When the Rockies took Peter Lambert with the 44th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of San Dimas High School (San Dimas high school football rules!) and gave him a $1.495 million bonus, they put him on the same development path of the prior year’s second rounder and fellow PuRP Ryan Castellani. Namely, the Rockies handled the now 21-year-old righty very carefully, barely allowing Lambert to eclipse five innings and never allowing his pitch count to go above 90 until 2017, his third professional season.
Midseason Rank: 2
High Ballot: 2
Mode Ballot: 2
Future Value: 55, #2/3 starting pitcher
Contract Status: 2015 2nd Round, Not Rule 5 Eligible, 3 options remaining
MLB ETA: 2019
Even with that caution, it was clear from the start that Lambert was precocious: for instance, the 6’2” righty was the youngest ERA qualifier in the High A California League by almost a year in 2017.