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Paco Rodriguez

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"Steven Rodriguez" redirects here. For the infielder, seeSteve Rodriguez.For the rap artist, seeA$AP Yams.

Paco Rodriguez
Rodriguez with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Relief pitcher
Born:(1991-04-16)April 16, 1991(age 33)
Miami, Florida,U.S.
Batted:Left
Threw:Left
MLB debut
September 9, 2012, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
May 29, 2015, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record4–5
Earned run average2.53
Strikeouts91
Teams

Steven Francis "Paco" Rodríguez(born April 16, 1991) is an American formerprofessionalbaseballpitcher.Prior to playing professionally, Rodriguez attended theUniversity of Florida,where he playedcollege baseballfor theFlorida Gators.He played inMajor League Baseball(MLB) for theLos Angeles Dodgersfrom 2012 to 2015.

Amateur career

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Rodriguez is of Cuban descent. His parents met and married in Spain after defecting from their home country separately. They then moved to the Dominican Republic, Canada, and New Jersey before living in theMiami, Floridaarea, where their son was born on April 16, 1991.[1]Rodriguez has an older sister and a younger sister who graduated from Brown University.[2]He attendedGulliver Preparatory SchoolinMiami, Florida,[3]where he was named to Class 3A All-State and theMiami HeraldAll-Dade Team.[4]TheHouston Astrosselected Rodriguez in the 48th round of the2009 Major League Baseball Draftafter his high school graduation, but he did not sign.[5]

Rodriguez enrolled at theUniversity of Florida,in order to playcollege baseballfor theFlorida Gators baseballteam in theSoutheastern Conference(SEC). For the Gators, Rodriguez served as the team'scloser.[6]His careerearned run average(ERA) at Florida (2.19) in 86 appearances is the lowest since the introduction of aluminum bats in 1974. He was an All-SEC selection in 2012.[7]Rodriguez helped lead the Gators to theCollege World Seriesin three consecutive years.[5]

Professional career

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Los Angeles Dodgers

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TheLos Angeles Dodgersselected Rodriguez in the second round of the2012 Major League Baseball Draft.Draft experts suggested that he would be one of the first players from the draft to reach the majors.[8]After signing with the Dodgers, he was assigned to theGreat Lakes Loonsof theClass AMidwest League.[5]After six appearances with the Loons, he was promoted to theChattanooga Lookoutsof theClass AASouthern League,[9]where he pitched in 15 games with a 1.32 ERA.[10]

The Dodgers promoted Rodriguez to the major leagues on September 5, 2012,[10]and became the first 2012 draftee to reach the majors.[11]He made his debut in a game on September 9 against theSan Francisco Giantsand retired the one batter he faced.[2]He appeared in 11 games for the Dodgers in 2012, as a left-handed specialist, and allowed only one run to score in 6.2 innings.[12]

Rodriguez started the 2013 season on the Dodgers' major league roster. After a rocky April,[13]he became a trusted member of the Dodgers' bullpen,[14]though he faltered in September and October under the heavy workload of an MLB season.[13]From May through August, his ERA was 1.31 in 52 appearances.[13]His season totals were a record of 3-4 with a 2.32 ERA in 76 games.[13]

Rodriguez spent most of 2014 with the AAAAlbuquerque Isotopes,but had four separate brief stints with the Dodgers.[15]In July, Rodriguez strained an upper back muscle.[16]In 32 games with the Isotopes, he was 2–3 with a 4.40 ERA and in 19 games for the Dodgers, he was 1–0 with a 3.86 ERA.[17]

In May 2015, Rodriguez was added to the disabled list and underwent a bone spur removal surgery in July.[18]

Atlanta Braves

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On July 30, 2015, in a three-team trade, theAtlanta Bravesacquired Rodriguez,Héctor Olivera,minor league pitcher Zachary Bird, and a competitive balance draft pick for the2016 MLB Draft,while the Dodgers acquiredMat Latos,Michael Morse,Bronson Arroyo,Alex Wood,Jim Johnson,Luis Avilán,andJosé Peraza,and theMiami Marlinsacquired minor league pitchers Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham, and Kevin Guzman.[19]Though he was expected to recover sufficiently from multiple injuries by September and make his first appearances for the Braves, Rodriguez did not pitch at the major league level for the rest of the 2015 season, and underwentTommy John surgeryin September.[18]On December 2, 2016, Rodriguez and the Braves avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $637,500 contract for the 2017 season.[20]Rodriguez was released from his contract with the Braves on March 28, 2017.

Baltimore Orioles

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On July 10, 2017, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with theBaltimore Orioles.He made 9 appearances for the rookie–levelGulf Coast League Orioles,registering a 7.50 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 12.0 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.[21]

Minnesota Twins

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Rodriguez signed with theSugar Land Skeetersof theAtlantic League of Professional Baseballfor the 2018 season. After one appearance for the Skeeters he signed a minor league contract with theMinnesota Twins.[22]He was released by the organization on August 2, 2018.

Sugar Land Skeeters

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On August 10, 2018, Rodriguez re-signed with theSugar Land Skeetersof theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball.He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

San Diego Padres

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On February 18, 2019, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with theSan Diego Padres.[23]He became a free agent following the 2019 season.[24]

Pitching style

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Rodriguez has an unusual and deceptive delivery in which, from the batter's perspective, he hides the ball behind his head before slinging it towards the plate.[14]

References

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  1. ^Saxon, Mark (April 10, 2013)."Paco Rodriguez and Yasiel Puig on fast tracks".ESPN.com.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  2. ^abHernandez, Dylan (September 10, 2012)."Dodgers' Matt Kemp, who has hurt shoulder, aims to return Tuesday".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 10,2012.
  3. ^"Gulliver student-athletes are college-bound".Nl.newsbank.com. January 15, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  4. ^"Pair Of Drafted Gator Baseball Players To Return".WCTV. August 18, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  5. ^abcBernreuter, Hugh (July 7, 2012)."Los Angeles Dodgers assign second-round pick Steven Rodriguez to Great Lakes Loons roster".Booth Newspapers.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  6. ^"No 1 Florida has sights set on NCAA title this season".USA Today.February 16, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  7. ^"UF Baseball's Steven Rodriguez Signs With Los Angeles Dodgers".Gatorzone.com. July 5, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon October 16, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  8. ^"Path to Majors could be short for Rodriguez".MLB.com.June 19, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  9. ^Bernreuter, Hugh (September 6, 2012)."Los Angeles Dodgers promote former Great Lakes Loons reliever Steven Rodriguez".Booth Newspapers.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  10. ^abDilbeck, Steve (September 5, 2012)."Chad Billingsley's season ends; just-drafted Steven Rodriguez up".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  11. ^Angert, Alex (September 5, 2012)."Lefty Rodriguez is first 2012 draftee to reach bigs".MLB.com.RetrievedSeptember 5,2012.
  12. ^Dilbeck, Steve (October 28, 2012)."Daily Dodger in Review: The early promise of Paco Rodriguez".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  13. ^abcdDilbeck, Steve (November 26, 2013)."Daily Dodger in Review: Paco Rodriguez is brilliant until overuse".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  14. ^abDylan Hernandez,Dodgers reliever Paco Rodriguez continues to impress,Los Angeles Times,Published August 26, 2013, Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  15. ^"Paco Rodriguez 2014 Minor League Gamelogs & Splits - Baseball-Reference.com".Baseball-Reference.com.RetrievedJuly 30,2015.
  16. ^"Dodgers looking hard for another lefty".ESPN.com.September 13, 2014.RetrievedJuly 30,2015.
  17. ^Dilbeck, Steve (January 11, 2015)."Daily Dodger in Review: Paco Rodriguez takes a step back".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  18. ^abBowman, Mark (October 2, 2015)."Tommy John surgery for Braves' Rodriguez".MLB.com.RetrievedOctober 3,2015.
  19. ^Hoornstra, J.P. (July 30, 2015)."Dodgers get pitchers Mat Latos, Alex Wood in three-team deadline deal".San Gabriel Valley Tribune.RetrievedJuly 30,2015.
  20. ^Bowman, Mark (December 2, 2016)."Braves agree to deals with Recker, Rodriguez".MLB.com.RetrievedDecember 3,2016.
  21. ^"Minor League Free Agents 2017".baseballamerica.com.RetrievedJune 20,2023.
  22. ^"Twins Reportedly Sign Paco Rodriguez to Minors Deal".
  23. ^Eddy, Matt (February 26, 2019)."Minor League Transactions: Feb 16 - Feb 22".Baseball America.RetrievedMarch 6,2019.
  24. ^Matt Eddy (November 7, 2019)."Minor League Free Agents 2019".Baseball America.RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
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