The Rockies have a Brendan Rodgers problem they can’t keep ignoring

The Rockies are off to a surprising start in 2022.

Sitting at 10-7 through 17 games, Colorado has been one of the better stories in baseball, despite an ugly 10-3 loss on Tuesday night.

From the emergence of Connor Joe, to the power of C.J. Cron and consistency of Randal Grichuk, the bats have been decent. Veterans Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant have had some moments while Ryan McMahon continues to find his stroke.

But there’s been one bat who hasn’t been up to the task in a big way, and it belongs to second baseman Brendan Rodgers. Maybe the most highly-touted prospect in Rockies history, Rodgers has looked lost at the plate. His batting average after Tuesday’s defeat by the Phillies sits at a paltry .078. If an average under .200 average is considered bad, what’s one where the first number is a zero?

Rodgers is 4-for-51 this season. He has 16 total strikeouts and is an 0-for-17 drought at the plate. Every time he comes up it feels like he either whiffs for strike three, goes down looking or grounds into an untimely double play. Why he’s still in the lineup on seemingly a daily basis is beyond me. Right now, Rodgers is an automatic out.

And this is as much of a Bud Black problem as it is a Rodgers one. The Rockies manager keeps putting Rodgers in the lineup, even being stubborn about the decision. Not only is he penciled in to play every game and go 0-4, Black’s consistently hit him in the middle of the batting order and allowed him to kill rally after rally.

A manager needs to recognize when a guy doesn’t have it and stop trotting him out there. Black gave Rodgers two days off in Detroit, and what do you know, Colorado won both games. But he put him right back in there in Philadelphia the last two nights and Rodgers didn’t collect a hit. Sloppy defense was a problem in each game, but what do you know, Colorado lost while the bats went mostly silent.

With Garrett Hampson on the IL, Black’s options are limited, but it’s time to mix things up. Both Alan Trejo (6-20, .300 average) and Yonathan Daza (7-16, .438 average) have overachieved this season. Trejo is the infielder between the two, but with the DH now in play in the National League, Black has no excuse not to get creative.

If Trejo is is in the lineup, like he was against the Tigers, he can play second base. That’s simple enough. If it’s Daza in the outfield, Bryant should simply shift to the infield. He’s played 678 career games at third base and won a World Series with the Cubs in that spot. McMahon can easily shift to second base, the position he’s actually played the most games during his time in MLB thus far.

And if Black’s unwilling to make simple adjustments to get Rodgers out of the lineup, then GM Bill Schmidt needs to intervene and take away Black’s toy. Rodgers could absolutely use a stint in AAA Albuquerque to get the bat right and regain his confidence. It wouldn’t be controversial like sending down a former All-Star; Rodgers has proved very little in his MLB career. Just because he was drafted No. 3 overall in 2015 doesn’t mean he’s earned an every day spot with the Rockies.

Rodgers had a taste of the big leagues in 2019 and 2020, but did nothing noteworthy. He flashed a bit in 2021, hitting .284 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI, but it wasn’t enough to make him a staple no matter how bad the slump. The one he’s currently in would’ve earned almost anyone else with his big league resume a spot on the bench or a demotion to the minors.

The Rockies have a Brendan Rodgers problem they can no longer ignore. He’s trying his best to bust out of it, but it’s time for Bud Black or Bill Schmidt to step in an address the glaring issue.

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