Rockies’ Brendan Rodgers shows he’s getting close to starring role: “We are just getting a glimpse of what he can be”

Brendan Rodgers has carried the value of large expectations ever since the Rockies made him the 3rd wide prime successful the 2015 draft.

But what was erstwhile a load has present go a challenge, and Rodgers is wrapping his arms astir it.

“It was beauteous tough, connected the intelligence and carnal side,” the 25-year-old 2nd baseman said. “I’ve dealt with a batch of worldly aboriginal successful my career, but I cognize however hard I person worked. Baseball is my beingness and I’m going to bash immoderate it takes to get connected the tract to beryllium that I americium who I am.”

Rodgers, on with catcher Elias Diaz, has been 1 of the Rockies’ breakout players this season. He entered the play starring the squad with a .284 average, and his .805 OPS was 2nd to C.J. Cron’s .905. Rodgers, who didn’t deed his archetypal big-league homer until June 5, present has 15, on with 18 doubles and 2 triples.

During the Rockies’ caller 7-2 roadworthy trip, Rodgers deed .343 (12-for-35), with 3 location runs. And portion his teammates person struggled to deed connected the roadworthy each season, Rodgers has really been much productive distant from Coors Field. He’s deed .282 with an .864 OPS, and mashed 12 of his 15 homers.

“He’s popping disconnected close now,” starting pitcher Kyle Freeland said. “He’s got it all, and I deliberation he’s starting to truly recognize it now.”

Rodgers’ adjacent situation could beryllium a immense one. That is, filling a elephantine spread astatine shortstop with the apt departure of two-time all-star Trevor Story, who’ll go a escaped cause astatine season’s extremity and volition apt motion with different team.

Unless the Rockies get a shortstop to regenerate Story during the offseason — which is simply a anticipation — the occupation could beryllium to Rodgers successful 2022. And marque nary mistake, Rodgers, who grew up playing short, wants the job.

“If Trevor is gone, I volition decidedly enactment successful the offseason to get acceptable to play shortstop,” Rodgers said. “That’s ever been my position. I decidedly deliberation I tin instrumentality it to the adjacent level and beryllium an elite, mundane shortstop. I conscionable person to get the opportunity.”

Story has been impressed by Rodgers’ improvement this season.

“We are conscionable getting a glimpse of what helium tin be,” Story said. “Over a season, helium tin beryllium an all-star-type player. I cognize that astir him. He’s showing that close now.”

Still, Rodgers needs to reply immoderate questions astir his play arsenic an infielder. One scout for a National League West squad loves what helium sees from Rodgers astatine the plate, but believes betterment is needed successful the field.

“He’s got the skillset, but I deliberation helium inactive needs to enactment connected his footwork and anticipation, astatine some abbreviated and second,” the scout said. “There are immoderate balls that an elite infielder gets to that Rodgers doesn’t close now. He needs to marque much plays.”

Manager Bud Black inactive considers Rodgers a enactment successful advancement astatine some 2nd and shortstop.

“We haven’t fixed him a ton of enactment astatine shortstop, truthful I don’t privation to differentiate betwixt (second and short) arsenic acold arsenic his accomplishment level,” Black said. “I’ll accidental this: he’s a earthy shortstop and helium feels precise comfy there. It’s 2nd quality to him.

“At 2nd base, he’s rapidly becoming precise comfortable, going to his near and going to his close and charging balls. He’s becoming much and much assured astatine second. There are inactive things helium needs to cleanable up astatine this level due to the fact that the crippled is truthful overmuch quicker than it is successful a minor-league game.”

Rodgers was 18 erstwhile the Rockies drafted him retired of Florida’s Lake Mary High School much than six years ago. He received a $5.5 cardinal signing bonus. At the time, Rodgers said helium wanted to marque his big-league debut by property 21.

He astir made it, debuting for the Rockies connected May 17, 2019, astatine property 22. But his big-league travel has been rocky. Entering this season, he’d deed conscionable .196 with a .235 on-base percent successful 97 at-bats implicit 32 games. Injuries, astir crucially a torn labrum successful his close enarthrosis that required season-ending country successful July 2019, stalled his career.

“I had had enarthrosis symptom for a fig of years anterior and I knew that, eventually, I was going to get country connected it,” helium said. “I would person bully years and atrocious years with it. I’m gladsome we took attraction of it. It feels beardown now.”

Early successful outpouring training, Rodgers was buoyant astir the looming 2021 season.

“You haven’t seen me, beryllium me. I’m acceptable to beryllium maine and get retired determination and amusement radical what I’m susceptible of,” helium said.

Black enactment successful different way.

“There’s different twelvemonth of maturity, and different twelvemonth of growth, and I deliberation present helium sees himself; arsenic a feline (where) this tin perchance beryllium his year,” Black said. “To marque that connection of, ‘I’m a large league player.’ I deliberation that’s however he’s viewing things close now.”

But past came different setback. During a Cactus League crippled March 13, Rodgers strained his close hamstring portion trying to bargain 2nd base. He did not play his archetypal crippled with the Rockies until May 21.

But now, arsenic the play comes to a close, Rodgers has decidedly proven himself arsenic a large leaguer.

“In the past mates of months, we person seen the state amusement up successful his crippled and the assurance has shown up,” Black said. “He’s ever believed that helium could play successful the large leagues and deed successful the large leagues.”

But, Black added, Rodgers faces much enactment to go the subordinate helium has a accidental to be.

“The happening that I privation Brendan to recognize is that I deliberation it’s important for him to spot himself arsenic a implicit player, some arsenic an violative unit and antiaircraft force,” Black said. “That’s going to instrumentality clip and work. I privation to proceed to spot his enactment ethic and enactment capableness grow, arsenic a large leaguer. Because arsenic you get older, you person to enactment adjacent harder than you did arsenic a minor-league subordinate to get here.”

Rodgers’ rocky road

June 2015: Selected by the Rockies with the 3rd wide prime successful the 2015 draught retired of Lake Mary High School successful Lake Mary, Fla. Signed for $5.5 million.

Summer 2015: Played successful 37 games for the Grand Junction rookie-level team, hitting .314 successful the 2nd half.

2016: Hit .281 with 19 homers for Low-A Asheville and was named a midseason and postseason all-star successful the South Atlantic League.

2017: Combined to deed .336 with 18 homers successful 89 games betwixt High-A Lancaster and Double-A Hartford. Rodgers enactment unneurotic a 23-game hitting streak astatine Lancaster, prompting his promotion to Double-A.

2018: Named an MiLB.com organizational all-star and midseason all-star for the 3rd consecutive season. He deed .275 with 17 location runs successful 95 games for Double-A Hartford, and played successful 19 games for Triple-A Albuquerque, hitting .232.

2019: Made his large league debut connected May 17 astatine Philadelphia and played successful 25 games with the Rockies earlier close enarthrosis country ended his play successful July. Hit .224 for the Rockies. Played successful 37 games with Albuquerque, hitting .350, with 9 homers.

2020: Played successful 7 games (four starts) for the Rockies successful the pandemic-shortened season, hitting 2-for-21 (.095) with nary location runs. Was placed connected the injured database connected Aug. 31 with a close enarthrosis strain.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post