Rodriguez may have signed for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic back in April, but by the time Dominican Summer League play began two months later, he was already looking like a potentially major addition as part of St. Louis’ 2024 international class. The 17-year-old backstop was named a DSL midseason All-Star in late July and won the circuit’s Player of the Month Award the same month after he slashed .404/.492/.962 with eight homers in 15 games. By Aug. 9, he had collected 10 total homers in the circuit; no other catcher in the DSL had hit more than four.
It’s that power that has caught the attention of many in the St. Louis organization and across the industry. Measuring in at 5-foot-10, Rodriguez isn’t a commanding presence in the box, but he has shown the right blend of strength, lift and ability to pull the ball to get his ample raw power to play in games at such a young age. While he’s walked more than he’s struck out against DSL arms in the early going, he still faces some questions how he’ll handle the secondaries of more advanced pitchers when he heads stateside.
The bat is going to be the carrying tool for Rodriguez because he’s still very much a work-in-progress behind the plate, and his development back there could be an early deciding factor in how aggressive St. Louis is willing to get. Leonardo Bernal jumped from the DSL straight to Single-A in 2022 but was more advanced defensively. The Cardinals might be willing to be more patient and let Rodriguez become a more well-rounded player before they give his power bigger tests.
