Richard Rodríguez Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 4" / 220 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 3/4/1990 (33)
- Experience
- 3
- College
- None
Richard Rodríguez Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Richard Rodríguez News
The Miami Marlins agreed with free-agent right-hander Richard Rodriguez on a minor-league deal on Tuesday that includes a non-roster invite to major-league spring training. Rodriguez is trying to make an MLB comeback after serving an 80-game suspension in 2022 for performance-enhancing drugs. The 32-year-old Dominican had a nice 2.94 ERA (4.04 FIP), 0.93 WHIP, career-high 14 saves, 10 walks and 42 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings over 64 relief appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves in 2021. All 14 of his saves came with the Pirates. At Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the New York Yankees organization last year, Rodriguez had a 3.86 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes for now.
The MLB has suspended three current free agents for PED violations. Relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez, outfielder Danny Santana and infielder Jose Rondon will all be serving 80-game suspensions after they land with a club. Rodriguez is the most notable name of the trio. The 32-year-old was the Pittsburgh Pirates' primary closer in 2021 before a trade sent him to the Atlanta Braves. He had a solid 2021 campaign overall, pitching to a 2.94 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Santana, meanwhile, played in 38 games for the Boston Red Sox last year and struggled to the tune of a .181/.252/.345 slash line and Rondon appeared in 63 games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, hitting .263/.322/.413.
The Atlanta Braves have opted not to tender contracts to three players, including relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez and utilityman Johan Camargo. Jasseel De La Cruz will also be looking to link up with a new team. Rodriguez is the most notable name of the bunch, as he pitched to a 2.94 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 14 saves for the Pirates and Braves in 2021. Acquired via trade on June 30, he was expected to fortify the Atlanta pen, but he was left off the postseason roster, and now is back on the open market. Camargo has been with Atlanta for five seasons, posting a career .738 OPS with 34 home runs while playing all over the diamond.
Batting Order
| 1 | Jorge Soler |
| 2 | Josh Bell |
| 3 | Jake Burger |
| 4 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. |
| 5 | Bryan De La Cruz |
| 6 | Jesús Sánchez |
| 7 | Jon Berti |
| 8 | Jacob Stallings |
| 9 | Xavier Edwards |
Richard Rodríguez Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
| 1 | Jorge Soler |
| 2 | Josh Bell |
| 3 | Jake Burger |
| 4 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. |
| 5 | Bryan De La Cruz |
| 6 | Jesús Sánchez |
| 7 | Jon Berti |
| 8 | Jacob Stallings |
| 9 | Xavier Edwards |
After Keone Kela was sidelined by right forearm inflammation in late August of 2020, Richard Rodriguez took over the Pirates' closer role. Rodriguez posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and a 34:5 K:BB, to go with four saves in five attempts in 23 1/3 innings pitched. With Kela now on the Padres, Rodriguez becomes the presumptive Pittsburgh closer heading into the 2021 season. Looking at his pitching metrics, Rodriguez should outperform his ADP of 217. While his 2020 overall exit velocity of 91.8 mph and overall hard-hit rate of 51% are frightening (and were in the bottom 3% of all of MLB in 2020), his other metrics served to counter those hellish numbers. First, as a result of his greater reliance on the use of his slider, Rodriguez posted an elite strikeout rate (36.6%) and an elite whiff rate which were, respectively, in the top 4% and 8% in all of MLB. Additionally, his flyball rate was well below the MLB average and served to minimize potential home runs. Rodriguez also effectively limited baserunners with a superb walk rate of 5.4% (13th percentile of all of MLB). He also posted a wOBA of .234 and was effective against left-handed hitters (0.71 WHIP and 20:3 K:BB in 12 2/3 IP) which helped limit damage against him. If Rodriguez continues to utilize his slider more frequently, his strikeout and whiff rates should hold in 2021. Additionally, there is room for improvement if Rodriguez's hard-hit rate and overall exit velocity regress closer to his career averages. All signs point to a repeat, if not more, for Rodriguez in 2021. As Pirates closer, he has the potential to return great ratios, strikeouts, and anywhere from 20-25 saves in the later rounds, unless he is dealt by the Pirates around the trade deadline which could limit those save totals.
