Francisco Rodriguez (born December 11, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball.

Amateur career

Rodriguez won the Dick Howser Trophy in 1991. At the time of the award, Rodriguez was playing for Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas. As the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for college football, The Dick Howser Trophy is the annual national award for the outstanding collegiate baseball player. Since 1991, no other junior college baseball player has won the award. Rodriguez was an outstanding shortstop and pitcher for the Howard College Hawks and he led his team to the 1991 National Junior College World Series Championship held annually in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Professional career

Rodriguez was drafted as a shortstop by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1990 amateur draft. An agreement was reached a few weeks into the 1991 season, after which he was assigned to the Class A-Short Season

Elmira Pioneers The Elmira Pioneers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Elmira, New York. They have been affiliated with many major league teams throughout their history. The current Elmira Pioneers play as members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseb ...

. When his new teammates greeted him at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, the Brooklyn native was wearing clothes that bore the New York Yankees logo. After Rodriguez advanced to Class A

Lynchburg Red Sox Lynchburg is a toponym that may refer to: *Lynchburg, California *Lynchburg, Mississippi *Lynchburg, Missouri *Lynchburg, North Dakota *Lynchburg, Ohio (in Clinton and Highland counties) *Lynchburg, Columbiana County, Ohio *Lynchburg, South Carolina ...

, the Red Sox realized he had greater value as a pitcher, a position he quickly began playing. He made his major league debut for the Red Sox in 1995. Soon after, he was traded to 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) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

for closer Rick Aguilera. He did not pitch well for the Twins, posting a 25–32 record with the team in over three years of service. The Seattle Mariners claimed him off of waivers in May 1999. He played for the Mariners through the end of the 2000 season. He played for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 2001 and has not pitched in the majors since. He has a career record of 29–39 and an ERA of 5.53. In 2008, he returned to pro baseball playing for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League where he pitched a 2–1 record, with a 7.79 ERA.

Coaching career

, Rodriguez is an assistant coach for the baseball team at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, New York.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Frank Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Minnesota Twins players Seattle Mariners players Cincinnati Reds players Tacoma Rainiers players 1972 births Living people Baseball players from New York (state) Newark Bears players Eastern District High School alumni Sportspeople from Brooklyn Baseball players from New York City American expatriate baseball players in Australia Maritime Privateers baseball coaches Brisbane Bandits players Lynchburg Red Sox players New Britain Red Sox players Pawtucket Red Sox players Salt Lake Buzz players Louisville RiverBats players Elmira Pioneers players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Howard Hawks baseball players