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.