Grayson Rodriguez Is A Special Pitcher
By Rodger M. Wood
Although Bowie Bay Sox RHP Grayson Rodriguez was just rated the Baseball America's #1 minor league pitching prospect, and has struck out 36 batters in the first 24.2 innings he pitched in AA - ball, he still humbly thinks the hitters at that level can challenge his pitching.
"The hitters at AA - level are excellent hitters, they're more organized and have a better approach at the plate than batters in A and lower level ball. They're up at the plate looking and ready for a specific pitch."
Grayson Rodriguez Thinks AA - Batters are a Challenge
While the youngster throws a 98 mph fast ball, a mid- 70s curve ball and mid 80s slider that alternate as his best breaking ball game by game, and has developed a change up that dances up to the plate, the pitch he uses to get batters out with varies game by game.
In his last start this past Saturday against the Blue Jays AA - affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats, he used his change up to strike out eight batters and in the game before against the Cleveland Indians AA - affiliate Akron Rubber Ducks, he used his curve ball to strike eight batters.
Grayson Rodriguez Can Throw a 98 MPH Heater
While he has demonstrated he has good command of all four of his pitches, walking only 7 batters in 24.2 innings pitched at Bowie, and "thinks his heater stays low in the strike zone and is hard to hit, he believes he can still improve his off speed pitches by getting them more consistently down in the strike zone."
The 6-5, 220 pound youngster casts an intimidating image out there on the mound to batters, who have to look twice to find his 98 mph fast ball blazing downhill at them. Before his senior year in high school, through an exacting regimen he remade his body and delivery into a formidable force on the mound..
He has an Intimidating presence on the mound
The 21-year old grew up in the warm weather of Nacogdoches Texas, where he felt he benefited from the longer high school baseball seasons. As a junior, he went 14-1 with a fantastic 0.38 ERA, leading Central Heights to the 3A state title He signed up to play college baseball at Texas A&M University but changed his mind when the Orioles drafted him in the first round, 11th overall in the 2018 draft and offered him a $4.3 million dollar contract.
As a young professional, Grayson has dominated hitters at each level he has pitched. In 2018 GCL rookie ball, he struck out 20 batters in 19 IP. In his first full season at Delmarva Shorebirds in 2019, he manhandled Low A hitters with a 10-4 W-L record, 2.68 ERA, with 129 K in 94 IP. At Fast A - Aberdeen Iron Birds the first month of 2021 season, he stuck out 40 batters in 23.8 IP.
Grayson Never Got Tired of Baseball
Looking back at his youth, he says "while a lot of my friends and teammates in high school couldn't wait until practice was over so they could head home and do other things, I never wanted to be separated from baseball. I could practice and play the game morning, noon and night and never get tired of it."
It is Grayson's intangible qualities that make him is a special baseball player. He loves the game, he works hard, and has the talent and grit to be a great pitcher.
He is also a big half of a battery at Bowie which can lead the Baltimore Orioles back to their glory days. Most games he pitches nowadays, Adley Ruschman is his catcher and driving in the runs to make him the game winner. Together in a season or two, the two of them could start to lead the Birds back up the major league standings to a World Series title.
