Grayson Rodriguez
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| Photo by Joey Gardner- Foto Joe |
Bio:
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Left/Right
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Draft Profile: 1st Round, 11th pick of 2018 draft by Baltimore
Drafted Out of: Central Heights High School (Nacogdoches, TX)
Career Stat Line: 272.1 IP 24-8 W/L 2.35 ERA 390: 84 K: BB .171 AVG Against 0.91 WHIP
Hailing from the fourth largest city in the United States is this week's featured minor leaguer, a personal favorite of mine: Grayson Rodriguez of the Baltimore Orioles. Growing up in Texas, Grayson developed a love for deer hunting and the Texans in addition to baseball. His career in the public spotlight began at Central Heights High in Nacogdoches.
The Blue Devils ace and shortstop was named first team all-state during his sophomore year, but exploded onto the scene as a junior. Posting a 14-1 record with 178 K's and a 0.38 ERA while batting a stout .511/11/53 justifiably earned Rodriguez the Texas Player of the Year award. And his encore performance? An 11-0 senior season with a 0.19 ERA and 156 K's, batting line of .479/9/49 and a repeat Texas Player of the Year (Per Txhighschoolbaseball). The statistics and accomplishments understandably led to a wave of hype behind the large-framed prep baller, ultimately resulting in him committing to be a Texas A&M Aggie after graduating high school in 2018.
Apparently the Orioles were aboard the hype train behind Rodriguez, as they selected him with the 11th pick in the 2018 MLB draft. Despite being slotted much later in the first round, Baltimore felt confident over-drafting the young Texan with his strong resume, ideal size and a nasty projected four-pitch repertoire- featuring a fastball that could touch 96 and a plus curveball. G-Rod and the Birds agreed to terms and signed him to a $4.3 million dollar signing bonus.
After a short stint in the GCL, the first round pick was assigned to the Delmarva Shorebirds for the 2019 season. Rodriguez was arguably the top pitcher in the South Atlantic League, going 10-4 with a 2.68 ERA and 129 K's. His resume earned him the right to represent Baltimore in the 2019 Future's Game, where he threw a perfect inning. Getting to watch him pitch six times in Delmarva was a treat- he was an electric talent; an intimidating presence on the mound who was noticeably a level above most of the competition. It was no coincidence that this Shorebirds team had the best winning percentage in all of baseball.
Grayson, who had ascended to the top of the Orioles prospects list, was assigned to the taxi squad during the shortened COVID season in 2020, allowing him to not waste a critical developmental season like so many other minor leaguers. The work he put in during this time was put on display for the Aberdeen Ironbirds and Bowie Baysox in 2021, where he posted a combined 9-1 record with a 2.36 ERA and 161 K's over 123 innings (Baltimore Sun). G-Rod's quick climb up the minor leagues was incredibly encouraging for a franchise so deprived of legitimate pitching prospects for so long.
Rodriguez's strong work ethic has continued to pay dividends as he has dominantly navigated through the 2022 season. As a member of AAA Norfolk, the Orioles #2 prospect has posted a 5-1 record with a 2.09 ERA and 1.42 K/inning through 11 starts, highlighted by a 7 inning, 2-hit and 10 K performance on May 27th. His MLB debut appeared to be approaching, even with the Orioles starting pitchers' surprising competence this season, but unfortunately suffered a grade two lat strain during the sixth inning of a June 1st start and has been shut down for an undetermined period of time. Fingers crossed for a speedy and full recovery, whether it be this year or by the beginning of 2023 so he can fulfill his potential as a foundational piece of this (hopeful) Baltimore rebuild.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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