Few fans had heard of Carlos Rodriguez when the 24-year-old signed a MLB deal with the Atlanta Braves this past offseason. The outfielder had become a minor league free agent after spending eight years in the Brewers organization without reaching the majors. The Braves signing him to an MLB contract was surprising as well, considering he had never even been on a 40-man roster before.
However, three months into the MiLB season, Rodriguez has put together a season worth a shot in the bigs, especially on a team whose outfield offense has struggled.
Carlos Rodriguez could be the spark the Braves need in the outfield
Rodriguez, a 25-year-old left-handed outfielder, is not a big prospect. He barely cracked MLB Pipeline's top 30 Braves prospects, coming in as the 30th-best prospect.
The 24-year-old has a decent hit tool and is above-average in speed and fielding, according to the ranks, but severely lacks power. In seven minor league seasons, the lefty has only hit 16 homers, with his career-high coming last year at four homers.
However, this year, Rodriguez has done a very good job getting on base. His contact approach has led to him hitting .300 in Gwinnett this season, and he's shown decent patience, walking 8.8% of the time. Between both AA and AAA, Rodriguez has slashed .307/.369/.357 with a 106 wRC+.
Rodriguez will, by no means, completely transform the Braves offense, however is bat does warrant at least a look. Braves outfielders not named Ronald Acuña Jr. all have a OBP under .305, with Alex Verdugo leading the bunch. Michael Harris II, Eli White, and Alex Verdugo have also lacked in the power department. Eli White's 84 wRC+ is the highest of the trio that is still getting playing time. White's also been forced into a platoon that has not worked for him.
If Brian Snitker insists on starting a lefty in left field against righties, Rodriguez has the potential to offer a higher OBP than Verdugo, while also being much better defensively and on the base paths.
With the offense stumbling aside from Acuña and Olson, it might just be time to shake things up.