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Red Sox’ Rodriguez Makes Bid for Roster Spot

By Chris Rodriguez

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Red Sox prospect Eduardo Rodriguez made his plea for an Opening Day roster spot Saturday when Boston faced the Orioles.  The Red Sox acquired Rodriguez from Baltimore in exchange for reliever Andrew Miller before the trade deadline last season.

Today, Rodriguez showed his former team what type of talent they dealt away.  After starter Steven Wright exited the game, Rodriguez pitched three scoreless innings while exhibiting his raw potential.   Since joining Boston, Rodriguez’s upside has been on full display as he went 3-1 with a .96 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in six starts in Double-A Portland. He posted a career low 1.93 walks per nine innings while still striking out over nine per nine innings and leaving an excellent 93.3% of base-runners on base. 

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Only 21, the 6-foot-2 Rodriguez is developing, but his loose arm and smooth delivery allows him to generate speed up to 97 miles-per-hour on his fastball on either side of the plate.   With a plus changeup with sinking action and an above average slider that he can throw for strikes, his arsenal should allow him to remain a starter in the future.

Throwing his slider consistently and keeping his fastball in the strike zone will be huge factors in that future as he’s had control issues during his time in the Orioles organization.

The other main concern in Baltimore was his attitude.  There were serious questions regarding his work ethic and dedication to improving, but the Red Sox have had none of the sort.  Rodriguez believes this year is different, stating “I feel different. This offseason, I just worked out, getting my mind where I have to. I want to play in the big leagues. I don’t know when. But I have to be ready for that,” he said to The Boston Globe.

Boston is hoping that his desire holds up as his upside and mix of pitches could make him an option for the Boston rotation if injury strikes.

Rodriguez worked with Johan Santana during the winter and it seems that Santana’s diligence has rubbed off on the young lefty.  “Work hard. Practice hard,” Rodriguez said, in regards to some of the advice offered by Santana, according to The Globe. If he maintains that mindset and shows an ability to handle a major league workload, he could garner some attention in Spring Training.

The talent is there for Rodriguez to become a member of the Red Sox rotation in 2016 with the eventual upside of a number three starter.  However, as a young, left-hander for a team looking to make some noise in the playoffs in 2015, he could have significant worth as a late-inning option in the bullpen.  It’s more than likely that he’ll start the season in Triple-A, but with no certainty beyond Junichi Tazawa behind closer, Koji Uehara, the Red Sox may stick with the young lefty if he performs well during the rest of Spring.

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