Atlanta Braves Newcomer: Ricardo Rodriguez, Young Backstop
Apr 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; The glove of Boston Red Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski (40) on the field prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
New Atlanta Braves Catcher Ricardo Rodriguez
Who Is He?
Ricardo Rodriguez was signed in the July 2 class of 2014 as the best “true” catcher in his international signing class out of Venezuela. Ben Badler of Baseball America cited reports that Rodriguez really didn’t have any standout tools individually defensively, but the entire package was very solid, and he would have a long career at least in the minor leagues behind the plate due to his ability to do everything required of a catcher.
Rodriguez is 5’10 and listed at 180, and from all reports, his frame likely won’t hold much more “good” weight. His bat was his questionable attribute in his signing, with Badler stating in his initial write up that he would likely end up a bottom of the order hitter that had a chance to be a contact-only hitter, but likely wouldn’t develop much in the way of power, and his pitch recognition currently had work to do.
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The Padres started Rodriguez in the Dominican Summer League after having him spend time in their complex in Arizona for much of the spring and early summer. In 30 games and 122 plate appearances, he posted an offensive line of .266/.336/.376 with 6 doubles and 2 home runs to go along with an 8/13 BB/K. As is the case in the DSL, runners ran wild, so there were a ton of stolen base attempts on Rodriguez, so looking purely at his caught stealing rate is misleading, but he did display above average rankings in measurables like range factor against his peers, but also keep in mind that he was expected to be more polished behind the plate than his peers. He did have a bugaboo with passed balls, collecting 11 on the season.
Rodriguez’s 2016 Outlook
The Braves also had a tremendous catcher on their DSL team this year by the name of William Contreras, and he is basically everything that Rodriguez is not – offensively led, big arm, athletic, but not polished. They are both from Venezuela, and based on the amount of catchers the Braves drafted and signed in 2015, it may not be the worst idea to pair these two together along the way, working them in the DSL again in 2016 together before moving them stateside in 2017.
Long-term, the Braves acquired a depth catching piece, but one who has the upside to become a guy who is considered more of a “natural” catcher at the position. I’m eager to see some game footage of him after seeing some of his workout videos where he has a very calm, smooth swing, but one that definitely is more line-drive oriented and understandably likely won’t generate a ton of future power.