In only his second full season as a pro, Rodgers is making a very strong case to be the next youthfull shortstop to rocket through the minor leagues and impact the big league team before his 23rd birthday. As of this past weekend, Rodgers has been laying waste to Cal League pitching to the tune of a .387 average and a ridiculous .284 ISO that includes two triples and eight home runs. The 20-year-old Rodgers is also sporting a .416 BABIP, something that is not sustainable, however, it is somewhat representative of his consistent hard contact thus far in 2017.

Rodgers already has a very strong frame with slightly rolled shoulders, but despite his present strength, should still continue to get stronger. He has very efficient actions at the plate and stays short to the ball. The level stroke does well keeping the barrel in the zone for an extended period and his middle-of-the field approach is advanced for his age. Rodgers projects to have above-average pop and is already able to drive the ball to the middle of the field, however the swing is geared more towards line drives rather than long fly balls – so while he likely will be able to leave the yard to center field eventually, look for the over-the-fence ability to be primarily to pull, while finding a fair amount extra-base hits in the right-center field gap.

While Rodgers is well on his way to being an above-average major league shortstop, he still has some work to do. He has done well to cut back on the strikeouts in 2017, going from 20.2% to 14.6%, but he has only walked five times in 155 at-bats. Such an aggressive approach at the plate in not uncommon for a young player, and his ability to hit for such a high average speaks to his feel for the barrel and to his bat control. However, as he starts to face more advanced arms and the percentage of hittable pitches he sees drops, he’ll have to start being more selective and learn to take his walks.

Defensively, there are those that feel like he will get too big to stay at shortstop, however his athleticism and body control are both plus, and the above-average arm is more than enough for the position. He is an average runner and likely settles in at fringe average as a big leaguer, but the game clock is good and he will make the routine plays.

Don’t expect Rodgers to be a factor in Colorado this season, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to see him get some Double-A at-bats in the second half. Should the success continue and he starts 2018 at Double-A, he could start knocking on the door around this time next season for what will be a very competitive Rockies club.