Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Endy Rodriguez Progressing Nicely

Switch hitting Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Endy Rodriguez has put together a strong 2021 season in which his bat has continued to progress

There has not been a lot of bright spots this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates on the big-league level. However, in the minor leagues there has been. A few of the guys on the lower levels have shown the organization that they could be part of the future going forward.

One of those players happens to be catching prospect, Endy Rodriguez. Rodriguez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 19th of this year from the New York Mets. This was part of a three-team trade that involved the Pirates, Mets and San Diego Padres.

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired the switch hitting Rodriguez in exchange for one the pieces the Mets received in the Joe Musgrove trade. This was of course left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi, who went to the Mets from the Padres.

Rodriguez was assigned immediately to the GCL Pirates once traded, but on May 1st, was reassigned to Low-A Bradenton. He made his debut with the Marauders on May 4th where he went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. He has not slowed down since.

This season with Bradenton, he is slashing an impressive .294/.384./.508 with an OPS of .893. He also has 14 homeruns on the year. His splits as a switch hitter show he has a lot power on the left side of the plate.

Of his 14 homeruns, 11 of them has been from the left side. As a left-handed batter he is slashing .286/.376/.497 with an OPS of .873 in 290 plate appearances. As a right-handed batter, he is slashing .328/.421./.563 with an OPS of .984 in 64 plate appearances. This to me shows he is a well-balanced switch hitter.

The switch hitter is very versatile on the field. His primary position is at catcher but can also play first base and the outfield. I could see him moving away from the catching position after this year because of all the additions to the position in the system and the need at other spots on the field.

I personally would like to see him primarily play first base going into the 2022 minor league season. There is not a lot of depth at first base in the farm and I believe this could help him progress quicker in the system. This year, he has played four games in left field, 17 games at first base, 51 games at catcher, and 21 games as the designated hitter.

In 16 of the past 18 games, Rodriguez has gotten at least one hit in each of those games. Seven of those were multi hits performances. He is really proving the Pittsburgh Pirates organization right in trading for the young prospect.

At only 21 years of age, Rodriguez is already considered the #19 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline. He started the year as the #23 prospect. If he continues to show a hot bat and perform down the stretch, I could see him moving up that list very soon. Look for Rodriguez to start out the 2022 season in High-A Greensboro. If he can continue to progress as the player the Pirates want him to be, he may even end up in Altoona.