Francisco Rodriguez

[Rambis35]

Francisco Rodriguez has definitely looked good for the Angels, and seeing as he's only 20, I think he has a great future in front of him. I've heard Scioscia and others hint at him being a closer someday. I agree that he could be dominant there. And I also think that as long as the Angels have a strong rotation, he is better off in the bullpen, where he has been very effective. But if he has all this talent, wouldn't you want to consider him as a starter? The comparison has been made to Mariano Rivera, but there are some differences. First of all, Rivera had only a fastball at first, and now only has a fastball and cutter. I haven't seen enough of Rodriguez, but he seems to mixing in some pitches with decent movement on them. Also, Rivera did start early in his career. I remember he always looked good for a few innings, and then struggled around the 4th, 5th, 6th innings. Now some guys are more effective pitching an inning or two, just throwing hard, and never seeing a hitter twice in a game. Maybe Rodriguez will end up in that role. But if you have a young hard-thrower, you'd think he should get at least a shot in the rotation.

Does anyone have any other thoughts on this? Should he be a starter? Will he ever be one? Does anyone know what his role was in the minors? Just wondering, his situation has crossed my mind since I saw him pitch.

[moose]

he's being used to get out of tough jams - which is really the most effective use of ANY reliever. looks like the angels have a yanks in 96 -esque 2 reliever situation.

[sweaver]

Guys his age have a tendency to break down. Could he start? Maybe, he's got electric stuff. Should he start? Might be too much work at a young age. Setup is a good place for him for a year or two.

[JamesI]

Did he start in the minors? If not, its probably best not to throw him into that role. Lets him get some time in the majors before thinking about starting him. If his arm holds, he could be great.

[SmedIndy]

Let's see how he reacts to failure. I firmly believe that's the sign of true greatness.

[spitball]

He was in the minors between AA and AAA .
I was really surprised as were many when he was called up.
Then I saw him pitch.....he's the real deal. And the cool thing is, Scioscia and Black won't rush him .
His slider is deadly when his release point is there and his fastball.........DAMN!!!
But smed is right. Let's see him fail and monitor how he handles it. Just make it next year.

[gyb13]

With Salt Lake (AAA from 6/14 to 9/2):
27 G, 23 GF, 2-3, 6 SV, 2.57 ERA, 42 IP, 30 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 59 SO, .204 OAVG

With Arkansas (AA from 4/5 to 6/12):
23 G, 16 GF, 3-3, 9 SV, 1.96 ERA, 41.1 IP, 32 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 15 BB, 61 SO, .206 OAVG

so in the minors this season, a combined:
50 G, 39 GF, 5-6, 15 SV, 2.27 ERA, 83.1 IP, 62 H, 26 R, 21 ER, 3 HR, 28 BB, 120 SO, .205 OAVG

[poorme]

here's a BA article about him

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...uez100902.html

The world is as full of one hit wonders as long term successes. Probably more so.

Here in Cleveland, we bop to a poppin' little ditty with a chorus that resonates with the deep baritones of Jaret Wright.

[Rambis35]

Thanks for the Baseball America link. I would say he's obviously better off in the bullpen after reading that. He hasn't been around long enough to know if he's for real, but Rodriguez/Percival could end up being like Rivera/Wetteland was a few years ago.

[KCBOOMER]

With Latin players you always wonder how old are they really.

[gyb13]

from Espn:
He grew up so poor in Venezuela that he says he didn't receive his first glove until his fourth year playing baseball as a kid. His parents separated when he was a few months old and he was raised by his grandmother. He has 13 siblings. He says he doesn't think his birth parents even know he's in the majors. "They didn't care about me and I don't care about them."

Well, they tried him out as a starter in the minors. However, he wasnt as effective and would get injured a bit. His fastball would be around 88-92. Definitely not what he is capable of throwing But he has definitely found his niche in the bullpen. He has future closer written all over him. Now you see him throwing in the upper 90's with a wicked slider. Great looking relief prospect.

[gyb13]

by the way, welcome cndncrippler1! head on over to the icebreakers forum and introduce yourself. happy posting!

[poorme]

he looks like a major arm injury waiting to happen. you know when you see a scouting report that says, "smooth arm action, easy delivery.." well this guy has just the opposite.