27-year old righty swinging outfielder Matt Miller is having a solid season in AAA. He has played in 86 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 114 of 336 (.339 avg, .886 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 8 homers and 56 RBIs. Miller could be a trade chip later this month or he could get called up by the Rockies if they move an outfielder in a trade before the deadline on July 31st. Either way it appears that Miller is working his way closer to the major leagues.

19-year old lefty starting pitcher Tyler Matzek was a first round pick of the Rockies in 2009. He was also considered the Rockies’ #1 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He is really off to a outstanding start in the minors for the Rockies. He has started 7 games in A-ball this season and he is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has only given up 22 hits in 35 innings so far this season while whiffing 39 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. But he has walked 24 batters as his control will need to tighten up quite a bit before he eventually gets to Denver.

37-year old righty swinging outfielder Jay Payton is playing well in AAA for the Rockies this year. He has played in 47 games this year in which he is 51 of 162 (.315 avg, .819 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers, 26 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Payton last played in the majors in 2008 with the Orioles. He has now played in 1,239 games in his major league career and he is 1,145 of 4,119 (.278 avg, .747 OPS) with 558 runs scored, 119 homers, 521 RBIs and 46 stolen bases. The Rockies are deep in the outfield but if Payton keeps hitting well he will likely get a call at some point this year to return to the show.

The Rockies have lost 25-year old righty reliever/starter Shane Lindsay on waivers to the Yankees. Lindsay came into this season as the Rockies’ #23 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He pitched in 14 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he was 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA and a 2.34 WHIP. He walked a stunning 17 batters in 13 2/3 innings but he did whiff 19 batters. Still the Rockies have decided that they have seen enough of Lindsay. Lindsay pitched in 100 games (41 starts) in his six years in the minors with the Rockies and he was 18-13 with 1 save, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

22-year old lefty starting pitcher Christian Friedrich is the Rockies’ #2 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. He has started 3 games in AA-ball this season and he is 0-1 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. In his three years in the minors he has pitched in 36 games (all starts) in which he is 8-8 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has whiffed 240 batters while only walking 62 in 183 2/3 career innings in the minors showing that he has both outstanding command and stuff. The Rockies have rebuilt the minor league system with a lot of imposing arms (Friedrich being one of them) which could help them sustain a lot of prolonged success in the near future.