both organizations have to each other plays an important role in the development of our players. We are thankful and honored to be associated with the Yard Goats and the City of Hartford and look forward to continuing to grow and cultivate our relationship and involvement with the Hartford community.”
Since this is an even-numbered year, a number of player-development contracts will come up for renewal at the end of the season. There surely will be a few surprises.
You can view the current state of affiliations and player-development contracts here.