Pittsburgh Pirates: Ranking the Prospects Acquired This Offseason

Sep 5, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Miguel Yajure (89) delivers in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Miguel Yajure (89) delivers in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
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Pittsburgh Pirates
PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 06: A general view of the field in the fifth inning during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on September 6, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Endy Rodriguez

The Pittsburgh Pirates finally got their potential catcher of the future. Endy Rodriguez was one of the New York Mets top prospects. They got involved as a third team in the Joe Musgrove deal. The switch hitting Rodriguez has hit well so far in his brief professional career.

In 265 plate appearances since the start of 2018, he has a .276/.389/.452 line, 20 doubles and .370 wOBA. Rodriguez has shown good patience at the plate. He’s walked at a 13.2% clip while putting up a strikeout rate of only 16.6%.

Rodriguez is also quite athletic for the position. He’s stole 6 bases in 8 attempts and has a 45-current speed grade. Although as he fills out, he may lose a step and is only seen as a 40-grade runner in the future. Still, MLB Pipeline describes him as an agile defender behind the dish. He has a 60-future fielding grade on FanGraphs. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but it still should be good enough to remain behind the dish with a 50-grade.

Not only is Rodriguez a good defender behind the dish, but he also brings defensive versatility at first base and both corner outfield spots. Rodriguez isn’t a big power hitter, but he still averaged a 90 MPH exit velocity and drives the gaps well.

Rodriguez also has an above average isolated slugging percentage of .176. He only has a 40-future game power/45-future raw power grade, but could add some bulk to his 6-foot, 170 LBS frame. According to MLB Pipeline, he has some good raw power from the left side of the dish which could translate into more home runs.

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