The Twins have re-signed righty Dereck Rodriguez to a minor league contract, as announced by agent Gavin Kahn of Enter Sports Management (Twitter link).
Rodriguez, 30, will head back for a third stint with the organization that originally selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. After a three-year stretch with the Giants from 2018-20 and a one-year stop in the Rockies organization in 2021, Rodriguez signed back with the Twins for the 2022 campaign. He tossed 7 2/3 innings at the big league level and allowed three runs (3.52 ERA), also contributing another 94 2/3 frames of 4.75 ERA ball in Triple-A St. Paul.
The son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, Dereck has appeared in parts of four Major League campaigns, working to a collective 4.24 ERA with a 16.9% strikeout rate, an 8% walk rate and a 41% ground-ball rate. He averaged 92 mph on his heater during last year’s brief look, primarily pairing it with a slider and curveball.
In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Rodriguez has a 5.01 ERA, though that’s skewed by his one catastrophic year with the Rockies, where he was rocked for a 6.72 ERA. He sports a combined 4.17 ERA in his other three Triple-A seasons and has generally posted respectable strikeout and walk rates there: 22.9% and 7.3%, respectively.
The Twins’ big league rotation figures to consist of Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober, although Maeda will be returning after a year-long absence owing to internal brace surgery to repair the UCL in his pitching elbow, so he shouldn’t be expected to necessarily work a full starter’s workload. The Twins are deep in alternative options on the 40-man roster, with Josh Winder, Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland among the prospects who reached the Majors for the first time in 2022, and it’s feasible that recently extended righty Chris Paddack could return from Tommy John surgery in the season’s second half.
It’s a solid collection of arms but one that generally lacks a prototypical front-of-the-rotation presence. Rodriguez will join names like Jose De Leon, Randy Dobnak and Brock Stewart as non-roster depth options in the upper minors. Given the health troubles the Twins experienced in 2022, it’s only sensible to see them further stockpiling depth — particularly when it comes in the form of a pitcher they’ve known for quite some time.
fre5hwind
I still have this guys rookie card, holding it just in case.
gfan
Latino Lincecum rides again.
JockStrap
Did you know that you can spell his name about 21 differ ways!
Darek
Darrick
Darriq
Dereck
Deric
Derick
Derik
Deriq
Derk
Derreck
Derrek
Derrick
Derrik
Derryck
Derryk
Deryck
Deryk
Deryke
Dirk
Dirke
Dyrk.
toomanyblacksinbaseball
Yet none with an apostrophe.
JockStrap
spell his name “about” 21 differ ways!
*ya forgot to read
fre5hwind
You forgot Darrack…
southern lion
De Wreck?
scottn59c
We thought we hit gold with this guy in SF for a short stretch. Too bad he was unable to sustain that hot start. Hope he can make the most of this opportunity.
JockStrap
We like to call that fools gold
rememberthecoop
He’d probably be better if he did PEDs like his dad.
johnrealtime
You could say this about any player
Kapler's Coconut Oil
@johnrealtime I don’t think most players’ dads did PEDs
SODOMOJO
No shi*, Pudges kid? And he’s 30? Good lord I’m old
Roidville Slugger
I had no idea he was Pudge’s son. I don’t know how I missed that.
SODOMOJO
+1. I’ve seen him pitch several times. Sure enough, born: Arlington, Texas 1992. Math checks out!! Lol
Buzz Killington
If he became a RoidRod like any other player with the last name Rodriguez he’d have a chance. Korea two years then back. Boom becomes an ACE.