Pirates A to Z: Outstanding season has turned Endy Rodriguez into club's hottest prospect

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Bryse Wilson.

Player: Endy Rodriguez

Position(s): Catcher/first base/second base/left field

Bats: Switch

Throws: Right

Age: 22 (May 26)

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 200 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: None.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: From the New York Mets in a three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego for RHPs David Bednar and Drake Fellows, LHP Omar Cruz and OF Hudson Head in January 2021.

This past season: Rodriguez turned in one of the best offensive seasons in baseball to earn the Honus Wager Award as the Pirates’ minor league player of the year and a spot on their 40-man roster.

“Everywhere he goes, his team wins.”

Endy Rodriguez is everybody’s next favorite player. pic.twitter.com/dVp5BnJs6c

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 17, 2022

Rodriguez led all Pirates minor leaguers in hits (148), extra-base hits (68), doubles (39), batting average (.323), on-base percentage (.407), slugging percentage (.590) and OPS (.996) and hit 25 home runs with 95 RBIs in 125 games across High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.

He attributed some of his success to adding 30 pounds of muscle since the trade through strength training and conditioning.

“I think it’s helped me a lot,” Rodriguez said last month through translator Melissa Rodriguez Strozza. “Aside from just helping me with power, I think the way I did it, it’s actually helping me stay healthy. It’s helped me be in control of my body. I think it’s helped a lot.”

His patience at the plate was evident, as Rodriguez drew 60 walks in 531 plate appearances, with a 19% strikeout rate.

“I think the first thing that helped me to be better in the whole year was to try to control the zone,” Rodriguez said. “When the season was younger, I swung a lot. So, I needed to be more focused and more calm.”

Rodriguez started strong in Greensboro, ranking second in the South Atlantic League in slugging (.544) and OPS (.936), seventh in batting (.302), fifth in OBP (.392) and tied for second in both doubles (23) and extra base hits (42) when he was promoted to Altoona on Aug. 9. Rodriguez was named the South Atlantic League’s most valuable player and best MLB prospect.

If Rodriguez’s 16 home runs and 55 RBIs in 88 games were helped by the notion that the Grasshoppers playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark, his success at Altoona was even more impressive.

Endy Rodriguez hit his first Triple-A home run last night! ???? pic.twitter.com/V8j3O3Nkrs

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) September 29, 2022

Rodriguez slashed .356/.442/.678 with 14 doubles, eight homers and 32 RBIs in 31 games before being promoted to Indianapolis in September, where he posted a .455 batting average (10 for 22) and 1.21 OPS with four extra-base hits and eight RBIs in six games.

Endy Rodriguez hit his first Triple-A home run last night! ???? pic.twitter.com/V8j3O3Nkrs

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) September 29, 2022

“From what we’ve seen, Endy’s put a lot together in professional baseball,” Pirates pitching prospect Quinn Priester said of his battery mate. “It’s really, really fun to watch him play. He was hitting .300 in Greensboro. He came up and didn’t miss a beat with us (in Double-A) and went to Triple-A and didn’t miss a beat there. I think everybody’s pretty excited for the things that Endy can do.”

By season’s end, Rodriguez had cracked the top-100 prospects lists of both Baseball America (95) and MLB Pipeline (97). Last week, Baseball America named Rodriguez the Pirates’ top prospect, supplanting fellow catcher Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. It’s not just the consistency of his bat that has captured the team’s attention.

“He’s a talented player. He’s also a really smart player,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “That’s one thing that we got back very quickly after we traded for him, even that first spring training from coaches being around him, that this kid really watches the game, sees the game, seems to have aptitude of the game, makes adjustments in the game. Sometimes, that helps guys make transitions more quickly as they move up because the game is not seemingly as fast for them maybe as it might be for others. It’s great to see him succeed. More than anything, just appreciate how focused he is pitch-to-pitch.”

Endy Rodriguez is going to be fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/FrbjEtBGbB

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 19, 2022

The future: Going into the Winter Meetings, Rodriguez was the only catcher on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.

Rodriguez will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster in spring training, and is expected to make his major league debut sometime next summer.

“I hope so,” Rodriguez said. “Stay healthy is the first thing. Make the same jump. So, just try to control the game, don’t let the game control me. Stay hot.”

The question is which position he will play. Rodriguez played 51 games at catcher, 15 at second base, 13 in left field and three at first base in Greensboro; 21 games at catcher and two at second base in Altoona; and three games at catcher and two at second base in Indianapolis.

“When you see Endy Rodriguez, catch a game, play a game at first (base), play a game at left field,” Pirates farm director John Baker said, “and then wear me out that he’s the best second baseman that we have in the organization, he should play second, too.”

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

Rodriguez sees himself as a catcher first and foremost but is open and willing to play wherever the Pirates want and need him.

“I actually feel fairly comfortable at a variety of positions,” Rodriguez said. “I think that dates back to when I was younger. I had a manager here in the Dominican Republic who said to me, ‘Listen, you’re a pretty athletic guy. You should be open to going wherever you can be needed, whether that’s practicing or when you have the chance. Why don’t you stop and watch other people practicing at different positions and take from that what you can?’ I think just going back to that, I always had that open mind to play different positions.

“I think if I had to say where I’m most valuable, it’s definitely catching. I think it just comes down to something simple as I don’t let the game speed up on me. I think the game can speed up on you and get complicated, but I think I’m very good at staying calm and staying in control.”