Yardbarker
x

The Colorado Rockies had a forgettable 2021 season.

The team went 74-87 and was never a threat to reach the postseason, marking Colorado’s third straight year without a playoff berth.

A lot of things went wrong.

However, a few things went right.

And the emergence of youngster Brendan Rodgers was one of them.

The 25-year-old had a great 2021 campaign, and he gave Rockies fans a reason to be excited about the future.

Rodgers’ Season In A Nutshell

The 2021 season was Rodgers’ third at the MLB level, but it was his first time playing in more than 25 games in a year.

The infielder’s MLB career got off to a rocky start in 2019 and 2020, as he batted .196 with a .462 OPS over 32 total games.

But in 2021, he left his previous seasons behind him.

He turned the page and put together a great campaign.

He finished the year with a slash line of .284/.328/.470.

Over 102 games, he homered 15 times, doubled 21 times, and tripled three times.

For a guy hitting for power, he did a pretty solid job keeping his strikeouts to a minimum.

He fanned 84 times in 387 plate appearances.

It’s also worth noting that Rodgers finished the season on a tear.

He played some of his best baseball over the final few weeks of the season.

He batted .316 with an OPS of .882, four home runs, four doubles, and a triple over his final 18 games.

It was a great way for him to head into the offseason.

Living Up To The Hype

When Rodgers joined the Rockies organization, he was met with high expectations.

Colorado showed a lot of confidence in him by selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft (and ultimately signing him).

As soon as that happened, Rodgers drew a lot of attention from fans, with countless people pegging him as a future star in the Rockies organization.

That sort of status always comes with a lot of pressure, but he handled it well during his time in the minor leagues.

He did his job and showed the organization signs of improvement at every step.

Eventually, that led to several publications naming Rodgers the top prospect in Colorado’s system.

Naturally, fans were excited when he made his debut in the majors in 2019, but as mentioned earlier, his big-league career got off to a rocky start.

It took him a little bit to find his footing at the MLB level.

But now, he’s here to stay, and he looks like he’s on his way to becoming a very good player in this league.

Exciting Times Ahead

To state the obvious, the Rockies are going to be the beneficiaries of Rodgers’ growth and development.

The organization has him under club control until 2026, so the Rockies and their fans are going to be able to enjoy watching this kid for years to come.

There will surely be hiccups at times, but the sky is the limit for Rodgers.

It seems like he’s capable of evolving into a household name in the baseball world.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.