Jose Rodriguez wore a cap and gown before the Winston-Salem Dash's game against the Hudson Valley Renegades, not because he recently graduated from Kannapolis, but because he and teammate Edgar Navarro had recently graduated from high school.
He then spent the evening getting me up to speed in my first time seeing him in person.
Rodriguez went 2-for-5 during a very active night. He slashed singles in his first two trips, one through the right side, then one through the left. He tried stealing second on a fly ball the first time he reached, then converted on an opportunity to run by swiping that bag later. He completed that journey around the bases by taking third on a fly to right, then scoring on wild pitch.
His last two trips showed the downside of such an active approach. He struck out on breaking balls low and away with Caberea Weaver on third, although one of those sliders escaped the catcher and allowed Weaver to score. He also grounded into a double play on a 1-0 count in his fifth and final plate appearance.
Still, Rodriguez is hitting .357/.377/.482 over his first 14 games with the Dash, so he's setting the tempo more than he's forcing things. He also made a great diving catch on a hooked liner to end the fourth, which was his only real test on a game that featured a lot of fly balls.
Given that he's only 20 years old, his season has been a wild success no matter what happens from here. If the last couple weeks of the season with Winston-Salem don't slow him down, his season-starting assignment in 2022 will be one one of the more fascinating ones to follow.
Charlotte 9, Durham 2
- Billy Hamilton went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Yasmani Grandal was ejected after a strikeout in his only trip.
- Jake Burger went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Gavin Sheets was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.
- Blake Rutherford went off: 3-for-4 with two homers, a double and five RBIs.
- Romy Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a homer, walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Evan Marshall made a rehab appearance: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Birmingham 3, Montgomery 0
- Yoelqui Céspedes went 1-for-2 with a walk and an HBP.
- Yolbert Sanchez was 1-for-2 with two sac bunts.
- Carlos Pérez was 0-for-4.
Winston-Salem 11, Hudson Valley 4
- Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a strikeout.
- Luis Mieses was 0-for-3 with a walk and an HBP.
- Luis Curbelo went 2-for-4 with his 20th homer and 23rd double.
- Harvin Mendoza went 1-for-4.
- Caberea Weaver was 1-for-3 with a triple, HBP and a strikeout.
Kannapolis 5, Lynchburg 4
- Shawn Goosenberg went 1-for-3 with a walk, strikeout and CS.
- Bryan Ramos snapped an 0-for-35 skid by going 3-for-4 with a double.
- DJ Gladney was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
- Misael Gonzalez singled twice, walked and struck out.
- James Beard went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Wilber Sanchez was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Sean Burke's A-ball debut: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
ACL Royals Blue 5, ACL White Sox 1
- Wilfred Veras and Benyamin Bailey both were 1-for-3 with a walk and a stirkeout.
- Wes Kath and Cam Butler both wore collars and silver sombreros.
- Cristian Mena: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
DSL Padres 7, DSL White Sox 6
- Manuel Guariman went 1-for-5.
- Victor Quezada went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk.
- Carlos Jimenez went 2-for3- with a double and a walk.
