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ANALYSIS: The Coors Field effect has yet to grace the bat of Colorado Rockies rookie shortstop Brendan Rodgers and, because of this, he’s still widely available in fantasy leagues. In his first 13 Major League games, Rodgers has a slash line of .268/.318/.317 with no home runs and seven RBI. It's been an underwhelming start to his big league career, to say the least. Yet, if you take one look at his stats from his 35 games in Triple-A this year, where he had a slash line of .356/.421/.644 and nine home runs, its easy to see where the potential lies.
Right now, the right-handed Rodgers is somewhat caught in a platoon situation at second base with the left-handed Ryan McMahon, who had a dreadful April, hitting .189, but followed it up with a solid .277 average in May. McMahon was a highly-touted prospect himself so Rodgers has no easy task in claiming an everyday role. However, the upside that Rodgers has, with the power he showed in the minors and the potential for hitting in the middle of a potent Rockies offense – he batted sixth on Sunday – make him far too enticing to leave on waivers.
Rodgers may ride your bench for the time being and there’s certainly a chance he never breaks through as an everyday guy this year, but the upside he provides is 100% worth a gamble. If the best-case scenario pans out for Rodgers and he brings his power bat to the Rockies lineup daily, he’s going to be a major boost to your offense and an absolute waiver wire steal. If he doesn't have second base eligibility in your league yet, he will soon.
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