Niwot grad Skye Messinger to play in Arizona Fall League

The 2024 baseball season was mostly a lost year for Niwot High School grad Skye Messinger, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last December.

Messinger, a third baseman in the Colorado Rockies' organization, injured his arm while working out in the offseason. The recovery time for the surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm is seven to nine months at a minimum before a return to competition for non-pitchers. As a result, Messinger missed all of spring training, spending his time in Arizona on rehab work.

Late last summer, Messinger returned to action with the Rockies' Class A Spokane Indians team, seeing action primarily as a designated hitter and at first base while he continued to regain strength and range of motion in his arm.

When the season ended, Messinger had an unremarkable stat line of a .239 batting average in 25 games, with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs.

But there was a silver lining. Messinger was one of eight top prospects in the Rockies' organization invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League. Messinger will play for the Salt River squad, with the season starting Oct. 8 and running through November.

The Arizona Fall League consists of six teams, with each major league organization assigning eight players to a combined team. The Salt River squad includes top prospects from the Yankees, Senators, Diamondbacks, Twins and Rockies organizations.

In his first game, Messinger played first base, went 1-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI, and at press time, he was hitting .364 with three runs scored and three RBIs.

Justin Wick, who hosts "The Night Pitch" on YouTube, said, "They all wear their MLB uniforms, It looks like an All-Star game every single game." The 2011 Scottsdale Scorpions featured a lineup which included future MLB stars Mike Trout, Brandon Crawford, Bryce Harper, and Jean Segura. A review of the 2018 Salt River roster shows 16 of 19 position players went on to play in the majors, including current Rockie Sam Hilliard as well as pitcher Justin Lawrence.