This past week, I attended two Rookie League games on June 24 and 25. The Rockies’ Advanced Rookie League affiliate is located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and aptly named the Grand Junction Rockies. At the games I went to, the Rockies played Los Angeles Angels affiliate the Orem Owlz. This is where most of the signees from the recent draft were sent to play.

Rookie League is the lowest level of the minor leagues. Unless they skip levels, don’t make it past a certain level of the minors or choose to no longer play baseball, players would theoretically work their way up from rookie ball to Single A, then Double A, Triple A and then those few who end up in the majors. At each level, the players get a little better and the competition gets steeper. Generally, the best prospects are in Double A, along with Triple A, though many of the guys in Triple A are emergency players ready to be called up in case of an injury.

As the name would suggest, being in the minor leagues is a completely different situation than being in the majors, but the gap between Rookie League and the majors is particularly great. The season is shorter, lasting from mid-June and ending in early September, the players are younger—usually 18-22—and more raw, since they lack the amount of experience found in the higher levels of the minors and the majors.

Some of the differences are cosmetic, like a smaller stadium, cheaper food and beverage prices and the lack of a clubhouse. These players take 14-hour bus trips to their next game rather than a charter jet. To me, the most telling thing was the player bathroom, located right in the main concourse of Suplizio Stadium, highlighting how little glamor the minor leagues have. They also have to cordon off a section of the concourse to give the players a place to leave through after the game. There’s less separation between the players and the fans.

Despite everything, there’s something pure about minor league baseball. It’s simple, watching the game under the lights. The Grand Junction games have a freer, more childlike air; the atmosphere is looser than going to a Rockies game at Coors Field. And don’t get me wrong, I love going to Rockies games. Always have, always will. It’s easy to take the major leagues too seriously, and for major leaguers to take themselves too seriously, but the minor league games remind you that baseball is just that: a game.

The minors, and more specifically, Grand Junction, give the chance to see players before they get big, or to see players who will, unfortunately, probably never make it to the majors. First-round draft pick Brendan Rodgers made his professional debut at the second game I went to, on June 25, which was great to see. He showed his talent, going 4-6 with a home run, a double and two RBI, though the Rockies eventually lost the game 15-11. His fielding looked good, too; he handled the ball well at shortstop, even throwing in a Tulowitzki-esque throw.

Pitcher Hunter Brothers—Rockies’ pitcher Rex Brothers’s younger brother—was solid for the Rockies, pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings. However, the fact that he’s already 23 and barely touches 90 miles per hour is worrisome.

Watching Colorado Rockies highlights after seeing a couple of minor league games illuminates how good the pros really are. Major leaguers hit the ball harder, throw the ball faster and handle it cleaner. But that doesn’t mean that the minor league games aren’t worth going to, or that its players aren’t going to be stars one day. They have a long way to go, but there are glimmers of greatness in some of these guys.

Driving four hours (from Denver) through the mountains just to see a rookie league game might be a little much for the casual fan but there are plenty of reasons to get out to a Grand Junction game—or any minor league game. It’s a pretty drive, the tickets are cheap and the in-game music’s better. Going is a completely different experience that would appeal to someone who misses the energy of going to a Little League game under the lights (or someone who just really, really likes the Rockies).

To quote “Moneyball,” “how can you not be romantic about baseball?” Actually being in the minor leagues is decidedly unromantic with its grueling bus rides and seedy motels, but watching it is a completely different story.

Notes:

Pitcher Tyler Matzek is currently with the Short Season-A Boise Hawks after starting the season as a starter for the Colorado Rockies. He’s there to work on his mechanics and mental approach, but performed poorly in his last game; he gave up six runs in ? of an inning with five walks.

Last year’s first-round pick, pitcher Kyle Freeland seems to be recovering well from shoulder surgery. He’s rehabbing with the Grand Junction Rockies.

The Rockies’ number one prospect, Jonathan Gray, is looking good for the Triple A Albuquerque Isotopes and hopefully will be called up to the majors soon.