How Roldy Brito Rose From Unranked To Rockies Top 5 Prospect
Image credit: Roldy Brito (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Anytime Rockies prospect Roldy Brito steps into the batter’s box, the noise seems to fade. He draws a deep breath, gazes toward the heavens and searches for a familiar face. He taps his chest, honoring the place where memory lives, and whispers in his native tongue:
“Esto va por ti.”
The moment carries lessons and guidance from his grandfather, Martín Brito. Roldy and his grandfather had been inseparable from the moment he was born. Martín guided him through life, offering advice, encouragement and support at every step. When Brito discovered baseball, his grandfather became his first and fiercest coach.
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Whether it was flicking bottle caps across the yard or cheering the loudest from the stands, Martín was always there, supporting him, challenging him and celebrating every accomplishment.
Then, on the morning of Sept. 30, 2021, Roldy was woken by his father, Ronny Brito, with the news that Martín had passed away. Only 15 at the time, Roldy was heartbroken. All his dreams—signing with a big league club, working his way through the minors, eventually reaching the majors—had always included Martín.
“I was devastated,” Brito told Baseball America in Spanish. “Something I learned over time is that there are some things in life we can’t control, but the way we respond is something we can control. But I miss his presence every day.”
Now, Brito carries those dreams forward on his own, guided by the memory of the man who had taught him everything.
When he’s in the batter’s box, Brito is in full control of his actions, and since arriving in the United States, he has honored his grandfather in the way he’d always envisioned.
Although Brito signed for $420,000 in 2024 with the Rockies, his stateside debut didn’t come with much fanfare, even in a system as depleted as Colorado’s. However, after a strong 2025, Brito burst onto the scene, rising from being an unranked talent to become the Rockies’ No. 5 prospect heading into 2026.
Brito did so by establishing himself as one of the best players in the Arizona Complex League. The 18-year-old slashed .368/.445/.555 with 22 stolen bases and a 1.000 OPS, earning the ACL’s Most Valuable Player award.
In his first taste of full-season affiliate ball, he hit .352 with a .423 on-base percentage across 33 games, showing that his standout performance in the ACL was no fluke.
“I just want to keep working hard,” Brito said. “I’m trying to give it my all every day so I can put on a good show so people can keep believing in me.”
But growing up as a baseball-loving kid in the Dominican Republic, there were stretches when belief was in short supply.
Brito, now listed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, wasn’t always the most physically-developed athlete in his youth. If anything, his size made him stand out for the wrong reasons. Whenever he and his father, Ronny, traveled to different parts of the island for showcases, Brito often felt like an outcast before he even picked up a bat.
Many called them “locos” for believing that a skinny, undersized kid could one day play professional baseball.
No one thought Roldy could hit.
No one thought Roldy could field.
No one thought Roldy could become anything more than a kid with a dream too big for his frame.
But his father, grandfather and everyone who loved Roldy always believed he could.
“No one believed in him,” Ronny said. “Then he just started playing with his heart. People couldn’t believe how hard he hit the ball. That’s when they started saying, ‘Wow, your son really is the best.’
“It’s easy to say that now, with him at the top. But when he was climbing, it was the opposite. He stayed resilient. His heart is what got him here.”
So when the Brito family gathered at the Rockies’ complex in the Dominican Republic for Roldy to officially sign his contract, the moment overwhelmed them.
As soon as pen met paper, the tears came.
“I’m motivated by my family,” Brito said. “They inspire me to become the best version of myself. I want to keep pushing myself for them because they are all so proud of me. If someone loves and values me as a person, that inspires me to give it my all for them.”
But the celebration didn’t last long. The moment the ink dried, Brito was thrown into the reality that professional baseball does not wait for anyone—not even a teenager carrying the weight of his family’s pride and his grandfather’s memory.
In his first 13 games, Brito went 4-for-38 (.105) with seven strikeouts. The pitching was sharper, the routines stricter and the pressure heavier. Brito’s confidence slowly started to decline. The doubts returned, this time directed toward himself.
Perhaps he wasn’t ready after all, he thought. For the first time since Martín’s passing, Brito felt genuinely lost.
But this was where all those years of being doubted mattered for Brito. He’d been underestimated before. He’d been overlooked before. And each time, he had clawed his way forward. So, he did the same in the Dominican Summer League and finished strong. After that stretch, he found his rhythm.
Brito went on to hit .293/.383/.367 across 41 games with 21 RBIs, 19 walks and 20 stolen bases. While the hot second half erased any doubt Brito had, he didn’t think it would be enough to warrant a move to the United States the following year.
Instead, he got a call much sooner than anticipated, as the Rockies sent him to the United States for instructional league to end 2024. The move set up what was to come—a permanent move to the U.S.
For the first time in Brito’s life, he would be away from the comfort of his own home and in a land he had dreamt about his whole life. Even if he knew this was a long time coming, the reality of the situation didn’t set in until he boarded a plane from Santo Domingo to Phoenix and was finally at the Rockies facility in Scottsdale.
Brito’s father knew how tough the mental game would be for Roldy, but he also acknowledged the resilience his son had shown his entire life.
“I was always certain he’d play in the United States,” Ronny said. “I told him, ‘Your goal is to kill it in rookie ball, and finish the year in Low-A.’ I was confident that he could do it. I always believed in his skill set.”
And just like Ronny predicted, it all happened.
Now, with his Rockies future ahead of him, Brito knows the journey is far from over. And with his grandfather Martín’s voice in his heart and his family’s faith at his back, he steps into each game the same way he always has.
Whatever comes next, it will be for him—and for the grandfather who made him believe he could be more than anyone thought possible. With a keen eye in mind, Brito wants to set an example for everyone who was once doubted and overlooked, just as Martín did for him.
