The Kid from Spring Keeps Swinging: Jack Rogers' Quest for the Majors
June 8, 2025 - International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release
Ever since he started playing ball as a kid in his neighborhood in Spring, Texas, Jack Rogers has been shooting for the big leagues. During his time in Louisville, he has been one of the most impactful players on the team. The 26-year-old has hit safely in 15 of his 23 games played with the Bats. He is hitting .333 with Louisville, and his average is .455 at Louisville Slugger Field. It has been his dream come true, but getting to this point hasn't been easy.
Rogers grew up playing baseball with his older brother and his friends. He remembers playing with them in the cul-de-sac right by his house. Playing with his brother was very enjoyable for Rogers, but it also allowed him to play with older kids at a young age and exposed him to better competition. Rogers pushed himself at that age and eventually worked into a two-way player, both hitting and pitching, in high school and into college.
"I went to Sam Houston State, which was right down the road in Huntsville, Texas," Rogers said. "I two-wayed there as well, but didn't do it as much. Coach ended up loving me as a hitter, so I worked more on that side and everything fell into place from there."
Rogers finished with a .329 career average in college and finished third in school history in total home runs and doubles. The Reds drafted him in the ninth round, and his dream of playing professional baseball officially began.
"It was a crazy experience," Rogers said. "I had a bunch of family and friends over and was a little bit nervous about seeing where I was going. I got a call on the second day from Cincinnati, which was really great. I grew up liking Cincinnati, with the Redlegs and hitters-friendly ballpark, so it ended up working out really well."
He started in High-A Dayton, but his major league journey was rugged out of the gate. Rogers joined the team the same year he was drafted in 2021, but he did not have a great season. He was sent down to Low-A Daytona, which was a heavy blow for him. Despite the setback, he trained a lot on his own during the offseason, and like Rudy Ruettiger trying to play for Notre Dame, he put in lots of hard work.
After the offseason, he came into the 2022 season looking for a bounce-back year and had a strong season for Daytona. He averaged a hit per game with 72 hits in 72 games and boasted a .285 batting average. Rogers ended the season back in Dayton, played all of 2023 in High-A, and got promoted to Double-A Chattanooga. Unfortunately, in 2024, he didn't have a great season, and an injury ended it short, topping off a frustrating year. At this point in his career, Rogers had to reevaluate his mentality.
"I just couldn't figure it out," Rogers said. "I feel like everyone goes through it, where you just don't know what's going on. You're just swinging at everything, or you don't have a lot of positive thoughts going through your head. I think that it was honestly good for me to go through and experience that. I kind of know my way around it and how to navigate out of that headspace."
Rogers knew he had to make a change during the offseason. The previous year was not ideal for him, so he had to devise a plan moving forward that would allow him to see success again.
"Going into this year, I just wanted to go out and play with everything I had. I didn't know what was going to happen in the offseason, if they were going to keep me or what was going on," Rogers said. "I wanted to come back and give it my all. I trained really hard on my own, and so far, it has been really great."
Rogers came into the year with a simplified approach, not hyper-focusing on timing or mechanics, but instead focusing on good quality swings. This change has allowed him to focus on the fun of the game, like when he was playing as a kid, instead of only focusing on the technicalities, and it has worked wonders for him.
Starting the year in Chattanooga, he played 15 games and hit for a .327 average before joining Triple-A Louisville. He hasn't looked back and keeps pounding hit after hit to all corners of the field. Rogers now sees the ball exceptionally well and has a cool, confident swing. During one game with the Bats, he finished 4-for-4 and said it was the first time he had that stat line in his career, and how great it felt to see the ball that well. Rogers highlighted how much help his eight-month-old son has been for him.
"It's one of the best feelings in the world, being a father. I love having him here," Rogers said. "I think it has been taking a lot of stress off my shoulders, and has allowed me to just go out and play freely. I also think it's pushing me to make it. I think that having him gave me a sense of freedom when he arrived, and this year has felt so much better."
This year has been everything Rogers has been working toward, and he is enjoying the game much more. It reminds him of the game he played as a kid, playing in his childhood neighborhood in Spring with his brother, and just having fun hitting the ball around.
"When you go back and look at it, it's just like a little kid's game," Rogers said. "You're going out there and doing what you've done your whole life. That's what I've been doing. I have just been trusting the process and trusting what I can do on the field."
Rogers continues to hunt for the big leagues and wants to make it to the top by continuing to belt hits into the outfield and keep getting on base. He understands that in most at-bats he gets one or two pitches to hit, but he doesn't overthink or try to do too much. He aims to put the ball in play with every at-bat and always tries to make an impact whenever he steps into the box.
"I've never had this good a start before. I've always been a second-half player, finishing strong," Rogers said. "I think this year has opened my mind as I try to be consistent every day. I try to see what I can do at the plate every game, or try to help our team win. I think I have been executing what I'm trying to do, and as long as I have a good plan and try to accomplish it, I can go home happy."
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