After 197 games in Double-A and two call-ups to the White Sox without a plate appearance, José Rodríguez finally made his Triple-A debut for Charlotte against Jacksonville on Friday night.
He looked no worse for the wear. He came to the plate five times from the leadoff spot and singled in three of them, so unlike season with Birmingham, he's not going to start the year in a statistical hole.
He also stole a base, but he was also thrown out once, and that's something I'm curious about. He's reminded me a little bit of Nick Madrigal during his ascent, in that some of his success is due to being a high-motor guy who can pressure opponents into mistakes. As Madrigal showed, it's harder to define yourself by effort at higher levels.
Anyway, Rodríguez went 40-for-50 in stolen bases with Birmingham in 2022, then slightly improved that clip by going 28-for-34 over 87 games with the Barons prior to his promotion. He doesn't seem like he's 40-steals fast on the field, so I'm curious whether more polished pitchers and catchers will keep him in check, or whether I'm underrating his speed and/or ability to pick his spots.
Charlotte 2, Jacksonville 1
- José Rodríguez went 3-for-5 in his Triple-A debut, and 1-for-2 on the basepaths.
- Carlos Pérez was 0-for-5.
- Adam Hackenberg went 1-for-5.
- Jordan Leasure: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Montgomery 1, Birmingham 0 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Alsander Womack went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Colson Montgomery, 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Bryan Ramos, 1-for-3.
- Wilfred Veras, 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Edgar Quero, 1-for-3 with a double.
- Tim Elko was 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Terrell Tatum struck out twice during an 0-for-3 night.
- Yoelqui Céspedes was 0-for-2 with a walk.
- Mason Adams' Double-A debut: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WP
Montgomery 4, Birmingham 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Terrell Tatum walked once and struck out twice.
- Colson Montgomery singled and struck out twice.
- Bryan Ramos went 0-for-3.
- Wilfred Veras, 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Tim Elko, 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Luis Mieses went 1-for-2 with a walk.
- Jake Eder: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 48 of 91 pitches for strikes.
Winston-Salem 6, Rome 0
- Loidel Chapelli went 2-for-5 with a triple.
- Brooks Baldwin, 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Juan Carela: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 WP, 59 of 90 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis 9, Fayetteville 0
- Rikuu Nishida went 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Eddie Park doubled, singled, walked twice, got plunked once and stole two bases.
- Jacob Gonzalez went 1-fo-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Calvin Harris was 0-for-3 with two walk sand two strikeouts.
- Jordan Sprinkle went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Peyton Pallette: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K
