Grayson Rodriguez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #2 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/High
  
  Track Record: Rodriguez, a pop-up prospect signed for $4.3 million as the 11th pick in the 2018 draft, has done nothing but dominate since joining the Orioles. He shared the organization's pitcher of the year honors in 2019, won it on his own in 2021 and was on the cusp of a big league debut as the May Triple-A International League pitcher of the month before a lat strain in early June kept him out for two months. He returned to the mound in September but wasn't summoned to the majors before the season ended.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez's stuff remained similar to that which made him the game's top pitching prospect entering the season. His fastball sat 95-99 mph and topped out at 100 with above-average hop, and he showed the ability to spot it in every part of the strike zone. He executed his development goal of achieving more consistent top-end spin in 2022, because in past years the consistency of his pitch action could waver. His plus-plus slider remains his top secondary pitch, sitting 79-85 mph with late bite, and he uses different shapes depending on the situation. Rodriguez's changeup, a pitch he learned in pro ball, is a plus pitch as well, with screwball-like action that works to both sides of the plate. His curveball has above-average potential, and Rodriguez ramped up usage of his new low-90s cutter as the season went on, especially against lefthanded hitters. His lat injury was his first major setback, but Rodriguez otherwise has the makings of a physical, innings-eating workhorse with a durable, repeatable delivery.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez has top-of-the-rotation potential and a mid-rotation floor based on his stuff, pitch mix and mentality. The Orioles expect him to compete for a major league rotation job in spring training, and he'll be favored to win one given his talents.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 70. Changeup: 60. Control: 65
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #2 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Only one pitcher in the 30-plus years of the Orioles’ Jim Palmer minor league pitcher of the year award had ever repeated before Rodriguez shared the honor in 2019 then took it on his own in 2021. Signed for $4.3 million as the 11th overall pick in 2018, Rodriguez spent the year leading up to his selection remaking his body and delivery. He has thrived in the Orioles’ progressive new pitching system and become baseball’s top pitching prospect. He led all minor league pitchers with 100 innings in strikeout rate: 14.1 per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez’s dominance over his two full seasons took on different forms. He overpowered batters with his fastball in 2019, but used an advanced pitch mix to carve through Double-A Northeast lineups in 2021. Rodriguez’s fastball averaged 97 mph for the season and frequently hit 100 early in the year before settling in the mid-to-high 90s late. It’s an elite pitch with above-average spin and hop, and he locates it to all four quadrants of the strike zone. Rodriguez’s slider, a plus pitch in the 79-85 mph range, has late bite and can be manipulated a variety of different ways. His screwball-like changeup is a swing-and-miss weapon against both righties and lefties. Rodriguez also has the potential for an above-average curveball, a pitch that he started to throw harder this year, and he occasionally mixes in a low-90s cutter. Physically, Rodriguez has a prototypical starter’s frame with a durable and repeatable delivery that allows him to exhibit plus command.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez’s attributes give him the chance to be a mid-rotation starter at worst, with No. 2 starter potential at best. He’ll start 2022 at Triple-A Norfolk, with the 22-year-old’s major league debut not far off.
  
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #2 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
  Track Record: Rodriguez blossomed late as a high school senior and was drafted 11th overall by the Orioles in 2018, signing for $4.3 million. He overpowered the low Class A South Atlantic League in his full-season debut in 2019 and shared the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year award. The Orioles brought him to their alternate training site at Bowie, Md., for the 2020 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Two months at the Orioles’ secondary camp allowed Rodriguez a chance to further hone the consistency of his clean, sturdy delivery. His four-seam fastball sat 95-98 mph with plus-plus potential all summer, and for the second straight year got harder as the season went on. Rodriguez quickly learned a changeup in 2019 and it remains an above-average pitch at 82-85 mph. His curveball has good shape but lacks power in the mid 70s, leaving his low-80s slider as the more effective of his breaking balls. The experience at the alternate site helped Rodriguez start to understand pitching to a plan against older hitters whom he can’t simply overpower.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez is the foremost piece of the Orioles’ pitching-driven rebuilding plan. He has a chance to be at least a mid-rotation starter and has countless top-of-the-rotation traits. He should reach Double-A at some time in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #2 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: A pop-up prospect who signed for $4.3 million after remaking his body and delivery before his senior spring, Rodriguez became the latest Orioles pitching prospect to dominate his full-season debut at low Class A Delmarva. Just nine minor league pitchers with at least 90 innings struck out more batters per nine innings than Rodriguez's 12.4, and people took notice. Rodriguez was a South Atlantic League all-star, pitched in the Futures Game and shared Orioles minor league pitcher of the year honors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The specialized training of his high school days allowed Rodriguez to grow significantly in 2019. His fastball sat 93-96 mph and got up to 98 late in the season. It projects as a potential plus-plus pitch with downhill plane and armside life. His curveball and slider alternate as his better breaking pitch depending on the day, but at their best his mid-70s curveball flashes plus and his low-tomid- 80s slider shows above-average. His changeup made great progress throughout the year and began flashing plus, giving him four pitches that miss bats to go with plus command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Rodriguez's first full season made him the clear top pitching prospect in the organization and one of the best in baseball. He will begin 2019 at high Class A Frederick.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #5 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Rodriguez pitched his way into the first round of the 2018 draft after transforming his body by adding 20 pounds of muscle and reworking his delivery to use his strapping frame last winter. That made him the biggest pop-up name in the draft, and led the Orioles to sign him to a $4.3 million bonus. Rodriguez didn't allow a run until his seventh outing in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in outings that were limited to three innings or less.
  
  Scouting Report: Though his fastball was up to 97 mph as an amateur, Rodriguez generally worked at 91-94 mph as a pro with good angle and life down in the zone. It's not uncommon for prep pitchers to see their velocity back up a little while they adjust to pitching on a five-day schedule, and Rodriguez has the strength to gain back some of that velo. His slider, which sits in the low 80s with tilt, is the newest of his secondary pitches, though his two-plane, mid-70s curveball might fit better from his high arm slot. His fringy changeup wasn't necessary in high school, but is developing. He's able to get down the mound well with a big frame and repeatable delivery, allowing him to locate down in the zone.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez has all the makings of a physical workhorse starter who can slot into a rotation and provide quality innings with a ceiling as high as a No. 3 starter. The Orioles have made a big investment in developing both reliable back-end starters among college draftees to blend with higher-ceiling high school pitchers. Rodriguez and Hall are vital cogs to that approach. Rodriguez could get his first taste of full-season ball at low Class A Delmarva to begin 2019.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #24 prospect in 2018 draft
  The biggest pop-up player of the 2018 draft class, Grayson Rodriguez is a huge, 6-foot-5, 230-pound righthander who was primarily in the lower 90s over the summer with some bad weight on his body. Over the winter he got into the gym, worked with a trainer and overhauled his body, cleaning it up and looking like a completely different pitcher this spring. The results were astounding, as Rodriguez has regularly been up to 97-98 mph with his fastball and sits in the mid-90s throughout his starts with remarkable ease in his delivery. In addition to the velocity that he''s shown he can sustain, Rodriguez has heavy life to his fastball and spots it fairly well in the strike zone, giving the pitch the makings of a 70-grade offering--If it''s not already there. In addition to the fastball, Rodriguez has a low-80s slider and a curveball that is a step ahead at 72-74 mph and occasionally slows up. He doesn't throw it often, but he mixes in an occasional changeup to show it's in the repertoire as well. Rodriguez has a very poised approach on the mound and rarely shows any emotion as he cuts through opposing lineups in front of deep crowds of scouts and high-level decision makers. Reportedly many teams in the back end of the first round have been bearing down on Rodriguez and he's done enough this spring to establish himself among the top tier of high school arms.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #4 prospect in 2021
  Despite not making his Double-A debut until June 2 after beginning the year in High-A Aberdeen, Rodriguez was Double-A Northeast’s strikeout king, racking up 121 in just 79.2 innings. Most managers around the league considered Rodriguez to be the top pitcher in the league, edging out Harrisburg righthander Cade Cavalli. Scouts believe the 21-year-old has a floor of No. 2 starter in the major leagues, with precision within the zone at times still slightly holding him back from reaching his potential. At his best, Rodriguez could be a future ace. “He can pitch as a big leaguer right now,” one National League scout said. “He has four pitches that are plus or better, and he knows what he’s doing with them and can locate them. When he’s on, he’s going to dominate the game. And when he’s not, he can still out-stuff hitters.”
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #3 prospect in 2019
  After several years of fallow rosters, Delmarva had the most promising starting pitcher in the league. After Shorebirds lefthander DL Hall impressed last season, Rodriguez was even more impressive this year. Rodriguez’s 94-96 mph fastball was dominating, mainly because of his future plus command. He showed he could work it to the edges of the strike zone, rarely straying over the heart of the plate. But managers and scouts were even more impressed by Rodriguez’s advanced feel for a pair of breaking balls and his changeup. His slider and curveball aren’t always clearly separated, but both are potential above-average pitches. Rodriguez can spin an 81-83 mph slider that dives away from the strike zone and a 79-82 mph curveball with more of a 12-to-6 shape that he can throw in the strike zone or bury at the bottom. His potentially plus command of both pitches stands out.
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #8 prospect in 2018
  Rodriguez was an arrow-up pitcher going into the draft, having improved his fastball from bumping the low-90s last summer to hitting 97 mph with improved physical conditioning in the spring. The Orioles drafted Rodriguez with the No. 11 overall pick and the arrows continue to point up after his pro debut in the GCL, though like many high school pitching prospects, the Orioles kept him on a restricted workload, never letting him pitch more than three innings in a game. Rodriguez overmatched GCL hitters with his fastball, combining plus velocity and plus movement with heavy action. He commands it well too and attacks hitters with good angle from his 6-foot-5 frame. Rodriguez has a strong, durable frame and a smooth, easy delivery that he’s able to repeat consistently. That helps him throw all of his pitches for strikes, led by a tick above-average slider that he uses as his out pitch, along with a low-to-mid 70s curveball. Rodriguez has a changeup in his repertoire, but he didn’t have much need for it in high school or in his brief GCL outings.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #6 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #6 prospect in 2022
• Ranked Baseball America's #22 prospect in 2021
• Ranked Baseball America's #35 prospect in 2020

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/High
  
  Track Record: Rodriguez, a pop-up prospect signed for $4.3 million as the 11th pick in the 2018 draft, has done nothing but dominate since joining the Orioles. He shared the organization's pitcher of the year honors in 2019, won it on his own in 2021 and was on the cusp of a big league debut as the May Triple-A International League pitcher of the month before a lat strain in early June kept him out for two months. He returned to the mound in September but wasn't summoned to the majors before the season ended.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez's stuff remained similar to that which made him the game's top pitching prospect entering the season. His fastball sat 95-99 mph and topped out at 100 with above-average hop, and he showed the ability to spot it in every part of the strike zone. He executed his development goal of achieving more consistent top-end spin in 2022, because in past years the consistency of his pitch action could waver. His plus-plus slider remains his top secondary pitch, sitting 79-85 mph with late bite, and he uses different shapes depending on the situation. Rodriguez's changeup, a pitch he learned in pro ball, is a plus pitch as well, with screwball-like action that works to both sides of the plate. His curveball has above-average potential, and Rodriguez ramped up usage of his new low-90s cutter as the season went on, especially against lefthanded hitters. His lat injury was his first major setback, but Rodriguez otherwise has the makings of a physical, innings-eating workhorse with a durable, repeatable delivery.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez has top-of-the-rotation potential and a mid-rotation floor based on his stuff, pitch mix and mentality. The Orioles expect him to compete for a major league rotation job in spring training, and he'll be favored to win one given his talents.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 70. Changeup: 60. Control: 65
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 70/High
  
  Track Record: Rodriguez, a pop-up prospect signed for $4.3 million as the 11th pick in the 2018 draft, has done nothing but dominate since joining the Orioles. He shared the organization's pitcher of the year honors in 2019, won it on his own in 2021 and was on the cusp of a big league debut as the May Triple-A International League pitcher of the month before a lat strain in early June kept him out for two months. He returned to the mound in September but wasn't summoned to the majors before the season ended.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez's stuff remained similar to that which made him the game's top pitching prospect entering the season. His fastball sat 95-99 mph and topped out at 100 with above-average hop, and he showed the ability to spot it in every part of the strike zone. He executed his development goal of achieving more consistent top-end spin in 2022, because in past years the consistency of his pitch action could waver. His plus-plus slider remains his top secondary pitch, sitting 79-85 mph with late bite, and he uses different shapes depending on the situation. Rodriguez's changeup, a pitch he learned in pro ball, is a plus pitch as well, with screwball-like action that works to both sides of the plate. His curveball has above-average potential, and Rodriguez ramped up usage of his new low-90s cutter as the season went on, especially against lefthanded hitters. His lat injury was his first major setback, but Rodriguez otherwise has the makings of a physical, innings-eating workhorse with a durable, repeatable delivery.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez has top-of-the-rotation potential and a mid-rotation floor based on his stuff, pitch mix and mentality. The Orioles expect him to compete for a major league rotation job in spring training, and he'll be favored to win one given his talents.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 70. Changeup: 60. Control: 65
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 70/High
  
  Track Record: Only one pitcher in the 30-plus years of the Orioles&#39 Jim Palmer minor league pitcher of the year award had ever repeated before Rodriguez shared the honor in 2019 then took it on his own in 2021. Signed for $4.3 million as the 11th overall pick in 2018, Rodriguez spent the year leading up to his selection remaking his body and delivery. He has thrived in the Orioles&#39 progressive new pitching system and become baseball&#39s top pitching prospect. He led all minor league pitchers with 100 innings in strikeout rate: 14.1 per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez&#39s dominance over his two full seasons took on different forms. He overpowered batters with his fastball in 2019, but used an advanced pitch mix to carve through Double-A Northeast lineups in 2021. Rodriguez&#39s fastball averaged 97 mph for the season and frequently hit 100 early in the year before settling in the mid-to-high 90s late. It&#39s an elite pitch with above-average spin and hop, and he locates it to all four quadrants of the strike zone. Rodriguez&#39s slider, a plus pitch in the 79-85 mph range, has late bite and can be manipulated a variety of different ways. His screwball-like changeup is a swing-and-miss weapon against both righties and lefties. Rodriguez also has the potential for an above-average curveball, a pitch that he started to throw harder this year, and he occasionally mixes in a low-90s cutter. Physically, Rodriguez has a prototypical starter&#39s frame with a durable and repeatable delivery that allows him to exhibit plus command.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez&#39s attributes give him the chance to be a mid-rotation starter at worst, with No. 2 starter potential at best. He&#39ll start 2022 at Triple-A Norfolk, with the 22-year-old&#39s major league debut not far off.
  
  Scouting Grades
  Fastball: 70. Curveball: 55. Slider: 70. Changeup: 65. Control: 60.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Only one pitcher in the 30-plus years of the Orioles’ Jim Palmer minor league pitcher of the year award had ever repeated before Rodriguez shared the honor in 2019 then took it on his own in 2021. Signed for $4.3 million as the 11th overall pick in 2018, Rodriguez spent the year leading up to his selection remaking his body and delivery. He has thrived in the Orioles’ progressive new pitching system and become baseball’s top pitching prospect. He led all minor league pitchers with 100 innings in strikeout rate: 14.1 per nine innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez’s dominance over his two full seasons took on different forms. He overpowered batters with his fastball in 2019, but used an advanced pitch mix to carve through Double-A Northeast lineups in 2021. Rodriguez’s fastball averaged 97 mph for the season and frequently hit 100 early in the year before settling in the mid-to-high 90s late. It’s an elite pitch with above-average spin and hop, and he locates it to all four quadrants of the strike zone. Rodriguez’s slider, a plus pitch in the 79-85 mph range, has late bite and can be manipulated a variety of different ways. His screwball-like changeup is a swing-and-miss weapon against both righties and lefties. Rodriguez also has the potential for an above-average curveball, a pitch that he started to throw harder this year, and he occasionally mixes in a low-90s cutter. Physically, Rodriguez has a prototypical starter’s frame with a durable and repeatable delivery that allows him to exhibit plus command.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez’s attributes give him the chance to be a mid-rotation starter at worst, with No. 2 starter potential at best. He’ll start 2022 at Triple-A Norfolk, with the 22-year-old’s major league debut not far off.
  
• October, 2021 Scouting Report
  Despite not making his Double-A debut until June 2 after beginning the year in High-A Aberdeen, Rodriguez was Double-A Northeast’s strikeout king, racking up 121 in just 79.2 innings. Most managers around the league considered Rodriguez to be the top pitcher in the league, edging out Harrisburg righthander Cade Cavalli. Scouts believe the 21-year-old has a floor of No. 2 starter in the major leagues, with precision within the zone at times still slightly holding him back from reaching his potential. At his best, Rodriguez could be a future ace. “He can pitch as a big leaguer right now,” one National League scout said. “He has four pitches that are plus or better, and he knows what he’s doing with them and can locate them. When he’s on, he’s going to dominate the game. And when he’s not, he can still out-stuff hitters.”
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
  Track Record: Rodriguez blossomed late as a high school senior and was drafted 11th overall by the Orioles in 2018, signing for $4.3 million. He overpowered the low Class A South Atlantic League in his full-season debut in 2019 and shared the Orioles' minor league pitcher of the year award. The Orioles brought him to their alternate training site at Bowie, Md., for the 2020 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Two months at the Orioles' secondary camp allowed Rodriguez a chance to further hone the consistency of his clean, sturdy delivery. His four-seam fastball sat 95-98 mph with plus-plus potential all summer, and for the second straight year got harder as the season went on. Rodriguez quickly learned a changeup in 2019 and it remains an above-average pitch at 82-85 mph. His curveball has good shape but lacks power in the mid 70s, leaving his low-80s slider as the more effective of his breaking balls. The experience at the alternate site helped Rodriguez start to understand pitching to a plan against older hitters whom he can't simply overpower.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez is the foremost piece of the Orioles' pitching-driven rebuilding plan. He has a chance to be at least a mid-rotation starter and has countless top-of-the-rotation traits. He should reach Double-A at some time in 2021.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
  Track Record: Rodriguez blossomed late as a high school senior and was drafted 11th overall by the Orioles in 2018, signing for $4.3 million. He overpowered the low Class A South Atlantic League in his full-season debut in 2019 and shared the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year award. The Orioles brought him to their alternate training site at Bowie, Md., for the 2020 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Two months at the Orioles’ secondary camp allowed Rodriguez a chance to further hone the consistency of his clean, sturdy delivery. His four-seam fastball sat 95-98 mph with plus-plus potential all summer, and for the second straight year got harder as the season went on. Rodriguez quickly learned a changeup in 2019 and it remains an above-average pitch at 82-85 mph. His curveball has good shape but lacks power in the mid 70s, leaving his low-80s slider as the more effective of his breaking balls. The experience at the alternate site helped Rodriguez start to understand pitching to a plan against older hitters whom he can’t simply overpower.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez is the foremost piece of the Orioles’ pitching-driven rebuilding plan. He has a chance to be at least a mid-rotation starter and has countless top-of-the-rotation traits. He should reach Double-A at some time in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 70. Curveball: 50. Slider: 60. Changeup: 55. Control: 60
  Track Record: Rodriguez blossomed late as a high school senior and was drafted 11th overall by the Orioles in 2018, signing for $4.3 million. He overpowered the low Class A South Atlantic League in his full-season debut in 2019 and shared the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year award. The Orioles brought him to their alternate training site at Bowie, Md., for the 2020 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Two months at the Orioles’ secondary camp allowed Rodriguez a chance to further hone the consistency of his clean, sturdy delivery. His four-seam fastball sat 95-98 mph with plus-plus potential all summer, and for the second straight year got harder as the season went on. Rodriguez quickly learned a changeup in 2019 and it remains an above-average pitch at 82-85 mph. His curveball has good shape but lacks power in the mid 70s, leaving his low-80s slider as the more effective of his breaking balls. The experience at the alternate site helped Rodriguez start to understand pitching to a plan against older hitters whom he can’t simply overpower.
  
  The Future: Rodriguez is the foremost piece of the Orioles’ pitching-driven rebuilding plan. He has a chance to be at least a mid-rotation starter and has countless top-of-the-rotation traits. He should reach Double-A at some time in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A pop-up prospect who signed for $4.3 million after remaking his body and delivery before his senior spring, Rodriguez became the latest Orioles pitching prospect to dominate his full-season debut at low Class A Delmarva. Just nine minor league pitchers with at least 90 innings struck out more batters per nine innings than Rodriguez’s 12.4, and people took notice. Rodriguez was a South Atlantic League all-star, pitched in the Futures Game and shared Orioles minor league pitcher of the year honors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The specialized training of his high school days allowed Rodriguez to grow significantly in 2019. His fastball sat 93-96 mph and got up to 98 late in the season. It projects as a potential plus-plus pitch with downhill plane and armside life. His curveball and slider alternate as his better breaking pitch depending on the day, but at their best his mid-70s curveball flashes plus and his low-tomid- 80s slider shows above-average. His changeup made great progress throughout the year and began flashing plus, giving him four pitches that miss bats to go with plus command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Rodriguez’s first full season made him the clear top pitching prospect in the organization and one of the best in baseball. He will begin 2019 at high Class A Frederick.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A pop-up prospect who signed for $4.3 million after remaking his body and delivery before his senior spring, Rodriguez became the latest Orioles pitching prospect to dominate his full-season debut at low Class A Delmarva. Just nine minor league pitchers with at least 90 innings struck out more batters per nine innings than Rodriguez's 12.4, and people took notice. Rodriguez was a South Atlantic League all-star, pitched in the Futures Game and shared Orioles minor league pitcher of the year honors.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The specialized training of his high school days allowed Rodriguez to grow significantly in 2019. His fastball sat 93-96 mph and got up to 98 late in the season. It projects as a potential plus-plus pitch with downhill plane and armside life. His curveball and slider alternate as his better breaking pitch depending on the day, but at their best his mid-70s curveball flashes plus and his low-tomid- 80s slider shows above-average. His changeup made great progress throughout the year and began flashing plus, giving him four pitches that miss bats to go with plus command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Rodriguez's first full season made him the clear top pitching prospect in the organization and one of the best in baseball. He will begin 2019 at high Class A Frederick.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  After several years of fallow rosters, Delmarva had the most promising starting pitcher in the league. After Shorebirds lefthander DL Hall impressed last season, Rodriguez was even more impressive this year. Rodriguez’s 94-96 mph fastball was dominating, mainly because of his future plus command. He showed he could work it to the edges of the strike zone, rarely straying over the heart of the plate. But managers and scouts were even more impressed by Rodriguez’s advanced feel for a pair of breaking balls and his changeup. His slider and curveball aren’t always clearly separated, but both are potential above-average pitches. Rodriguez can spin an 81-83 mph slider that dives away from the strike zone and a 79-82 mph curveball with more of a 12-to-6 shape that he can throw in the strike zone or bury at the bottom. His potentially plus command of both pitches stands out.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Rodriguez pitched his way into the first round of the 2018 draft after transforming his body by adding 20 pounds of muscle and reworking his delivery to use his strapping frame last winter. That made him the biggest pop-up name in the draft, and led the Orioles to sign him to a $4.3 million bonus. Rodriguez didn’t allow a run until his seventh outing in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Scouting Report: Though his fastball was up to 97 mph as an amateur, Rodriguez worked 91-94 mph as a pro with good angle and life down in the zone. His slider, which sits in the low 80s with tilt, is the newest of his secondary pitches, though his two-plane, mid-70s curveball might fit better from his high arm slot. His fringy changeup wasn’t necessary in high school, but is developing. He’s able to get down the mound well with a big frame and repeatable delivery, allowing him to locate down in the zone. The Future: Rodriguez has all the makings of a physical workhorse starter who can slot into a rotation and provide quality innings with a ceiling as high as a No. 3 starter. He could get his first taste of full-season ball at low Class A Delmarva to begin 2019.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  The Orioles had looks from every level of the organization on the Texas prep pitcher who rose up team’s draft boards this year, and passed on several highly-rated arms to take him. Rodriguez rebuilt his body and his delivery to maximize his 6-foot-5 frame and dominated with a mid-90s fastball and a four-pitch mix in high school. He’ll get his professional career started in the Gulf Coast League although he’s unlikely to throw many innings this year.