Sticking Points 2057.2: The Week That Was...Sergio Rodriguez

[JimSlade]

Rockville Pikeman GM Jim Slade has shown a knack for taking a strong, aging, expensive franchise and turning it into a cap space-strapped bottom feeder. His poor gambles on extending veteran talent have kicked up a deserved storm of social media criticism. The Rockville fanbase is collectively tapping its fingers in anticipation of positive signs of a rebuild. And yet, Slade finds time to pat himself on the back for his most modest of accomplishments.

"This is why we drafted Sergio!" Slade was heard proclaiming, as he patrolled the Pikemen lock room after a 9-8 victory over the Atlantic City Gamblers, in which man of many positions Sergio Rodriguez played leftfield and went 3-5 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI. In his first 20 games in the majors, Rodriguez has his .271 with 3 doubles and 2 triples.

Nondescript utilityman Rodriguez was called up from the AAA Dodge City Gunslingers to backup young, overworked centerfielder Paul Strickland and then fill in for injured, knockoff-version Swiss Army Knife Ruben Alvarado, who landed on the IL for a month. Rodriguez was an 8th-round pick in the 2051 draft. He wasn't a highly sought-after prospect, but he was mature, athletic, and could play multiple positions, including centerfield and shortstop. Slade has a thing for multidimensional role players. He's played primarily in centerfield, but with Alvarado and now shortstop Socrates Kazantziakis on the IL, he'll be getting more time in the middle of the infield, where he played league-average defense in the minors.

"We saw Sergio as a kid who might progress quickly and fill in multiple gaps at each minor league level." In fact, a good deal of his promotions in the minors were the result of lack of organizational depth. A shortstop goes down at shortstop-thin A ball? Call Sergio. A centerfielder goes down at AA? Call Sergio. This is what brought him, quite unexpectedly with higher-ceiling prospects like Roberto Lopez and Manual Salinas, to Rockville.

"There's not a lot to celebrate in Rockville these days," admits Slade. "This was Sergio's week. We hope he has other weeks like this, as he moves around the infield and outfield, giving guys a blow. This was Sergio's week, and we're happy for him."

[RonCo]

Sergio! Sergio! Sergio!

His fan club goes crazy.