Selectivity Helps Brendan Rodgers Ascend

Best Player

A left wrist sprain caused 20-year-old shortstop Brendan Rodgers to miss the first 17 games of the season at high Class A Lancaster, a minor detour considering how utterly dominant his first half was.

The third overall pick in the 2015 draft, Rodgers hit .400/.419/.700 with 12 home runs, 21 doubles and 46 RBIs in 48 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Hartford.

“His ability to hit the ball on the sweet spot with consistency, regardless of where it’s pitched, regardless of what type of pitch, for a kid his age is impressive,” farm director Zach Wilson said.

“When you can do that kind of naturally, and you can do that with plus bat speed, and now you start to lay off pitcher’s pitches or lay off bad pitches and start to attack pitches in your hit zone, that equals what came out on the stat line.”

A solid defender, Rodgers has gotten more aggressive going to the ball and has improved his range in both directions, dramatically so to his left.

Biggest Leap Forward

Righthander J.D. Hammer looks like a terrific find as last year’s 24th-round pick out of Marshall.

As he went through the Rockies’ throwing program last year, he continued to gain arm strength. His 91-93 mph fastball that would touch 95 mph in Rookie ball last year now sits in the mid-90s. The 22-year-old touches 97 mph several times during an inning.

Hammer went 4-1, 1.20 with seven saves in 24 games at low Class A Asheville and earned a promotion to Lancaster after allowing 17 hits and no homers in 30 innings with five walks and 47 strikeouts.

Hammer has a good downhill angle and keeps the ball under batters’ knees. His slider will be a focal point the rest of the season.

“It’s slightly below-average,” Wilson said. “With continued work, it’s going to become probably slightly above to a solid above-average pitch.”