It’s not hard to find a list of any MLB team’s top prospects, but will any of those prospects be ready to contribute in 2012? We’re here to help you prepare for the unexpected by ranking each team’s top five minor league prospects from a fantasy perspective. While they may not be the team’s brightest stars (though many of them will be) they’re the names you’ll need to know when the unexpected happens. Make sure to check out our other top minor league prospects posts for each of the 30 teams.

Potential roster vacancies: OF, SP, RP

It looks like the Rockies are pretty much set in their lineup. Todd Helton will be their first baseman, Marco Scutaro will play second base, Casey Blake is at third base and Troy Tulowitzki is at shortstop. All of them are reliable starters who are going to be in the lineup almost everyday barring injury. It’s the same story behind the plate, with the newly signed Ramon Hernandez, and in the outfield, with Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, and the newly signed Michael Cuddyer.

In the event that someone does get hurt (as a group they are rather injury prone) the Colorado bench provides an incredible amount of positional flexibility. Eric Young Jr. plays both second base and outfield, Tyler Colvin is a reliable fourth outfielder and first basemen and provides a power bat off the bench, Jonathan Herrera is a utility infielder who played second, third and short last season, Jordan Pacheco is the backup catcher who also played first, second and third last season, and they still have Jason Giambi. By my count that means the Rockies have one backup catcher, three backup first basemen, three backup second basemen, two backup third basemen, one backup shortstop and two backup outfielders. None of these players are really any good and could easily be uprooted, but there’s a lot of flexibility here.

The rotation is a different story. In fact, it’s pretty much a disaster. I’m a big fan of Jhoulys Chacin, but he disappointed me last season and is now expected to be the Rockies’ ace. That’s not a good thing. Jason Hammel is their number two, and Juan Nicasio, Alex White and Guillermo Moscoso round of their starting five. That’s terrible. Tyler Chatwood and Josh Outman are both in the system, but they’re beyond prospect status. They should get the first few cracks.

And things don’t look much better in the back of the bullpen. Closer Huston Street was traded to the Padres, and right now the job will likely be either Rafael Betancourt‘s or Matt Lindstrom‘s. Lindstrom has closing experience, but this is one of those closing jobs that will likely be in flux all season. The Rockies are rebuilding, and you can really see it in their pitching staff.

Colorado Rockies Top 5 Minor League Prospects for Fantasy Baseball

1. Drew Pomeranz, SP

Pomeranz is the prize of the Rockies’ minor league system. He started four games for Colorado last season and posted a 5.40 ERA, but his FIP was just 2.59 and he walked only 2.45 batters per nine innings. Granted he only pitched 18 1/3 innings, but he was able to induce ground balls 47 percent of the time, and that will go a long way toward helping him succeed in the thin Colorado air. He only has 101 innings of minor league experience, but in that time he has a 10.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

2. Charlie Blackmon, OF

Blackmon saw some everyday playing time for the Rockies last season until he got hurt. His worst strikeout rate in the minors was 13.5 percent, he walks about eight percent of the time and he should bat near .300. In a full season of at-bats he could be a 15-20 homer, 25-30 steal player at best, which means you could get the power and speed without the hit in average. Colorado’s current outfield is packed, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities that Fowler plays poorly and they look to promote Blackmon.

3. Chris Nelson, 2B/3B

The Rockies bench is flexible, but it’s not exactly good. Nelson could provide some offense if the team is in need of a good bat. He’s rather old for a minor leaguer, 26, but he’s a career .281 hitter in the minors who’s seemed to figure things out these last two seasons (.313 in 2010, .329 in 2011). He strikes out a good amount and doesn’t walk much, but there’s the potential for double-digit homers and steals.

4. Jamie Hoffman, OF

For a team with so many rotation questions, I sure am listing a lot of batters, but Colorado’s system is chock full of major league ready bats and doesn’t have a lot of arms available. Hoffman is on the older side as well, 27, but at Triple-A last season he hit 22 homers, stole 14 bases, scored 91 runs, tallied 84 RBI and slashed .295/.355/.495 in 133 games. That kind of production could be useful in fantasy leagues if he gets an opportunity.

5. Tommy Field, SS

Tulowitzki isn’t completely without injury concerns, and if he hits the DL it could be Field that gets a chance. Last season Field played 16 games for the Rockies and batted .271 without much else, but, if his minor league numbers mean anything, he’s capable of batting .270 with 15-plus homers and 10-plus steals. Given how shallow shortstop is, he could be a surprisingly valuable contributor in the short term.