1. Brendan Rodgers, SS
Birthdate: 8/9/96 (20 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: low A
Stats in 2016: .281/.342/.480, 19 HR, 6 SB
Coming into the 2015 draft, there were plenty of evaluators who thought Rodgers was the best talent in the draft, beyond Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman. While those two were both college guys, and therefore made their major league debuts already, Rodgers is certainly not on a slow path.
Rodgers follows a line of recent Rockies shortstops with very good defensive tools and big power at the plate. Of Tulowitzki, Story, and himself, he’s possibly the best all-around offensive player, but he also might be the worst defender as well.
Defensively, Rodgers isn’t long and well-built like many would envision in a prodigy at 6′ and 185ish pounds, but he has excellent explosiveness through his body, which generates both power at the plate and excellent arm strength.
From seeing him in 2016 and talking with those who saw him last season, Rodgers has truly taken the effort to get his body into elite condition to handle long-term work at shortstop.
Offensively, the only real question is whether he’ll be a guy that hits .260 at the major league level or if he’ll continue to develop his contact skills as one would project in his sharp, quick swing to become a high-average hitter along with his plus power.
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