Drafted in the 20th round (594th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2019.
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A shortstop and third baseman in high school who transitioned to the mound at Cumberland County (N.J.) College, Rodriguez worked mostly out of the bullpen as a freshman and put up a 3-0, 2.36 mark with 30 strikeouts in 26.2 innings of work. He was even better his sophomore year while starting nine games for the team that won the Division III Junior College World Series, posting a 8-2, 2.98 mark with 65 strikeouts in 54.1 innings of work. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthander was drafted by the Reds in the 20th round in 2019, but chose to transfer to St. John’s. This spring, he struggled mightily, pitching to a 1-2, 6.61 record with 18 walks and just nine strikeouts in 16.1 innings of work. Rodriguez throws across his body and leads with his fastball, which sits in the 91-93 mph range, but he was unable to locate it for strikes this spring. He had previously shown feel to throw his slider as well. Even while posting strong overall numbers, Rodriguez issued 47 walks in 81 innings at Cumberland, a trend that could concern teams in a shortened draft. It’s likely Rodriguez will go back to school and attempt to rebuild his value as a senior.
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