14. Jesus Rodriguez C/3B. DOB: 4/23/2002. B-R, T-R. 5' 10", 208 lbs. 40-man Roster, 2 Options.
2025(AAA- Yankees): .317/.409/.430, 14 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 16 SB, 12.7 BB%, 15.2 K%, 362 PA.
2025(AAA- Giants): .322/.399/.401, 6 2B, 2 HR, 4 SB, 10.4 BB%, 9.8 K%, 173 PA.
Elite contact hitter with plate discipline, a relatively rare combination. Main negatives are a lack of power and questionable catching skills. It appears the Giants think he can be a catcher. It appeared he might have a shot at back up catcher in 2026 until they acquired Daniel Susac and Eric Haase. It now appears the plan is to give Rodriguez more reps behind the plate in AAA to polish up his defensive skills. If he can improve there his hitting skills should give him a solid MLB career.
I think the trades of Camillo Duval and Tyler Rogers worked out extremely well. Jesus Rodriguez has an extremely strong hit tool, and if they can develop him as a catcher that's a super useful addition, even as a "backup" who's getting 50 full games a year.
ReplyDeleteNew prospect strategy: trade for players from orgs that didn’t put their prospects through the EL and are already ready to jump to AAA!
ReplyDeleteJesus Rodriquez has a strong track record with the bat. It would be nice to see him hit with more power (the highest HR total he has had was 10 in2024). A bigger question for me is how are all of the Venezuelan players coping after the US invaded Caracas? Does their bonus money afford them to live safely. Visas issue for the players and their families? Must be a lot of stress to succeed here. This is probably an incomplete list, but here are some of the Giants' Venezuelans:
ReplyDeleteLuis Matos – MLB outfielder
Jhonny Level – Minor league shortstop
Diego Velasquez – Minor league shortstop
Luis Hernández – Newly signed prospect
Jancel Villarroel – Minor league outfielder/catcher
and of course Jesus Rodriquez AAA catcher
It is unfortunate but is the reality of having family and friends in a developing nation with significant problems. I'm guessing most of these players are spending more time out of Venezuela (though they still have loved ones in country). The human side is that this difficult issue might weigh on them during 2026 season and impact baseball performance.
DeleteCould be Kung Fu Panda 2.0. Hopefully he doesn’t add the 50 lb though!
ReplyDeleteGiven that the deal acquiring former Yankee Jesús Rodriguez last year must have had approval from former Giant All Star catcher and current President of Baseball Operations, Buster must think there's a MLB catcher there, no?
ReplyDeleteI doubt Buster spends his time personally scouting every player the Giants acquire. He's made a point several times he does not want to be a micro-manager. My guess is Buster set a priority on acquiring hitters with elite contact rates, Zach Minasian and Jeremy Shelley talked to professional scouting and negotiated the trade. Buster signed off on it.
DeleteDon't think Buster scouted him but he did say that Rodriguez has a chance to be a good mlb catcher. He likes Rodriguez s hit tool, Buster has developed a pattern of acquiring players with good hit tools in trades, draft, and FA signjngs.Rodriguez seems to lack catching experience, so its a good plan to have him gain reps at AAA. Doval trade has a chance to be pretty good with the Giants being high on Rodriguez, Parks Harbor doing well in the Fall League, and Carlos Dela Rosa LHP who some say is the best player in the trade.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the Doval trade has the potential to be huge win for the Giants.
Delete