Colorado Rockies: 18 things we are looking forward to in 2018

Number 13: We are even closer to the debut of Brendan Rodgers

We have talked a lot in this article about Colorado’s future, but let’s talk for a moment about perhaps the brightest star in the constellation that is the Rockies farm system.

He earned a call-up to Double-A last season after hitting a ridiculous .387 for Class A Lancaster. He will likely start the season in Hartford and could well be in Triple-A midway through the season (if he continues to progress the way he has). That puts the 21-year-old Rodgers knocking on the Major League door in 2019.

This is a situation that bares watching for Rockies fans. If Rodgers keeps progressing the way he does, he could push himself into the Colorado lineup in 2019. That is the same year that DJ LeMahieu is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The timing is convenient and very, very interesting.

No, Rodgers will likely not be a member of the Rockies in 2018 but keep an eye on the minor league box scores to see how he is doing. We will be.

Number 14: Trevor Story’s maturation

Looking at the overall stats from 2017, Trevor Story took a bit of a step backwards last season, posting a .239 average and striking out 191 times in 503 at-bats. However, let’s slice a little deeper.

In September, Story hit six of his 24 home runs and drove in 22 of his 82 RBI. He also struck out 34 times in 107 at-bats, his lowest monthly ratio of the entire year. He started to find his stride just as the season was ending.

Defensively, however, Story improved dramatically in 2017, becoming one of the National League’s best defensive shortstops and having some ask if he was worthy of Gold Glove consideration. Playing between Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu, Story was a piece of one of Major League Baseball’s best infields last year.

In his third full season in 2018, Story has the chance to not only get better at the plate, but in the field as well. That is a scary thought for Colorado opponents.