Garrett Hampson

After playing in a career-high 147 games the prior season, Hampson dropped to just 90 appearances last year. Part of the drop was due to injury, but it was mostly ineffectiveness, especially in the power department. Hampson hit grounders at a career-high 49% clip, while hitting the balls he lofted with less authority. His strikeout rate also ticked up from 2021. The only positive was 12 steals in 14 attempts. Those perpetually taking a chance Hampson parlays playing at Coors Field into cheap power and speed will need to find a new target after the Rockies severed ties. Hampson's speed and defensive versatility will likely land him a job in a reserve capacity, but a high strikeout rate and minimal power detract from his fantasy charm. He'll have to earn a roster spot in spring training after he signed with Miami as a non-roster invitee.

Hampson keeps enticing fantasy managers into rostering him, but maybe the Rockies will save those managers from themselves this season, having signed Jose Iglesias to take over at shortstop. The allure was tied mostly to power and speed from a player with half his starts coming in Colorado. He does steal bases when playing, but by season's end, he wasn't regularly in the lineup and it looks like that will be the case to begin 2022. Like most other hitters in Colorado, he is decent at home (.272/.312/.429) and unplayable on the road (.209/.284/.338). He's lucky that he's on the Rockies because he figures to at least stick on the roster. He'd be a cut candidate on most other teams following three straight seasons with an OPS below .700. To his credit, Hampson posted a career-low 23.9 K% last season, while his 87.0 mph avgEV was a career high. There is nothing else to get excited about. Stream him during his home games if he's starting.

Hampson saw the majority of the playing time at second base for the Rockies in 2020, but he could be forced to compete for the job with Ryan McMahon in 2021. Hampson had a hot September in 2019, and he rode that production into fantasy relevance in 2020 drafts. It was a different story in 2020, as most of his output came during the first half of the season before hitting just .216 in the final month of the year. He struck out at least twice in each of the final five games of the year en route to a 32.6 K% that was up nearly six points from a year before. Hampson doesn't quite have the power fantasy managers would like to see from someone who strikes out that often, as he had a 26.1% hard-hit rate with 5.0% barrels/PA in 2020. Hampson has elite speed and gets on base often enough, but he will have to compete for regular playing time, especially considering his strikeout woes from last year.

If you're a believer in the theory that September stats can predict breakouts the following year, Hampson is a target for you. He did next to nothing the first five months of the season while either riding the bench or riding the shuttle back and forth from Triple-A. Then September came, and he hit five homers, scored 16 runs and stole nine bases while batting .318. Prorate those statistics over an entire season, with half the games coming in Coors, and it's easy to get excited about his 2020 potential. The most encouraging part of September is that Hampson built his success around greatly improved contact, likely a byproduct of him getting regular playing time down the stretch. He has well above-average speed and a solid hit tool, but the Rockies' roster doesn't have a full-time role for Hampson right now. That situation could work out one way or another by springtime, but for now, it limits his value.

While Hampson may not be a top-tier prospect, he is a decent hitter with borderline elite speed (30 ft/sec sprint speed) who gets to call Coors Field home. A third-round pick in 2016, Hampson didn't hit below .304 at any stop on the farm. He achieved those lofty marks thanks to a discerning eye and solid bat-to-ball skills (9.0% walk rate, 17.5% K-rate at Triple-A). He's a heavy groundball hitter -- his GB rate gradually increased from 44.9% to 53.2% during his time in the minors -- and while that limits his power output, he's been successful at putting the ball in play and booking it. He had these BABIPs in the minors: .366, .364, .323, .372. Hampson cracked 50 steals in 2017 and totaled 38 across three levels in 2018. The Rockies brought in Daniel Murphy but Murphy said he's more comfortable at first base than second at this stage. If Hampson is given an opportunity to play every day at the keystone, he could be a difference maker in fantasy.

There is a direct correlation between Rockies prospects who get on base and those who steal bases. Anyone who is even a fringe-average runner is encouraged to look to run when they get on, so while Hampson stole 51 bases on 65 tries last year, his plus speed is more conducive to stealing 25-to-30 bases in the majors. That’s still excellent for a future second baseman -- only nine middle infielders stole 20-plus bases in the majors last season. The more pressing question is whether he will hit enough to be a regular. His numbers at High-A were incredibly impressive, but they need to be discounted due to his age (22) and home park (Lancaster). He hit .300/.366/.383 on the road, which is a much better indicator of his realistic upside. As a 23-year-old at Double-A, there will be immense pressure on him to continue to hit and keep the dream alive of a 30-steal second baseman who plays half his games in Coors Field.

Hampson was drafted by the Rockies in the third round of the 2016 draft. The 22-year-old played three years at Long Beach State and made the Team USA Collegiate National Team during his college years, as well. His strongest tool is definitely his plus speed, while his biggest area of weakness is his lack of power at the plate. In 68 games with Low-A Boise, Hampson batted .301/.404/.441 with an impressive 36 stolen bases (on 40 attempts). He walked at a 15 percent clip, struck out in roughly 18 percent of his plate appearances and was solid enough defensively to remain at shortstop for now, although he is not a lock to stick there. It was an encouraging professional debut season for the young shortstop, but his lack of power and middling defensive chops make it tough for him to profile as a big league regular down the road.