Alfredo Rodriguez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #22 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Reds shelled out $7 million to sign Rodriguez in July of 2016. While many scouts believed that Rodriguez's bat would be too light in pro ball, the Reds believed he would develop at the plate. So far, other team's scouts have been right. Rodriguez struggles to hit the ball over outfielders' heads. His 2018 season was also derailed by a hamate injury.
  
  Scouting Report: Rodriguez is a gifted defensive player who is polished at shortstop. He has a good internal clock and feel for the position. While he has below-average speed, that doesn't hurt him in the field. His arm is plus and has the footwork to be an above-average defender. At the plate, Rodriguez has much further to go. While he controls the barrel well, he lacks bat speed and his bottom-of-the-scale power allows teams to position the outfield to cut off bloopers.
  
  The Future: After dealing with some injuries, Rodriguez will get more at-bats in the lower minors to work on his offensive tools. The skills are there to be a superb defender up the middle, but his bat will make it hard for him to even handle a bench role.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #13 prospect in 2018
  The Reds started their Cuban spending spree in the 2016-17 international signing period by inking the slick-fielding Rodriguez to a $7 million signing bonus. A former rookie of the year in Cuba's Serie Nacional, he was also voted the league's best defensive shortstop, and that glove has done nothing to disappoint in his time in the U.S. Rodriguez spent all of the 2017 season at High-Class A Daytona, where he showed off his defensive prowess. The bat, though, has always been the question, and it will continue to be one. While Rodriguez has big league quality defense right now, the Reds have continued to be the biggest believer in his bat, something that so far has not played out statistically. In his first year in the U.S., he hit .253/.294/.294. Rodriguez will never have much power, but can add strength. In the first half, he hit an encouraging .272/.316/.315, but tired over the second half in his first full season. Most of all, he needs to improve his on-base skills to be a big league player. Rodriguez doesn't have to be a plus hitter to be a big leaguer, but even with his defense he has to provide some sort of offensive value, which means he needs to add strength and a little more plate discipline. He's similar to fellow Cuban shortstops Adeiny Hechavarria and Jose Iglesias, both of whom did show some offensive improvement after slow starts in the minors.
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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #22 prospect in 2017
  In his only full season in the Cuban major league, Rodriguez was voted the top defender at shortstop and the Serie Nacional rookie of the year. The Reds were linked to him almost from the moment he was eligible to sign, but they convinced him to wait to sign for $7 million after the July 2 signing period began in 2016 so they could land him and Cuban righthander Vladimir Gutierrez, whom they signed for $4.75 million. Had the Reds signed Rodriguez as part of the 2015 class, then they would have been ineligible to sign anyone for more than $300,000 in 2016. No one doubts Rodriguez's glove. He immediately becomes the system's best defensive shortstop with outstanding hands, range and feel for the position. He uses his plus arm to make plays deep in the hole, then uses his exceptional hands to barehand balls coming across in front of the second base bag. Rodriguez also is a plus runner, but at the plate he showed no power and no plate discipline in Cuba. The Reds see a line-drive swing with gap power, but scouts from other teams see a Rey Ordonez-style, bottom-of-the-order hitter with bottom-of-the-scale power. Rodriguez showed rust and had to melt away 20 pounds he had gained during his layoff, but he got back on track at instructional league. He will head to high Class A Daytona in 2017.