Brendan Rodgers is the top American prospect in baseball

The Colorado Rockies have, in shortstop Brendan Rodgers, the very best American-born prospect in all of baseball. By consensus.

This designation is only important insofar as it speaks to GM Jeff Bridich’s continued ability to — if you’ll forgive a cross-sport analogy — slam dunk the MLB first-year player draft. This is due to eight players in front of him on MLB Pipeline all coming via international free agency.

After being a part of the team that drafted (and developed) David Dahl in 2012 and Jon Gray in 2013, Bridich snatched up Rodgers, Peter Lambert and others in a stacked 2015, his next pick, in 2016, he grabbed another player who is moving up the ranks on the national prospect lists in Riley Pint.

With Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB Pipeline recently releasing an updated mid-season ranking, we thought this would be a good time to look at the players making waves in the minor leagues.

Brendan Rodgers – Baseball America: 7, Baseball Prospectus: 6 MLB Pipeline: 9

No matter what list you look at, the only players who rate out better than Rodgers came via international free agency, none from the draft.

Not that he wouldn’t be anyway, but with Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez, Kyle Freeland and Raimel Tapia having all graduated from prospect status this year it’s made Rodgers the clear top guy in the Rockies minor league system.

The third overall pick in the 2015 draft started 2017 on the DL but upon returning to action lit the world on fire at High-A Lancaster. In 48 games (222 plate appearances) he hit .400/.419/.700 with 12 homers, three triples and 21 doubles and 46 RBI. He had 84 hits and 43 runs scored in 48 games, a simply absurd stat line. In the first half, he hit .400, the highest among players with at least 220 plate appearances in the Cal League since Jose Altuve batted .408 in 2011 in 52 games (his wRC+ was 169, Rodgers’ 196.). He was, of course, named a California League All-Star after leading the Jethawks to a postseason berth and was promptly called up to start the MiLB second half to Double-A Hartford.

Rodgers appeared in the MLB Futures game where he made a slick play at second, away from his natural position at short and had a hit as well.

For the Yard Goats, where he’s over four-years-younger than Eastern League average at six days shy of his 21st birthday, he’s started off a bit cold. In 114 plate appearances, he slashing .245/.325/.422 with five homers and 10 RBI. In his last 13 games, he’s hitting over .300, a sign he’s adjusting to the league.

Perhaps the best news about Rodgers is reports state the Rockies like him to stay at the game’s premier position, shortstop. The biggest question for him was a possible move to second base but his climb in the rankings show increased scout confidence in him sticking at the six.

The @Broddddd3…. The Hartford Hero pic.twitter.com/vRBc3j5gMj

— Hartford Yard Goats (@GoYardGoats) July 16, 2017

Rily Pint – Baseball America: 77, Baseball Prospectus: 44, MLB Pipeline: 65

Riley Pint still doesn’t have command, but that’s okay because he’s very young. He’s fallen down a bit in the rankings but he still sits 100 with his fastball, so, you know, that’s good.

In this, his first season of full season ball ever, he’s pitching about once a week. He’s started 16 times and produced a 2-9 record on a .500 Asheville squad. The righty has a 4.24 ERA, really solid for the South Atlantic League, and he’s striking out 7.6 per nine but walking 5.6 per nine.

He’ll likely finish the season with the Tourists.

Ryan McMahon – Baseball America: 91, Baseball Prospectus: NR*, MLB Pipeline: 66,

The only player in baseball that might be having a better season than Rodgers is McMahon.

The 2013 second round pick spent 2016 with Hartford. He fell off almost every top prospects list coming into the year because of his lackluster season last year. But he was the youngest player in the Eastern League playing a new position on a club that didn’t play a single home game so there were mitigating circumstances that certainly played a role in McMahon’s struggles.

So far in 2017, he’s rebounded nicely. Repeating Double-A, he posted a .326/.390/.536 slash line with 24 extra base knocks and 32 RBI across 205 plate appearances. He got promoted after 49 games of playing third, second and first while sustaining a 150 wRC+.

Now in 205 plate appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque, his wRC+ is 152. He’s been torrid, slashing .373/.395/.606 with nine homers, 18 doubles, and 37 RBI in 44 games.

McMahon is on the 40-man roster already and could very well be a slick hitting super utility man for the Rockies this season.