Joe Rock

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Colorado Rockies #26 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Rock broke out during his junior season at Ohio, when he tossed four complete games and led the team in ERA and strikeouts. The Rockies liked what they saw and selected Rock with the 68th overall pick in the supplemental second round. Rock spent a majority of 2022 with High-A Spokane and reached Double-A late in the season. Rock returned to Hartford in 2023 and made 19 starts while striking out more than a batter per inning. Rock made one start with Triple-A Albuquerque in late September.
  
  Scouting Report: Rock is a big-bodied lefthander who stands at an imposing 6-foot-6, with feel for a three-pitch mix. He mixes two-seam fastball, slider and a changeup, and everything shows heavy horizontal movement due to his low-three quarters slot. His two-seamer sits between 92-93 mph and touches 94 with heavy armside run. Rock’s most-used secondary is a mid-80s gyro slider he shows above-average feel to throw. It generates whiffs in the zone and gets lots of ugly chase swings. Rock’s changeup sits between 86-88 mph with heavy armside run and good vertical separation from his fastball. Rock has shown fringe-average strike-throwing skills with a chance to develop into average command.
  
  The Future: Rock is a back-end depth starter who should be capable of eating innings.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Colorado Rockies #22 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Rockies selected Rock at No. 68 overall and signed him for $953,100 after he led Ohio in ERA (2.33), wins (eight), complete games (four) and strikeouts (117) as a junior. He made his brief pro debut with eight innings in the Arizona Complex League and struck out 11 of the 29 batters he faced.
  
  Scouting Report: Rock’s fastball sits in the mid-90s with cut, and he can pump it up to 96 mph. He is fairly skinny in his 6-foot-6 frame and still has room to get stronger and add more velocity. Rock also has a mid-80s power curveball and a developing changeup that he’s building confidence in A somewhat deceptive delivery and a lower arm slot make his pitches difficult for hitters to pick up, but also hampers his control. Rock has struggled with walks at various points throughout his career and needs to learn to be around the strike zone more with his deceptive mechanics.
  
  The Future: Rock has the body and raw stuff to be a back-end starter if he continues to fill out, improves his changeup and hones his control. He’ll begin 2022 at one of the Class-A levels.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #70 prospect in 2021 draft
  Rock struggled to a 5.19 ERA over 11 starts and 59 innings during his freshman season at Ohio in 2019, but wowed scouts with his pure stuff last summer and fall. This spring he has delivered on those flashes and posted a 2.33 ERA through 14 starts and 88.2 innings, with 117 strikeouts (11.9 K/9) and 27 walks (2.7 BB/9) in the Mid-American Conference. Now he has a chance to become the highest-drafted Ohio pitcher. Rock is an uncomfortable at-bat thanks to his 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame, long levers and low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits in the low-90s and has been up to 96 mph this spring and features significant horizontal running action that should help him avoid barrels. His slider is the best pitch in his arsenal, a sweeping breaking ball in the low 80s that gets above-average or plus grades and could be effective against both righties and lefties given his attack angle. Rock also throws a changeup in the low-to-mid 80s that flashes solid diving life, but he has limited feel for the pitch and heavily relies on his fastball/slider combo to get through lineups. Rock still has some projection given the amount of room he has to add weight and strength to his lean frame and could also use his legs more efficiently in his delivery. He has a long, hooking arm action and his strikes are fringy despite a solid walk rate, which makes some teams wonder if he’s better suited for the bullpen.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: The Rockies selected Rock at No. 68 overall and signed him for $953,100 after he led Ohio in ERA (2.33), wins (eight), complete games (four) and strikeouts (117) as a junior. He made his brief pro debut with eight innings in the Arizona Complex League and struck out 11 of the 29 batters he faced.
  
  Scouting Report: Rock&#39s fastball sits in the mid-90s with cut, and he can pump it up to 96 mph. He is fairly skinny in his 6-foot-6 frame and still has room to get stronger and add more velocity. Rock also has a mid-80s power curveball and a developing changeup that he&#39s building confidence in A somewhat deceptive delivery and a lower arm slot make his pitches difficult for hitters to pick up, but also hampers his control. Rock has struggled with walks at various points throughout his career and needs to learn to be around the strike zone more with his deceptive mechanics.
  
  The Future: Rock has the body and raw stuff to be a back-end starter if he continues to fill out, improves his changeup and hones his control. He&#39ll begin 2022 at one of the Class-A levels.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Rockies selected Rock at No. 68 overall and signed him for $953,100 after he led Ohio in ERA (2.33), wins (eight), complete games (four) and strikeouts (117) as a junior. He made his brief pro debut with eight innings in the Arizona Complex League and struck out 11 of the 29 batters he faced.
  
  Scouting Report: Rock’s fastball sits in the mid-90s with cut, and he can pump it up to 96 mph. He is fairly skinny in his 6-foot-6 frame and still has room to get stronger and add more velocity. Rock also has a mid-80s power curveball and a developing changeup that he’s building confidence in A somewhat deceptive delivery and a lower arm slot make his pitches difficult for hitters to pick up, but also hampers his control. Rock has struggled with walks at various points throughout his career and needs to learn to be around the strike zone more with his deceptive mechanics.
  
  The Future: Rock has the body and raw stuff to be a back-end starter if he continues to fill out, improves his changeup and hones his control. He’ll begin 2022 at one of the Class-A levels.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Rock struggled to a 5.19 ERA over 11 starts and 59 innings during his freshman season at Ohio in 2019, but wowed scouts with his pure stuff last summer and fall. This spring he has delivered on those flashes and posted a 2.33 ERA through 14 starts and 88.2 innings, with 117 strikeouts (11.9 K/9) and 27 walks (2.7 BB/9) in the Mid-American Conference. Now he has a chance to become the highest-drafted Ohio pitcher. Rock is an uncomfortable at-bat thanks to his 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame, long levers and low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits in the low-90s and has been up to 96 mph this spring and features significant horizontal running action that should help him avoid barrels. His slider is the best pitch in his arsenal, a sweeping breaking ball in the low 80s that gets above-average or plus grades and could be effective against both righties and lefties given his attack angle. Rock also throws a changeup in the low-to-mid 80s that flashes solid diving life, but he has limited feel for the pitch and heavily relies on his fastball/slider combo to get through lineups. Rock still has some projection given the amount of room he has to add weight and strength to his lean frame and could also use his legs more efficiently in his delivery. He has a long, hooking arm action and his strikes are fringy despite a solid walk rate, which makes some teams wonder if he's better suited for the bullpen.