Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The end of the season can be exciting for good and not-so-good teams alike. Teams with a rotten record can experience with young players and see what the future might hold for their club. For the Colorado Rockies, that good future could come next season very realistically. It is not a stretch to assume that the Rockies are looking at young players now that could fill a roster built to win a pennant as early as 2014 MLB season. Ryan Wheeler hopes to be a part of that and he is absolutely going to be.
There is a large difference between triple-A and the major leagues. That much is obvious but there is something to be said for a player that is just tearing up triple-A. It isn’t a rookie league or anything. Somebody puts up 81 RBI in 110 games; they’re going to get some MLB attention that year. Such is the situation for Wheeler.
He has been called up for the second time but this time he already seems to be ready to take the field every night. He can field third base, first base and corner outfield positions well and his hitting approach is years ahead of his experience. The first name that came to mind when I saw footage of him was Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman.
That kind of easy stroke that can punch any pitch into play for a hit is exactly what Wheeler can do. No wonder he has so many RBI in the minors this year. I doubt Wheeler will do much besides play for the rest of the season for the big league club. Next season I would bet even money he’ll be in the starting line-up on opening day.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
