Pirates A to Z: A starter upon arrival, Endy Rodriguez emerged as catcher of the future

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster.

Player: Endy Rodriguez

Position: Catcher

Bats: Both

Throws: Right

Age: 23

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 200 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Batted .220/.284/.328 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 57 games.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2027.

Acquired: From the New York Mets in a three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego in January 2021.

This past season: Rodriguez rocketed to the top of the Pirates’ prospect rankings because of his bat, earning the Pirates’ 2022 minor league player of the year honors after he slashed .323/.407/.590 with 39 doubles, 25 home runs and 95 RBIs through three levels of the system.

What separated Rodriguez from Henry Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, was his athleticism behind the plate. The Pirates split them up to start the season so both could be their team’s primary catcher, with Rodriguez starting the season at Triple-A Indianapolis and Davis at Double-A Altoona.

Endy Rodriguez

Great tempo- chest press, glove load, press through the ball to extension#Pirates #Rippin #MLB #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/C5IkYrtPEc

— Jordan Comadena (@Funky2414) February 21, 2023

Where Davis accelerated his ascension by switching to right field, Rodriguez positioned himself to become the Pirates’ catcher of not just the present but the future. He also brought an exuberant personality that showed his leadership ability, even as a rookie.

“That’s one of my biggest goals: I want to be a leader of the team,” Rodriguez said. “That’s how I am. That’s my personality. In baseball, I want to be that kind of player.”

As Rodriguez concentrated on his catching at Indianapolis, his hitting suffered a bit. He batted .268/.365/.415 with 16 doubles, three triples, six homers and 38 RBIs in 67 games. After playing in the Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle over All-Star weekend, Rodriguez was ready to make his major league debut.

Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez takes BP with Cutch before making his #mlb debut against Cleveland tonight at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/Y6x73N7ruq

— Christopher Horner (@Hornerfoto1) July 17, 2023

Rodriguez arrived at PNC Park on July 17, when the Pirates promoted him along with right-hander Quinn Priester. They were two of six Pirates rookies to start in an 11-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

“The future is here, man,” Rodriguez said. “I know we’re going to do something special with this team. At some point, we’re going to do the best job. I know we have a lot of younger players here and I think we have the talent. We’re going to do something special.”

“I came a long way to be here.”

This is Endy Rodríguez’s Road to the Show. pic.twitter.com/Y4rfA2QXtX

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 29, 2023

Rodriguez struggled in striking out in six of his first seven at-bats in his first two games. So Shelton started Austin Hedges on July 19 to take some pressure off Rodriguez. Shelton turned to Rodriguez to pinch-hit for Hedges in the seventh inning with the Pirates trailing, 4-2. Rodriguez singled to left-center off Sam Hentges for his first career hit, advanced to third on Connor Joe’s single and to third on a Bryan Reynolds groundout before scoring on Ji-Man Choi’s two-run single for the lead.

“Sometimes, it’s just a breather. Especially him, you’re talking about our top prospect coming into the big leagues. There’s a lot of hype,” Shelton said of Rodriguez. “He goes through it and (Tuesday) seeing a ton of different arms, maybe just a day to relax and watch six innings of a big-league game. This kid can hit. He’s hit at every level. We saw that last year with how he was climbing through our system. He’s going to get his hits. Now that he’s got that first one, it takes a little bit of pressure off.”

ENDY HAS JOINED THE HOME RUN CLUB ???? pic.twitter.com/oHFratx7YS

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 23, 2023

Rodriguez recorded his first career home run, a solo shot off Gerardo Reyes, in a 3-0 win at the Los Angeles Angels on July 22. But it was his play behind the plate that proved the difference. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and All-Star closer David Bednar on the mound, Rodriguez called for a splitter then smacked the back of his mitt twice to pump up the two-time All-Star before his pitch to Trey Cabbage.

“It’s because as a catcher, I enjoy when we get the guy out. I feel like it’s my out, not just the pitcher’s out,” Rodriguez said. “If I push the pitcher a little bit, they trust themselves and are like, ‘Let’s go!’”

Cabbage hit a bouncer back to Bednar, who threw home to Rodriguez, who fired to first for a 1-2-3 double play to end the game. That moment made a lasting impression on Bednar about Rodriguez.

“The biggest thing between a pitcher-catcher relationship is trust,” Bednar said. “Building that relationship and knowing that he trusts what he’s putting down and what you’re about to throw, just being on the same page and having that conviction with the guy behind the plate is a huge part of it.”

Shelton credited Rodriguez’s ebullient personality for serving as inspiration.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of youthful energy that leads into leadership,” Shelton said. “He’s got a great personality. I think the thing that stands out is the personality came out in spring training, when he was in camp and knew he wasn’t going to make the team — and he was still like that. I think he’s got that infectiousness about him where people want to be around him, he wants to have some energy. I think it’s really cool to see out of a young kid, especially a young kid that catches.”

Rodriguez shined at the plate against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 29, going 2 for 4 with four RBIs by hitting an RBI double off Aaron Nola in the fourth inning and a bases-clearing triple in the fifth of a 7-6 win. It was his only multi-RBI game of the season.

“That’s the best part of the game,” Rodriguez said, “because that’s where you get paid.”

Rodriguez played a key role in three Pirates rookies turning a game-changing defensive play the following day. With automatic runner Bryce Harper on third in the top of the 10th inning, Trea Turner hit what appeared to be a routine sacrifice fly. Instead, Davis fired a one-hop throw from right field to Rodriguez at home plate. Rodriguez threw to Nick Gonzales at second base, who threw it back to home plate to get Harper out for a 9-2-4-2 double play.

“Everybody knows we have the talent, and now we pull it off,” Rodriguez said. “Just working on the little things to enjoy the big thing in the future.”

Rodriguez’s arm proved an upgrade over Hedges and backup Jason Delay, as he threw out nine runners for a 30% caught stealing rate. Where Rodriguez required work was in his blocking and receiving — he had five passed balls — and game calling.

He worked with catching assistant Jordan Comadena to refine his setup, increase his tempo by loading his glove quicker pre-pitch and improve his pitch framing and receiving so he can be positioned to use his strength and athleticism.

“It’s not easy. Probably of any position to just call somebody up and immerse them into the major league routine and daily grind, catching has to be the hardest position,” Comadena said. “He’s having to manage getting himself ready to hit. He’s managing getting ready to catch. Then, in addition to learning all of the hitters he’s going to see and the pitchers he’s going to be working with, it’s a lot. And it’s hard. We’re working on trying not to do overdo it, to keep things simple and keep things in a way that are digestible for him to free him up to just go play.”

What impressed Shelton, a former minor league catcher, was to see Rodriguez’s confidence and leadership behind the plate. Not only did he pump up pitchers by pounding his mitt but he had some well-timed mound visits with words of encouragement.

“You see the the development of Endy Rodriguez behind the plate in terms of taking charge,” Shelton said. “We talk about a couple starts ago, him making a couple of mound visits that changed the game. I don’t know if I’ve ever been at the end of a season where I’m as excited for what we’re doing as I am right now.”

No floaties needed when Endy Rodríguez is in the pool!

The No. 2 @Pirates prospect avoids the tag on a pickoff attempt with a slick swim move: https://t.co/FVF51YOBMI pic.twitter.com/9tVqTaKySF

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 8, 2023

The future: Where the Pirates immediately named Rodriguez the starter upon arrival and soon traded Hedges to the Texas Rangers, no promises have been made for the 2024 season.

In fact, the Pirates instructed Davis to concentrate on catching this offseason so that he can work at his natural position in spring training after catching only two innings in the majors.

They also return Delay, who was the preferred battery mate of All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller, and signed Ali Sanchez to a one-year contract to create competition and depth.

Even so, Rodriguez is considered the front-runner to be the starter. He has room for improvement with his pitch calling, framing and receiving, and still has to show he can be a consistent hitter in the majors. But the Pirates love his athleticism and attitude, so it’s a matter of his play catching up to his pedigree.