Iván Dereck Rodríguez (born June 5, 1992), nicknamed D-Rod, is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Charros de Jalisco of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. The

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

selected Rodríguez in the sixth round of the 2011 MLB draft as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He was converted to a pitcher in 2014 and made his MLB debut with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

in 2018. He has also played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the Twins and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. He is the son of Hall of Famer

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Ran ...

, and is affectionately known to fans as Son of Pudge. He plays for the Puerto Rico national baseball team.

Early life

Rodríguez was born in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

, to Maribel Rivera and

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

. His father spent 21 years in

(MLB), won 13 Gold Gloves, and was a 14-time All-Star. He has three siblings. He grew up in Texas, and at age 10 moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where he later on attended

Monsignor Edward Pace High School Monsignor Edward Pace High School is a Catholic secondary school in the Opa-locka North neighborhood of Miami Gardens, Florida. It was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2002 and one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the country in 2004 and 200 ...

Opa-locka, Florida Opa-locka () is a Municipality, city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Spanning roughly , it is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 16,463, up fro ...

, and transitioned from catcher and played center field and pitched for the baseball team.

Professional career

Minnesota Twins (2011–2017)

Minor leagues

The

drafted Rodríguez in the sixth round, with the 208th overall selection, of the 2011 MLB draft as an

, and he signed for a $130,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. After he batted .216 with six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s in 352

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s at the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

over his first three professional seasons, the Twins converted him into a

in 2014. He was 2–2 with a 1.05 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their Major League Baseball, major league aff ...

. In 2015, Rodríguez had a 6–3

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

and a 2.85 ERA with 61

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 12

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games pitched, games that a pitcher has starting pitcher, started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opp ...

for Elizabethton, and was named the league's Pitcher of the Year. He also played in three games for the

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...

and

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...

. The next season, he pitched for Cedar Rapids, where he had a 4–11 win–loss record and a 5.08 ERA, and for Fort Myers where he pitched to a 1–2 record with a 2.56 ERA. During the 2016–17 offseason, he pitched for the

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, the ''Indios' ...

of the

Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

, and then pitched for the Criollos de Caguas in the 2017 Caribbean Series. He was named to the Puerto Rican national baseball team's roster for the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

. In 2017, he pitched for both Fort Myers and the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

where he compiled a combined 10–6 record and 3.27 ERA in 26 games (24 starts) between both teams. Rodríguez elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.

San Francisco Giants (2018–2020)

On November 15, 2017, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He began the season with the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. Rodríguez posted a 4–1 win–loss record and a 3.40 ERA.

Major leagues

The Giants promoted him to the major leagues on May 28. Rodríguez made his major league debut in relief of Jeff Samardzija on May 29, 2018, against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. During the game, he pitched innings and hit an RBI double. Rodríguez had a successful rookie year with the Giants with a 6–4 record and 2.81

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 31 games. As a starter, he allowed 3 runs or less in 16 of his 19 starts and pitched 5 or more innings in 17 of his 19 starts. Rodríguez struggled during the early portion of the 2019 season and was sent down to the Triple-A

. He was recalled and sent back down to Sacramento several times during the season and pitched in relief and made spot starts for the Giants. For the season, with Sacramento and San Jose he was 3–0 with a 3.67 ERA in seven starts in which he pitched 34.1 innings and struck out 37 batters. With the Giants, he was 6–11 with a 5.64 ERA and pitched in 28 games (16 starts) in which he pitched 99 innings. In the 2020 season, Rodríguez only pitched in two games before being designated for assignment on August 26, 2020, to make space for Joey Rickard on the roster.

Detroit Tigers (2020)

On August 31, 2020, the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

claimed Rodríguez off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. On October 27, Rodríguez was outrighted off of the 40-man roster, without having made an appearance for Detroit. He became a free agent on November 2.

Colorado Rockies (2021)

On November 9, 2020, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

organization that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. Rodríguez spent the 2021 season with the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, making 22 appearances, going 4–6 with a 6.72 ERA and 87 strikeouts. He became a free agent following the season on November 7, 2021.

Minnesota Twins (2022–2023)

On January 12, 2022, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

. The Twins promoted him to the major leagues on April 13. In his only appearance, Rodríguez allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out two against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. He was designated for assignment on April 15 after Kyle Garlick was added to the roster. He was sent outright to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints the next day. On September 17, Rodríguez was selected back to the major league roster after Trevor Megill was placed on the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

injured list. He tossed innings against the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with two strikeouts in the 6–7 loss. The next day, he was designated for assignment following the promotion of Ronny Henríquez. On September 20, Rodríguez cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A St. Paul. He elected free agency on October 6. On January 20, 2023, Rodríguez re-signed with the Twins organization on a minor league contract. He began the year with Triple-A St. Paul, recording a 4.66 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched across 7 games (2 starts). On May 5, Rodríguez had his contract selected to the active roster. In his only appearances for Minnesota, Rodríguez pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed one run on one hit and one walk with no strikeouts.

Atlanta Braves (2023)

On May 15, 2023, Rodríguez was claimed off waivers by the

and optioned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

. On May 27, Rodríguez was promoted to major leagues, and he made his Braves debut the following day, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in two innings against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. The next day, Rodríguez was sent back down to Triple-A Gwinnett. On June 26, Rodríguez was promoted back to the Braves' major league roster in replacement of AJ Smith-Shawver, who was optioned down to Gwinnett. On July 24, he was designated for assignment by Atlanta following the acquisition of Taylor Hearn. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A on July 26. On September 17, Rodríguez had his contract selected back to the major league roster. After allowing a staggering eight runs in two innings of relief, Rodríguez was designated for assignment by Atlanta the following day. He cleared waivers and was again sent outright to Gwinnett on September 20. He elected free agency on October 13.

Charros de Jalisco (2024–present)

On February 23, 2024, Rodríguez signed with the Charros de Jalisco of the

. In 16 starts for Jalisco, he logged a 6–2 record and 4.50 ERA with 51 strikeouts across 82 innings pitched.

Personal life

Rodríguez likes to cook and mostly cooks the Puerto Rican food he grew up with. He also likes video games, including

Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...

. Rodríguez is married to Ashley Negrón, whom he met in 2015 at a basketball game in Puerto Rico. He is an avid Batman fan and has a Batman tattoo on his forearm.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Dereck 1992 births American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Arlington, Texas Cedar Rapids Kernels players Charros de Jalisco players Chattanooga Lookouts players Criollos de Caguas players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Gwinnett Stripers players Indios de Mayagüez players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Living people Monsignor Edward Pace High School alumni Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2023 World Baseball Classic players