Rockies purchase Tyler Hill from Goldeyes

The Colorado Rockies purchased outfielder Tyler Hill from the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Tuesday. Photo: Winnipeg Goldeyes/Twitter

February 8, 2022

By Steve Schuster

Winnipeg Goldeyes

WINNIPEG, MB – The Colorado Rockies purchased the contract of Winnipeg Goldeyes’ outfielder Tyler Hill on Tuesday.

Last season, Hill batted .294 with six home runs and 45 RBsI in 94 games. The Wilmington, Del., native added 67 runs, 21 doubles, six triples, 20 stolen bases, and ranked fourth in the American Association with 74 walks.

Hill committed just one error while playing a career-high 71 games in centre field, and finished ninth among American Association position players with 3.4 WAR (wins above replacement).

“I’m thrilled for Tyler,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney. “He’s a good person, he works really hard, and he’s obviously a productive player coming off a really fine season. I think he was able to improve his stock by playing so much centre field and he’s getting rewarded for his hard work.”

In seven professional seasons, Hill is a lifetime .289 hitter with a .374 on-base percentage in 557 career games. The 25-year-old was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round in 2014 out of Delaware Military Academy in Wilmington, and later selected by the Detroit Tigers (and subsequently traded to the New York Yankees) in the minor league phase of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft.

This marks the second time Hill has moved back to a major league organization after playing for the Goldeyes. The 6-foot, 195-pound outfielder hit .375 in 40 games for Winnipeg during the 2019 season, which led to his contract being purchased by the Kansas City Royals. Hill was assigned to the High-A Carolina League’s Wilmington Blue Rocks in his hometown where he hit .403 and helped the Blue Rocks win the league championship.

Hill is expected to be assigned to the double-A Northeast League’s Hartford Yard Goats. Hill is the first Goldeye to have his contract purchased by a major league organization in 2022, the 85th in franchise history, and the fourth to have been picked up multiple times (Darryl Brinkley, Jeff Sparks, Jeff Keppen).

The Winnipeg Goldeyes open the 2022 season on Friday, May 13 versus the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Shaw Park.