Here are the Rockies' Draft picks from Day 2

July 15th, 2025

With fourth overall pick , an infielder, as the only high school player chosen in the 20 rounds, the Rockies realize that it's best to have players who can help quickly. Toward that end, the Rockies chose versatile hitters -- as opposed to the big-swinging power hitters of past Drafts -- and leaned on college pitchers.

The team looked at several high schoolers in the second round at No. 45 overall but found Southern Mississippi University right-handed starter “just too good to pass up,” Rockies director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson said.

After seeing Holliday, the MLB Pipeline No. 1 Draft prospect, fall their way because the three teams ahead of them had other priorities, Gustafson said there was good fortune on the second day.

2025 MLB Draft presented by Nike
Day 1 (Rounds 1-3): Pick-by-pick analysis | Top storylines
Day 2 (Rounds 4-20): Round-by-round analysis

At the end of three rounds of Day 1, UC Irvine righty pitcher was No. 1 player on their board, and the Rockies grabbed him. Wake Forest outfielder Cam Nelson dealt with a soft-tissue injury during the regular season and fell off some teams’ radar but was there for the Rockies in the fifth round. And Gustafson was “shocked” that UNC Wilmington power hitter Riley Thatch was available in the eighth round.

NC State closer Derrick Smith was slowed by injury this year. But the Rockies remembered last year's strong season in college and for Team USA when making the 17th-round selection.

Here is a look at Day 2 selections:

Riley Kelly, RHP

  • Round: Fourth (107th overall)
  • School: UC Irvine
  • Calling card: A Diamondbacks 20th-round Draft pick in 2022, Kelly was a high school football quarterback, but he chose college baseball. Kelly blossomed this season -- becoming the No. 139 Draft prospect -- after moving into the Anteaters’ starting rotation. His fastball sits low-to-mid 90s, but he can reach 96 and his curveball produces elite analytics.

More on the Rockies' 2025 Draft:

COMPLETE ROCKIES PROSPECT COVERAGE

Cam Nelson, OF

  • Round: Fifth (138th overall)
  • Bats/throws: L/L
  • School: Wake Forest
  • Calling card: Quietly, the Rockies have been increasingly valuing bat-to-ball skills and strike zone discipline. Nelson batted .318 with a .480 on-base percentage in 2025 and has shown on-base skills in wood-bat leagues. Athletic ability is a plus -- he played baseball and ran track in high school, has excellent speed and has been effective as a pitcher.

Matt Klein, C

  • Round: Sixth (167th overall)
  • Bats/throws: L/R
  • School: University of Louisville
  • Calling card: While injuries limited him to 87 collegiate games over three seasons at U of L, Klein had a strong postseason in 2025. He is intriguing because he hit .375 in 25 games in the wood-bat Cape Cod League last summer and has an all-fields approach.

Antoine Jean, LHP

  • Round: Seventh (197th overall)
  • School: University of Houston
  • Calling card: A part-time starter at the University of Alabama for three years, Jean had Tommy John surgery in 2023 (and completed his degree in communications). Working in various roles at Houston, he reached No. 196 on the MLB Pipeline Draft prospects list. Jean has a four-pitch mix and can throw strikes with all of his pitches.

Tanner Thach, 1B

  • Round: Eighth (227th overall)
  • School: UNC Wilmington
  • Bats/throws: L/L
  • Calling card: The great-nephew of Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter, Thach does his thing with the bat -- a school-record 54 career home runs in three seasons. The MLB Pipeline No. 151 Draft prospect, Thach also hit eight homers in the Cape Cod League last summer.

Zach Rogacki, C/OF

  • Round: Ninth (257th overall)
  • School: SUNY Binghamton
  • Bats/throws: L/R
  • Calling card: Rogacki played two seasons at Alvernia University in Reading, Pa., and two at SUNY Binghamton. Playing catcher plus all three outfield positions this season as a senior, Rogacki had a slash line of .361/.437/.600, with 17 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 43 RBIs. The Rockies see him as a catcher.

Austin Newton, RHP

  • Round: 10th (287th overall)
  • School: University of South Florida
  • Calling card: Used as a reliever for 28 of his 33 collegiate appearances, Newton developed into a strike-thrower, with 22 strikeouts against six walks in 22 2/3 innings in 2025. This summer, Newton pitched for Mahoning Valley (an MLB Draft League team) and went 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA, 10 strikeouts and two walks in 16 innings.

Zach Harris, RHP

  • Round: 11th (317th overall)
  • School: University Georgia
  • Calling card: This year he found out on Opening Day that the Bulldogs needed him to start and pitch four innings -- and he held Quinnipiac to one run in four innings. He finished as the team's closer and had 31 strikeouts against nine walks in 27 2/3 innings. He began his career at Georgia Southern and before that set records for passing yards and touchdown passes as a quarterback at Cambridge (Ga.) High School.

Brady Parker, LHP

  • Round: 12th (347th overall)
  • School: University of Houston-Victoria
  • Calling card: In his first start this season, Parker struck out 11 against one walk in a seven-inning no-hitter. Over three collegiate seasons, Parker struck out 252 in 225 2/3 innings.

Izeah Muniz, RHP

  • Round: 13th (377th overall)
  • School: Mt. San Antonio Community College (Calif.)
  • Calling card: Muniz posted a 10.22 ERA at Cal State Fullerton as a freshman in 2022, then bounced back in junior college ball this year: 13-1 with a 1.92 ERA and 126 strikeouts against 35 walks in 108 innings. He's had a national profile going back to 2016, when he pitched in the National Youth Baseball Championships Under-12 division.

Luke Broderick, RHP

  • Round: 14th (407th overall)
  • School: University of Nebraska
  • Calling card: A football/baseball standout at Mount Michael Benedictine High in Elkhorn, Neb., Broderick pitched two seasons at Iowa Western Community College and was a junior college all-star the second year. In 2025 at Nebraska, he made 27 appearances and earned 13 saves -- tied for third-most in a season in program history.

Dylan Crooks, RHP

  • Round: 15th (437th overall)
  • School: University of Oklahoma
  • Calling card: The younger brother of Jimmy Crooks, a Cardinals pick in 2022, Dylan was a high school catcher who took the mound in college -- first at Paris Junior College, and the last two years at Oklahoma. In 2025, he struck out 33 against 10 walks and earned 16 saves in 26 appearances.

Seth Clausen, RHP

  • Round: 16th (467th overall)
  • School: University of Minnesota
  • Calling card: Clausen appeared in 77 games over four seasons with the Golden Gophers. As a senior, Clausen struck out 46 in 32 2/3 innings.

Derrick Smith, RHP

  • Round: 17th (497th overall)
  • School: North Carolina State University
  • Calling card: Smith's breakout came in 2024, when he had 41 strikeouts against 11 walks, and a .191 batting average against in 29 2/3 relief innings. Plus, he had a big last summer with Team USA. He missed most of the 2025 collegiate season because of an oblique injury.

Tyrelle Chadwick, RHP

  • Round: 18th round (527th overall)
  • School: Illinois State University
  • Calling card: Chadwick was his team's workhorse in 2025, with 77 1/3 innings and a complete game in 14 appearances, including 12 starts. His father, Ray Chadwick, pitched for the Angels in 1986.

Easton Marks, RHP

  • Round: 19th (557th overall)
  • School: Florida International University
  • Calling card: A first-team All-Conference USA selection, Marks struck out 72 in 67 innings for FIU in 2025, after pitching two seasons at the University of Nevada.

Ethan Cole, LHP

  • Round: 20th (587th overall)
  • School: Augustana University
  • Calling card: Cole brings versatility. In 2025, he started nine of his 13 appearances, and posted a 3.68 ERA in 63 2/3 innings, with 66 strikeouts against 22 walks.