Angels: Rodriguez could end up as a starter or reliever.
As Chris Rodriguez continues to evolve into a bigleague pitcher, he is continuing to show manager Joe Maddon that he could go in a couple of directions with his career.
Maddon said in spring training that Rodriguez looked more like a reliever than a starter, not just in the short-term, but the long term. However, Maddon now says he’s changed his opinion.
“I didn’t know enough,” Maddon said before the Angels played the Astros in Houston on Thursday night. “Now watching him pitch with the changeup, that adds another layer to him. The way he goes out there and competes and is a strike-thrower, he can get quick outs just by challenging with the fastball and having them beat it into the ground. It’s not impossible to see him being a frontline starter, too.”
Moving to the rotation would likely be something that would happen in a future season, though.
And in the short term, Maddon said he can see Rodriguez going the other direction, moving more toward the back end of the bullpen. So far the Angels have used him as a multiinning, middle reliever, and they’ve given him three or four days off after each 30to 40-pitch outing.
But Maddon said Rodriguez could evolve into a pitcher who works more often, in shorter stints, holding leads in the seventh or eighth inning.
“You trust the guy,” Maddon said. “You trust that the stuff is going to be there. You trust that he’s going to throw a strike . ... Hitters don’t like him. They don’t see him really well. and they don’t react well to him.”
All of this is quite unexpected for a 22-year-old who had pitched a total of 9-1/3 innings in regular-season games over the previous three years. He missed almost all of 2018 and 2019 because of a back issue that eventually required surgery, and the pandemic wiped out 2020 for minor leagues.
While he was pitching at the Angels’ alternate site in Long Beach last year, though, he developed the two-seam fastball that has become his signature pitch. It averages 96.6 mph and runs an average of 18.6 inches horizontally, which is the most of any pitcher who has thrown at least 50 two-seamers this season.
The book on Rodriguez in the spring was that he just threw the two-seamer and a slider, however he also throws a curve and a changeup.
“For me, I’d like to perfect all four pitches if I can,” Rodriguez said. “However, one at a time is enough. I’m working on it. Hopefully I won’t even need four pitches (as a reliever). Down the road, if I’m a starter, Godwilling, then yeah hopefully all four are there and I can go deep into a game.”
What Rodriguez has right now has helped him to a 3.48 ERA through his first five big-league games and 10-1/3 innings. Two of the four earned runs he’s allowed were charged to him after he was out of the game.
“Every single game you kind of gain comfort,” Rodriguez said. “You learn more about your stuff. I’m starting to gain more knowledge and I expect to gain more knowledge as we continue moving forward.”
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Third baseman Anthony Rendon (left groin strain), catcher Max Stassi (left thumb sprain) and outfielder Juan Lagares (left calf strain) all traveled with the team to Houston, indicating that they could be ready to be activated any day . ... Because of Stassi’s imminent return, Taylor Ward is the catcher on the taxi squad. Barring an injury to Kurt Suzuki or Anthony Bemboom in the first day or two of the trip, Bemboom would become the taxi squad catcher once Stassi is activated . ... The Angels also have pitchers Patrick Sandoval, Noe Ramirez and James Hoyt traveling with them as part of the taxi squad.