Indians Top 100 Prospects: #24 Josh Rodriguez

24. Josh Rodriguez - Shortstop/Second Baseman
Born: 12/18/1984 - Height: 6'0" - Weight: 185 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2006	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	45	157	26	42	11	4	4	24	14	33	2	.268	.337	.465	.802
2007	22	Kinston	A+	133	493	84	129	20	9	20	82	68	95	21	.262	.351	.460	.811
2008	23	Akron	AA	137	532	75	128	22	10	7	49	77	122	12	.241	.335	.359	.694
		Career		315	1182	185	299	53	23	31	155	159	250	35	.253	.342	.415	.757

History:  Rodriguez was a 2nd round pick in the 2006 Draft out of Rice University.  Going into his draft year, he was considered the top shortstop available in preseason draft rankings, but his draft stock plummeted somewhat when he suffered a serious elbow injury in the fall of 2005. The injury limited Rodriguez to designated hitter duty for most of the 2006 season at Rice, and when he returned to the field late in the year he was moved to third base so he would not have to make any long relay throws which could further damage the tendon in his elbow.  His nine triples at advanced Single-A Kinston in 2007 tied a franchise record, and is he one of only two players in Kinston history to put up at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season (Jon Nunnally). 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Rodriguez is a patient hitter with gap power who drives the ball well, has some thunder in his bat, and is a great athlete with a knack for hitting.  He has great elements of a really good hitter and has done a really good job with his routine work and preparing himself.  The raw power is there, even though it did not show in his numbers last season.  The ball jumps off his bat, and he has the potential to be a middle of the diamond 20-20 (HR-SB) player in the major leagues eventually.  He drives the ball out of the park to all fields, and actually most of his power comes to right and right-center.  He is not big, but he has above average bat speed and is an extra base hit machine with the ability to stuff a stat sheet.  The Indians have challenged him to get on-base more, and he did that in walking 77 times last season, although his batting average suffered and he struck out more. 

Rodriguez has an excellent throwing arm, and is versatile enough to play anywhere in the infield and even some outfield.  He has impressed scouts with his defensive abilities, showing good projection as a quality defensive infielder in the majors with plus arm strength and good lateral range to his left and right. While he is a very good shortstop, some feel he would become a better prospect at second base because of his dynamite bat, strong arm and range.  The Indians like his play at shortstop, but to improve his versatility started to play him a lot more at second base where he practically split the season between shortstop (74 games) and second base (62 games) at Double-A Akron last season.  By the conclusion of last season, he graded out as an above average defender at second base and at least an average defender at shortstop with power and the ability to steal a base.  He is still learning the intricacies of playing second base and has some experience playing there before as he played a lot of second base his first two years at college before moving over to short his junior year, and the more he plays at second base the more natural he becomes.  He has the ability to be an everyday major league shortstop or second baseman, and at a minimum the Indians know he has the athleticism and the bat to one day help a major league team as a super utility player. 

Rodriguez has been a very streaky hitter in his three years in the Indians organization.  Last season, after a solid first half showing where he hit .266 with 6 HR, 41 RBI and a .757 OPS in 94 games before the All Star break, he slipped considerably in 43 games after the break where he hit .183 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, and a .551 OPS.  His swing is a work in progress, and the inconsistency with it has been a big reason for his up and down performance at the plate.  He has made some adjustments at the plate to avoid being so pull conscious by shortening his swing and using the entire field, and he has loosened his hands and started working from the top of the ball down instead of from the bottom of the ball up.  That said, he is still having some trouble finding the proper timing and amount of load in his swing so he can see a ball out of a pitcher's hand a little better.  He is still learning, and he needs to continue to maintain his revamped approach of being shorter to the ball and getting on top of the ball. He still needs more work on recognizing pitches and being more efficient as a situational hitter.  Also, if he ends up a utility player, he needs to be able to show the ability to handle third base in spot duty which is a position he has had some experience playing in the past. 

Outlook:  Whether he remains at shortstop or moves to second base, Rodriguez fills a position of great need in the Indians system.  His subpar performance in 2008 was disappointing considering the Indians need for quality middle infielders, particularly in the upper levels of the system.  Still, he profiles as a very good super utility option for the Indians to use perhaps sometime in 2010.  It remains to be seen where he opens the season, but given some of the Indians acquisitions over the winter with Luis Valbuena who seems slotted to play second base at Triple-A Columbus to start the season along with a long list of veteran shortstops they have signed, it appears Rodriguez will open the 2009 season by returning to Double-A Akron as the everyday second baseman.  He should still get considerable time at Triple-A Columbus. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr 

Josh Rodriguez MinorLeagueBaseball.com stats page 

Josh Rodriguez Baseball-Reference page 

Josh Rodriguez MinorLeagueSplits.com page 

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