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Grayson Rodriguez
Born: 11/16/1999 (Age: 19) |
| Bats: Left |
Throws: Right |
| Height: 6' 5" |
Weight: 220 |
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| Big and fully developed frame. Substantial leg kick out of windup with moderate tempo motion. High three-quarters arm slot, bordering on overhand. Medium effort in delivery. Generates substantial plane with armslot, extension, and size. Did not appear to be fully comfortable in stretch, and velocity was down from there. Was clustering his offspeed pitches in particular innings. |
| Jarrett Seidler |
| 07/02/2019 |
| Delmarva Shorebirds (Low A, Orioles) |
| 7/1/2019 |
| 60 |
| 2022 |
| No |
| Fastball |
60 |
91-96 |
96 |
Sat 95-96 in the first inning, but never hit 96 again after, and pitched much of the game 92-94. Generates big plane and has some natural cut. He was able to get it past most of the hitters in the Lakewood lineup. Had the best command of any of his offerings, but he's still going to have to improve. Although he probably doesn't have a ton of physical projectability left, wouldn't be surprised if he could be more consistently towards the top of this band or even higher with further development. |
| Slider |
60 |
80-83 |
84 |
Didn't have feel for the pitch at all in the first inning, when he mostly leaned on his curveball, but unleashed it with full force in the second inning, and then sporadically through the rest of the game. Big, sweeping break, and more of a classic slider than the hard, cutter-like "Warthen slider" that many hard-throwers have adopted. This is a potential plus, swing-and-miss offering if he can refine and gain greater command of it. |
| Curveball |
55 |
76-78 |
79 |
Pitch has plus potential on its own, but I am downgrading it a half-grade because it ran together some with the slider, which I think is probably a better pitch. Classic 11-to-5 two plane break when it was right. Didn't have stellar command of the pitch, and hung a few. |
| Changeup |
50 |
80-81 |
81 |
Rodriguez worked this pitch in the third inning and beyond as an offering to get through the order the second and third times. It works as a change of pace in that it's broadly in the same velocity band as the breaking balls, and runs the opposite way of the rest of his arsenal. It's a bit firm, and nothing to write home about, but as a third or fourth offering it'll do. |
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Rodriguez is the prototype for a Texas prep pitcher drafted in the top half of the first round: big, hard-throwing, and somewhat unpolished. He needs to gain command and consistency, especially out of the stretch. His breaking balls are also running together, and I expect that he'll either need to create greater separation between the pitches or he'll be best off scrapping one. Overall, Rodriguez is one of the better A-ball pitching prospects in the game, despite high risk factors that are typical for the cohort. Reasonable outcomes here include a no. 3 starter or late-inning reliever if everything pulls together.
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