Finding his way
Catcher Endy Rodriguez catching on quick at Low-A Bradenton
Seated inside his LECOM Park office, Low-A Bradenton manager Jonathan Johnston knows the visit is coming. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and having spent four years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer, Johnston can pretty much set his watch by it.
At some point shortly after his players arrive, Johnston will receive a visit from Endy Rodriguez, his switchhitting, athletic and energetic catcher.
“We talk about our families. He asks me about my kids, what I like to do outside of baseball. Just get into our backgrounds more,” Johnston said. “We’ve had really good conversations. It’s a relationship that continues to grow.”
The Pirates certainly hope so, although they’d probably prefer Rodriguez get to know Kieran Mattison, the manager at High-A Greensboro, before too long.
Acquired this offseason from the Mets in a deal made alongside the Joe Musgrove trade, Rodriguez is one of the most intriguing prospects in the system — because of his ability to hit for power and average from both sides of the plate, but also his natural talent behind it, the ability to block and throw.
Rodriguez also has something going for him right now that’s hard to ignore — not only is he the Pirates’ best catching prospect, but he’s also pretty much their only one.
“He’s a really good young man,” Johnston said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. It’s nice to see him come in with a smile on his face every day ready to work.”
And hit, it seems. In 23 games this season, Rodriguez has the second-best OPS (. 842) on the team among players who have appeared in at least half of the Marauders’ games.
While Rodriguez is hitting .258, he also has a .337 on-base percentage and is slugging .506, with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 15 RBIs and 10 walks in those games, a fine start for his first season of affiliated ball.
“I’ve been learning how to play the game in a smart way — my mindset and being prepared every day,” Rodriguez said, with Fernando Nieve, Bradenton’s pitching coach, translating. “The team helps each other and pushes each other every day to get better.”
The energy is one of the first things you notice about Rodriguez, Johnston said. He’s always positive and very vocal. It’s hard to ignore given the position he plays.
Rodriguez said he grew up idolizing Bryce Harper for similar reasons: his flash and energy and the fact that Harper plays with plenty of emotion.
When the Pirates acquired Rodriguez, one of the things scouts really liked was his athleticism. He has a 55 grade (22-to-80 scale) on his fielding and a 50 grade for his arm. Though less quantifiable than the others, the mobility behind the plate has been big.
The Mets had Rodriguez play a couple different positions in the minors, but so far the Pirates have been resolute when it comes to keeping him behind the plate, recognizing that he has the raw tools to succeed and also the attitude to potentially make it work.
“He’s got a lot of value behind the plate because he’s such a good defender,” Johnston said. “He blocks very well. He does things so easily back there. He’s a switch-hitting guy who can really do a lot of things at the plate, from a mature at-bat to driving the baseball out of the ballpark.”
As you would expect, the 21-year-old native of Santiago, Dominican Republic, is also raw. Johnston said they’re trying to quicken Rodriguez’s release on throws down to second, both with his arm path and footwork.
At the plate, Rodriguez has been lauded for his mature approach, the ability to avoid chasing pitches out of the zone and also sticking to a particular plan. Like most players his age, consistency remains a focal point when it comes to his development.
“At the plate, we’re just trying to get him to a good position to hit consistently and make sure he knows what that is and how he gets there on time for himself,” Johnston said. “That’s the big fundamental that we want him to have.”
The good news for the Pirates — and Marauders, for now — is that Rodriguez seems to have plenty of other intangibles, the type of offfield makeup that should make learning and development possible.
“I love the game,” Rodriguez said. “I come to the field every day ready to work and earn the trust of my teammates. I’m trying my best to get better.”
The last word
Have written it before, will write it again: The Jameson Taillon trade netted quality arms in Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras, as well as a legitimate outfield prospect in Canaan Smith-Njigba. But keep an eye on Maikol Escotto, the young infielder who didn’t get nearly as much attention as the other three.
Through 19 games, Escotto was hitting a .313 with an .898 OPS with Low-A Bradenton, tops among players who have appeared in at least half of the Marauders’ games.
More than numbers, though, he has shown a maturity that belies someone who turned 19 on Friday. Johnston said Escotto recently went to one of the Marauders’ baseball operations staffers, sought information on pitches he wasn’t hitting and, on his own, took it to the team’s hitting coaches.
“He said to them, ‘OK, help me get to this. Help me understand how to handle this,’ ” Johnston said. “That’s something you don’t see young guys do very often. He wants it. He loves it. When you play baseball, you have to be unshakable to be great. He doesn’t let things bother him.”