Thomas Rodriguez 2.0(42.19)

[niles08]

While many Hawk fans began cringing when the team announced Thomas Rodriguez was being recalled, the front office clearly has faith in Rodriguez by announcing that he would be joining the “stopper rotation.”( whatever that is) which is typically a high leverage situation. This move comes on the heels of the Omaha front office demoting Juan Garcia and internal discussion about Rodriguez being looked at as a long term relief pitcher if things went well.

Well, Rodriguez put early doubters to rest during his first 4 appearances, pitching 8 games, striking out 13 while allowing 2 earned runs, including his most recent outing against Twin Cities when he struck out 5 over 2 innings allowing no hits.

While it’s only 8 innings, Rodriguez may be onto something as he has performed much better in relief over the years than as a starting pitcher. When he first debuted in late 2038, he pitched 7 scoreless innings in his only 3 appearances for Omaha. In 2039, he was pushed into the rotation and we know how well that went.

Now, still only 25 years old, he could be experiencing a career-altering and career-defining move if he is able to pull off a respectable showing this year. It’s a big opportunity and one that is of utmost importance. You see… If he fails, his career as a BBA player is likely in trouble.

No pressure for those high-leverage situations.