The Rockies signed outfielder Conner Capel to a minors deal, as per Capel’s MLB.com profile page. The contract apparently doesn’t include an invitation to Colorado’s big league Spring Training camp, as the Rockies already announced their list of spring invites earlier this week.
Capel spent the 2025 season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, hitting .234/.314/.360 with 10 home runs and 21 steals (out of 25 attempts) over 414 plate appearances. These underwhelming numbers kept Capel from receiving a call-up to the majors, even though injuries and suspensions left the Braves short-handed in the outfield for much of the season. Capel is out of minor league options, which may have factored into Atlanta’s decision — selecting Capel’s contract would’ve meant that the Braves would’ve had to sneak him through waivers before sending him back down to Triple-A and outrighting him off the 40-man roster.
A fifth-round pick for Cleveland in the 2016 draft, Capel made his big league debut in 2022, and hit .278/.359/.398 over 153 PA with the Cardinals, Athletics, and Reds during the 2022-24 seasons. Despite these decent numbers and Capel’s ability to play all three outfield positions, his lack of power kept him from receiving much of a look at the MLB level.
Now 28 years old, the left-handed hitting Capel will try to return to compete for a job on a Rockies team that is already pretty deep in outfield candidates. The rebuilding Rox will be prioritizing at-bats for their younger players and in-house prospects, so Capel might again be viewed purely as a Triple-A depth player. A strong performance in camp could change those plans, or it might help Capel land a job on another team in need of outfield help.
Another puzzling decision by the Braves to not give him an opportunity especially with all the injuries and awful production from their outfielders.
I don’t know anything about him or the Braves, but he played RF and DH mostly in AAA last year. That’s tough when you have and OPS of .674
A wonder more about why the Rockies are interested in him
Someone has to play in AAA, and he has some major league experience and is a pretty good fielder at least.
He’s barely suitable for AAA nonetheless MLB.
I saw Capel in 2022 when he was with the A’s just demolish the Mets in a 3 game series in September of that year. Hit 2 or 3 homers, a triple, stole some bases and made 2 outstanding running catches. I always thought some team should give him a long stretch to prove himself on a MLB roster.
Where do they get these guys?