Early Signs of Life in Brendan Rodgers’ Swing

A small sample look at swing speed gains and a cleaner move at the plate.

Entering into 2025, there were signs Brendan Rodgers wasn’t as far gone as the surface numbers made it seem. The zone contact was there. The 90th percentile exit velocity held. He was making contact where it mattered, and when he squared it up, the ball jumped.

After getting non-tendered by the Rockies, he signed a minor league deal with Houston in spring training. It was a low-risk move on a player whose tools were still intact.

Yesterday, Rodgers picked up three hits against the Minnesota Twins, but the swings stood out. It’s a small sample, but this is what the Astros saw when they brought him in.

His swing speeds in the Astros’ first game at Target Field: 80.9, 74.9, 74.0. All three went for hits. Last year, Rodgers averaged 71.7 mph. This year, he’s at 75.7. League average is around 73 to 74. He’s moving the bat faster, and it’s showing up immediately.

Rodgers went third overall in 2015. The swing was always clean, and he could move. There were moments in 2022 where it felt like he might finally take off. But the power never held, and the at bats didn’t get louder. The bat speed just never really came with him.

Injuries didn’t help. Shoulder surgery in 2019. Another dislocation in 2023. The profile stalled, and the timing never fully came back.

Now he’s in Houston, and it already looks a little different. The swing is quicker. He’s getting to the zone earlier. The upside the Astros saw in him showed in Minnesota.

Rodgers said Troy Snitker and Alex Cintrón had him widen his base and lower his hands, which had previously started up near his head.

“My hands were moving all over the place and never really getting in a consistent spot to throw the barrel,” Rodgers said. “Now I’m just resting them on my shoulder, lifting up and firing from there. It just feels a lot smoother and I’m able to repeat it easier.”

The Astros love bat speed, too: acquiring it and training to improve it.

It’s a measurable gain in bat speed paired with a simple adjustment that cleaned up how he gets to the ball.

Rodgers has always had the frame and the hands. What we saw in Minnesota wasn’t a new version of him, but it looked more efficient. The barrel was getting there on time, and for the first time in a while, he was driving the ball again.