Inbox: Will Rodgers break through in 2021?

DENVER -- Your questions and my thoughts begin with infielder Brendan Rodgers, the Rockies' 2015 top Draft pick (third overall), whose name manager Bud Black went to quickly when asked about players he expects to make a breakthrough in 2021. Take a listen:

My thoughts …

The Rodgers that we’ve seen in his 32 games in the Majors (.462 OPS) has looked nothing like the one that created the Minor League buzz (.855 OPS, including a healthy .503 slugging percentage and 26 homers in 232 Triple-A plate appearances).

What is the difference?

Injuries are at the top of the list. After being promoted from the alternate training site, Rodgers went to the injured list after seven games with a right shoulder injury. His 25 games in the Majors in 2019 were marred because he played through a shoulder injury the whole time. He needed surgery.

But an injury Black referred to during the MLB Network Radio interview above may have been a hamstring problem that negated his chance to be called up at the end of the 2020 season. With the team’s postseason chances essentially gone, it would have been a good shot at regular playing time.

This leaves the Rockies with an important question: Do they put Rodgers at second base and let him prove himself?

The first callup became a faceoff between Rodgers and Ryan McMahon, and McMahon won the job. In 2020, Rodgers showed well in brief Spring Training and Summer Camp action, but with veteran Chris Owings around, his lot was as an injury replacement.

Rodgers’ Minor League accomplishments came when his playing time wasn’t questioned. With McMahon easily able to move to first base -- or third, if Nolan Arenado is dealt -- this may be the time.

Last offseason, Rodgers put in the work to come back faster than expected from the shoulder surgery, and he carried more upper-body muscle than before. But during his big league callup, the swing looked stiff. The shoulder injury, however, had nothing to do with bulk. The Padres’ Manny Machado landed on him after a throw to third base.

Reports on Rodgers’ offseason work are positive. Maybe it’s time Colorado gives him a clear chance to make all the training, and years of prospect hype, pay off.

On to your questions:

Is the Toddfather a Hall of Famer this year?
-- @awalk970

I am not sure Todd Helton gets on the necessary 75 percent of the ballots this year, but he has momentum. He went from 16.5 percent of the ballots in 2019 to 29.2 in ’20, and early ballot releases for ’21 indicate he is gaining momentum.

What do you think the Rockies got right last year that should continue, and what's the No. 1 problem to fix for next season?
-- @legal_gps

Using advanced measurements in a pitching lab that the club installed at the training center in Scottsdale, Ariz., right-hander Germán Márquez, left-hander Kyle Freeland and right-hander Antonio Senzatela all made improvements to their pitches and how they used them. It was a melding of coaching and advanced information.

The No. 1 fixable situation is the bullpen. The return of Scott Oberg from thoracic outlet surgery should help by providing a solid setup man for closer Daniel Bard, but the Rockies need more. Will the additions go deeper than Robert Stephenson, acquired from the Reds for Jeff Hoffman, and Jordan Sheffield, plucked from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 Draft? Colorado also needs dependable work from left-handers, which was missing in 2020.

And if starters who struggled in 2019 were able to make fixes in ’20 based on the use of data and technology, there's reason to believe relievers use that this winter to correct some inconsistency.

Which Minor Leaguers will get a callup and make an impact for the Rockies in 2021?
-- @blakestbanter

I hoped we would see lefty starter Ryan Rolison (the Rockies' No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline) by the end of the 2020 season, but Colorado preferred he finish his year in instructional ball. He’ll get a shot in Spring Training. The club fully expects lefty Ben Bowden (No. 10), provided he stays healthy, to improve the bullpen.

• Rockies instructional league prospect report

My eye is on Ryan Vilade (No. 4), a second-round Draft pick in 2017 who converted to left field over the past calendar year. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 226 pounds, he brings power-bat potential. The Rockies have an uncertain left-field picture and aren’t expected to make a big mark in free agency. It may not be fair, but it’s hard not to see parallels to '04, when a converted high school infielder named Matt Holliday made left field his spot.

Will the Rockies need to bring in a veteran catcher with the loss of Tony Wolters?
-- @colohockeygirl

Black said Wednesday that 2021 will be an opportunity for rookie Dom Nuñez. Black said he considers Elias Díaz, who signed for $1.2 million plus incentives, still young in his career. This reminds me of '17 and '18, when the Rockies went young and added experience only when the team emerged as a contender.

And a final thought:

Please take a few minutes to watch Colorado outfielder Ian Desmond’s Instagram update on how he backed up his reasoning for not participating in the 2020 season. Desmond is not the type of guy to dump some money and stick his name on a project. He operates as a mentor and a leader, and he’s trying to build a legacy that lasts through the youth of Sarasota, Fla.