The Rockies continued to be one of the biggest surprise teams in the draft.

With the 34th selection, a second compensation pick for the loss of free agent Brian Fuentes, the Rockies landed left-handed pitcher Rex Brothers from Lipscomb University.

That gave them three of the top 17 rated players in the draft — left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek (No. 8), outfielder Tim Wheeler (No. 15) and Brothers (No. 17).

Baseball America’s take on Brothers:

Brothers was the Atlantic Sun Conference’s top freshman in 2007, going 7-4, 3.51, then led the Bisons to a regional bid last season, striking out 96 in 97 innings.

He pitched in the Cape Cod League last summer, showing a power arm, and has improved significantly this spring, coming out of the gate throwing 92-94 mph with low-80s sliders against Georgia Tech. His stuff got better as he showed a smoother delivery, eliminating a head whack that hampered his command.

At his best, Brothers showed two plus pitches: a fastball in the 94-96 mph range that touched 97, and a filthy slider in the 85-87 mph range. Some scouts see Brothers’ delivery, which is still not smooth or easy, and want to put him in the bullpen.

Several compare him to Randy Myers, who had similar size and stuff and fashioned a 14-year major league career. Others note that Brothers holds his velocity deep into games and should get a chance to start.