JetHawks' Rodgers extends hit streak to 20

Brendan Rodgers is so good right now, the rest of the California League must be wondering when they won't have to deal with him anymore.
On the day he scored his third California League Player of the Week honor this year, Colorado's top prospect extended his hitting streak to 20 games with two singles as Class A Advanced Lancaster beat Lake Elsinore, 13-6. He's batting an even .400 this year.

"He's an aggressive hitter and that's what he likes doing," Lancaster manager Fred Ocasio said. "It's become where even the third baseman for the other team will look at me like, 'Man, this guy can hit.' Yeah, that's one thing he can do."
Gameday box score
Since Rodgers' season started in late April, all he's done is rake. Batting second against the Storm on Monday, the 20-year-old singled to left field in the first inning and singled to center in the seventh. 
During the streak, the Florida native is 41-for-94 with eight home runs, eight doubles, a triple and 23 RBIs and sports a slash line of .436/.459/.798. 
"He's in the moment right now," Ocasio said. "He's taking care of business right here. That's the one thing he can control. He can't control when the organization's going to move him anywhere, so he's focused on what he's got to do here. Whenever that chance comes to move up, that will happen, but he understands that he's got no control over that. What he's got control of is every day, every night when he goes to the plate, is to do his job. Right now, he's doing a good job with that."
Rodgers' success is fueling his teammates. The circuit's top two hitters behind Rodgers are Roberto Ramos (.345) and Yonathan Daza (.340).
"It's like they always say in baseball, hitting is contagious," Ocasio said. "When you've got a guy like him hitting .405 or .410, whatever he's hitting, you look at the rest of the lineup. There are a bunch of guys hitting over .300. You've got Daza hitting like .340, [Sam Hilliard] hitting like .315, Ramos hitting like .340. Not only Brendan Rodgers -- he's standing out because of the .400 -- but throughout the lineup, we've got a lot of pretty good hitters."

Rodgers was honored as the California League's top player for the week of June 5-11, Minor League Baseball announced Monday. In that span, he batted .448/.467/.862 with three homers and six RBIs. The shortstop is a lock for the 2017 California League All-Star Game on June 20 in Visalia, California. The only question is whether or not he'll stick around Lancaster long enough to see it.
The next steps in the continued development of baseball's No. 10 overall prospect will likely be taken -- and soon -- in Double-A Hartford. Ocasio sees refinement ahead for the shortstop.
"The one thing is that, early on in the year, he was getting his knocks here and there, but he was pulling a lot of balls," the manager said. "Right now, he's pretty much figured that out. He needs to use the other field too, and he's hit a lot of balls in that right-center field gap. Hitting is pretty hard that way too. He needs to understand and continue to develop his approach. He's a pretty good hitter, but don't give up on that other side of the field.
"Defensively, he's got to continue with it. If he goes to Double-A, whenever that time comes, or Triple-A [Albuquerque], whenever that time comes, he's got to be consistent making plays defensively."
For Ocasio and the team, the nights with Rodgers in the lineup are still sweet, but likely dwindling.
San Diego's No. 2 prospect, Cal Quantrill (3-5), was charged with five runs -- three earned -- on five hits in 2 2/3 innings.