The Rockies are hoping Riley Kelly carries on their recent track record of fourth-round draft success.

Colorado picked the 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher out of UC Irvine at No. 107 to begin the second and final day of the 2025 MLB draft. The fourth round has been a bright spot for the Rockies lately, with four picks from that round since 2018 already making their MLB debut with the club.

A fourth-round review: In ’18, the Rockies took Ryan Feltner out of Ohio State, who became part of the starting rotation. The next year, they selected center fielder Brenton Doyle out of Division II Shepherd University, who won consecutive Gold Gloves to begin his big-league career.

Then in ’21, they took catcher Hunter Goodman out of Memphis, who became an All-Star this year amid a breakout season. And in ’22, they took shortstop Ryan Ritter out of Kentucky. Ritter fast-tracked through the minors to debut this season.

The Rockies have high hopes for Kelly, who was 4-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 17 games (12 starts) for the Anteaters this year. He was picked in the 20th round out of high school by Arizona in ’22 but elected to go to college.

His first couple of seasons at UC Irvine were injury-riddled, as he only pitched 20 1/3 innings. He started in the bullpen this season but then got moved to the rotation, which shot up his draft stock.

He has a low-90s fastball that he can run up to 96, a plus curve that registers over 3,000 rotations per minute, as well as a changeup.

Colorado had 16 more picks on Monday in Rounds 5 through 20, where the Rockies continued to stockpile college pitchers.

After taking Southern Miss right-hander JB Middleton in the second round on Sunday, Colorado picked 13 more pitchers on Monday, starting with Kelly. That included 11 consecutive college arms to conclude the draft.

Round 5, No. 138 — OF Cameron Nelson, Wake Forest>> Nelson had a rough freshman season at Wake Forest, hitting just .163 in 50 games. He also pitched in nine games. But his hitting improved significantly in a small sample size in ’25, batting .318 in 27 games (19 starts). There’s not much power in his approach, as he only had 12 extra-base hits in college.

Round 6, No. 167 — C Matt Klein, Louisville>> Klein missed the last 33 games of the ’25 regular season with a broken bone in his left hand after being hit by a pitch, but returned for the Cardinals’ postseason push. He had a .303 career average and .413 on-base percentage in college with nine homers and 60 RBIs, and the left-handed hitter could project as a big-league backup.

Round 7, No. 197 — LHP Antoine Jean, Houston >> The 6-foot-2 Canadian became the first reliever in Big 12 history to win conference pitcher of the year. He posted a 2.55 ERA in 21 games with 110 strikeouts, good for a 14.78 K/9 rate. He also led Division I in opponent average at .168. Low-90s fastball with swing-and-miss secondary pitches; could be a back-end starter.

Round 8, No. 227 — 1B Tanner Thach, UNC Wilmington>> The lefty is the great-nephew of Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter. Thach started all 58 games for the Seahawks at first this season, leading them with 78 hits and 28 multi-hit games. He hit .325 with 12 homers in ’25. He’s a pull hitter with raw power in his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame; finished as UNCW’s all-time home run leader.

Round 9, No. 257 — UTL Zach Rogacki, Binghamton>> He played catcher, DH and outfield for Binghamton in ’25, starting all 55 games and earning first team all-conference honors. He led the team with a .361 average and finished his two-year stint with the Bearcats with a .346 average and .427 on-base percentage.

Round 10, No. 287 — RHP Austin Newton, South Florida>> The 6-foot-6 Newton had a bumpy 2024 with a 6.20 ERA. That season featured some shutdown outings (he didn’t allow a run in 12 of 18 appearances) as well as blow-ups. In ’25, he was limited to eight games due to injury with a 4.76 ERA. He impressed in the MLB Draft League with a 0.56 ERA in four starts.

Round 11, No. 317 — RHP Zach Harris, Georgia>> The 6-foot-1 Harris posted a 4.11 ERA in 24 appearances (five games) for the Bulldogs this season. He keeps the ball in the yard, with just three homers given up in 30 2/3 innings pitched. He also pounds the strike zone, with 79 strikeouts to 27 walks in his two seasons at Georgia. Before UGA, he spent a season at Georgia Southern.

Round 12, No. 347 — LHP Brady Parker, Houston-Victoria>> The 6-foot-1 southpaw had a 3.84 ERA in 15 starts in ’25 and 111 Ks.

Round 13, No. 377 — RHP Izeah Muniz, Mount San Antonio College>> He posted a 1.92 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) in ’25.

Round 14, No. 407 — RHP Luke Broderick, Nebraska>> Second-team All-Big Ten with a 3.25 ERA and 13 saves in 27 games.

Round 15, No. 437 — RHP Dylan Crooks, Oklahoma>> As Sooners’ closer, had a 1.69 ERA and 16 saves in 26 appearances.

Round 16, No. 467 — RHP Seth Clausen, Minnesota>> In ’25, had a 4.96 ERA in 32 2/3 innings of relief with 46 strikeouts.

Round 17, No. 497 — RHP Derrick Smith, NC State>> 4.55 ERA in 24 appearances in ’24, but only pitched 3 innings this year.

Round 18, No. 527 — RHP Tyrelle Chadwick, Illinois State>> Second-team All-MVC with a 4.31 ERA in 14 games (12 starts).

Round 19, No. 557 — RHP Easton Marks, FIU>> In 14 starts, a 3.49 ERA and 72 Ks earned him first-team all-conference.

Round 20, No. 587 — LHP Ethan Cole, Augustana>> Went 4-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 13 games (nine starts) with 66 strikeouts.

Locals selected on Day 2

Three Colorado college players heard their names called on Monday, starting with Arkansas right-hander Christian Foutch in Round 5 at No. 148 overall by the Red Sox. The 6-foot-3 right-hander, a Chatfield alum, had a 4.09 ERA in 21 relief appearances. He had 31 strikeouts in 22 innings and four saves and held hitters to a .182 average.

Regis Jesuit alum Dallas Macias, an Oregon State outfielder, went in the 15th round at No. 457 to the Braves. Then, Marks, an Arapahoe alum, was picked by Colorado in the 19th round out of FIU after playing his first two seasons at Nevada.