Pittsburgh Pirates: Endy Rodriguez Showing that Power Potential

The Pittsburgh Pirates have not had a catcher inside their top 30 prospect list in quite some time.  They acquired a catching prospect this offseason, and he is already showing why.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates made the Joe Musgrove trade, much was made of who they were getting back from the San Diego Padres.  The Padres have had one of the top-ranked farm systems in baseball for a few years now, so obviously they were an intriguing team to deal with.  The Bucs got three prospects back from the Padres including outfielder Hudson Head, left-handed pitcher Omar Cruz, and right-handed pitcher Drake Fellows.

The other piece the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired from the Padres was big-league pitcher Joey Lucchesi.  This was the key to the trade going through, as the Bucs then flipped Lucchesi to the New York Mets to complete what would then be a three-team trade.  Coming back from the Mets was catcher Endy Rodriguez.  Rodriguez very well may prove to be the best piece of the Joe Musgrove trade, and he is already showing why.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have their new top-catching prospect playing at Low-A Bradenton.  The 21-year-old switch hitter had never played in full-season ball with the Mets, so this would be a big test for the young catcher.  So far, he has looked right at home, posting really impressive offensive numbers from behind the dish.

Rodriguez smacked his sixth home run of the year in last night’s game against the Daytona Tortuga of the Reds.  This home run ties Rodriguez for the lead in the home runs in the Southeast League.  This should come as no surprise.  Ben Cherington has looked to add power into the system, and Rodriguez already looks like a true power threat.  Also, this homerun actually ties him with teammate Jase Bowen.

"Pittsburgh Pirates Endy Rodriguez- .273/.341/.518 in 110 at-bats"

However, he is not just hitting home runs.  Rodriguez is also in the top 15 in terms of slugging percentage.  Although it is not just about where he ranks in the Southeastern League.  Rodriguez is showing power through analytics as well.  So far in 2021, his ISO is at an outstanding .245.  Anything over .200 is really good projectable power.  He also has a positive wRC+ at 134 on the season.

A lot of people in Pittsburgh have wanted the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire a top-catching prospect.  While Rodriguez was a top 30 prospect, he was not considered to be a “can’t miss prospect” as so many wanted.  However, Ben Cherington has focused on acquiring young prospects who he believes could develop into top prospects eventually.  It looks like Rodriguez very well fits that mold.