ALTOONA, Pa. – Endy Rodriguez is Blake Sabol’s “jugador favorito.”
Sabol calls his fellow Altoona catcher his favorite player in Spanish, whenever he sees Rodriguez.
Rodriguez responds in English: “Sabol, my favorite player!”
On Sunday, August 14, Sabol was batting behind Rodriguez in the order against Bimghampton. In the fourth inning, the power hitting Sabol crushed his 13th homer of the year.
Rodriguez was 0-for-2, with two hard fly outs to center field heading into his at-bat in the fifth.
“I said ‘Jugador favorito, what happened to your power, man, come on?’” Sabol recalled saying to Rodriguez before his next at-bat.
“I got you!” Rodriguez responded.
And as Rodriguez was crossing home plate after hitting his second home run in response, he greeted Sabol enthusiastically.
“There you go my favorite player!”
*****
The energy from Endy Rodriguez is rare.
He’s a 22-year-old prospect in Double-A, which isn’t a rare assignment.
Rodriguez was acquired by the Pirates as part of the Joe Musgrove trade. The Pirates added left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi from the Padres, then flipped him to the Mets to bring in Rodriguez. At the time, the catching depth in the system was non-existent.
The Pirates have since added several other catchers, including 2021 first overall pick Henry Davis. The possibility of a power hitting MLB catcher is what has people projecting Davis as the catcher in the future in Pittsburgh. It’s also a big reason why Endy Rodriguez spent the first half of the season learning other defensive positions.
Rodriguez is very athletic, and can play all over the field. When he’s not catching, he has gotten work at second base, left field, first base, and time as a designated hitter. The Pirates removed the other positions once Davis was promoted from Greensboro, putting Rodriguez behind the plate more, and limiting his other work to second base. He responded with a massive increase in production at the plate, hitting for a 1.262 OPS in July, and getting a promotion to Double-A.
The skills behind the plate improved as well. I was able to see that in Altoona, with his overall skills really highlighted in this at-bat, where he managed the running game perfectly.
Outstanding job here by #Pirates catching prospect Endy Rodriguez to hold and then throw out a base runner in a tie game in the 9th inning. pic.twitter.com/ourtfFQup6
— Tim Williams (@TimWilliamsP2) August 19, 2022
The first pitch was outside, and Rodriguez casually reaches out and grabs it, with an instant look around to the runner.
The second pitch was high and outside to avoid a bunt. Rodriguez jumped to grab it, and before his feet had landed, he already had checked the runner back to first.
On the third pitch, the runner took off. Rodriguez took the pitchout with the runner halfway down the line, and erased the runner by a step with a seamless transition and a strong, accurate throw.
His transitions on his throws are smooth and effortless. His entire defensive game looks effortless. That is even true at second base. Last Friday I saw Rodriguez getting footwork tips from Altoona coach Blake Butler, prior to his first start at second in Double-A.
Endy Rodriguez getting work at second base today. He starts there tonight for the first time for Altoona, batting third. #Pirates pic.twitter.com/48enJknY2m
— Tim Williams (@TimWilliamsP2) August 19, 2022
Rodriguez could play second base one day in the majors. It’s more likely that he plays catcher. The most controversial part of that statement is simply that he doesn’t project to have the offensive impact of Davis. I don’t think that really matters when Rodriguez is far ahead of Davis defensively. I also don’t think Rodriguez will struggle offensively.
*****
When you see a young kid like that, I go ‘Man, he’s going to be the next one.’ He’s Major League ready. He owns the zone. He controls the zone really, really well for a young kid. He’s 22 years old. He controls the zone. And when he gets his pitch, he turns it loose. And he does it from both sides of the plate. That’s special. He’s an athlete.
-Altoona hitting coach Jon Nunnally on Endy Rodriguez
Pitchers aren’t attacking Endy Rodriguez with fastballs anymore.
“Last week, they attacked me with slider, changeup, fastball up and in,” said Rodriguez of his debut in Altoona. “Now? I don’t see any fastball. Just changeup, changeup.”
The new approach hasn’t helped opposing pitchers.
Rodriguez is currently riding a nine game hitting streak in Altoona, hitting in every game at the new level. He says that the level is going to be hard, but he hasn’t shown that to be the case.
As of this writing, Rodriguez has a .371/.450/.657 line with two homers at the level.
If you want a reason why this offense might be legit, just follow the eyes.
The biggest thing I noticed from Rodriguez was how well he tracks the baseball. In the photo above, he’s taking a pitch low for a ball, but his eyes follow the pitch the entire time.
The entire time.
“In my mind, I always have to be ready,” said Rodriguez through a translator. “It doesn’t matter if I’m good. I’m ready. That’s always on my mind. I’m just ready for whatever comes.”
You can see that “always-ready” awareness on both sides of the ball. Pitchers can’t get him out. He’s caught 40% of base runners behind the plate.
While I was talking with Altoona hitting coach Jon Nunnally in the dugout, Rodriguez walked by to take the field.
We both felt the need to stop the conversation and comment on how good Rodriguez was. After Nunnally pointed him out, I brought up how well Rodriguez tracks the ball. Nunnally, a former big league hitter who has played with Ken Griffey Jr., and who considers Ken Griffey Sr. a father figure, agreed.
“When you see a young kid like that, I go ‘Man, he’s going to be the next one,'” said Nunnally. “He’s Major League ready. He owns the zone. He controls the zone really, really well for a young kid. He’s 22 years old. He controls the zone. And when he gets his pitch, he turns it loose. And he does it from both sides of the plate. That’s special. He’s an athlete.”
The Pirates aren’t going to rush Endy Rodriguez to the majors just yet.
I don’t think he’s as far away as you would imagine.
*****
What I find most impressive about Rodriguez is how he simply can’t be overwhelmed.
The Pirates gave him a plethora of defensive positions to learn this year, and that overload led to him struggling at the plate for exactly one month this season. He rebounded in May, hitting for a .961 OPS.
Most catchers struggle offensively just with the pressure of learning the defensive side of the game. Not only is Rodriguez learning the defense, but he’s learning a lot of other things.
Rodriguez has gotten better as the season has gone on, and as he’s had less to focus on.
He’s a guy who will constantly push himself. In the times I’ve talked with him, he’s had a translator, but prefers to answer in English. On top of everything else that he’s pushing himself to do on the field, Rodriguez is pushing himself off the field with his communication — which is important for a catcher to communicate with all of his pitchers.
As you’d expect, he’s great at this, too.
The biggest thing that stands out to me about Rodriguez is that I don’t think there’s anything he can’t learn.
“Whatever I need to learn, if I see it, I can learn it,” said Rodriguez.
He says that he learns while watching others.
The irony of that is that I watched everyone on the field in Altoona, and there wasn’t another player like Endy Rodriguez.
At a certain point, the talent is just natural.
That natural talent is probably going to make Rodriguez “el jugador favorito” for many fans in Pittsburgh in the future.
That future might not be far away, and my prediction is that it will include Rodriguez behind the plate for the Pirates.
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
Endy Rodriguez is Looking Like the Best Prospect in the Pirates System
Liover Peguero Needs to Control His Talent
Jon Nunnally Discusses the Hitting Development Approach in Altoona
Why is Nick Gonzales Struggling to Make Contact?
Blake Sabol: A Prospect Development Story
Aaron Shackelford: “It’s definitely been a growing season, mentally”
