CJ Rodriguez

Rodriguez has been an advanced defensive catcher dating back to his days in high school, when he was part of the Canes Prospects team that won the World Wood Bat Association World Championship in Jupiter in 2017. He impressed Vanderbilt’s coaching staff from the moment he stepped on campus for his skills on both sides of the ball. A 5-foot-10, 200-pound backstop, Rodriguez’s professional prospects are solidly built on his defensive ability behind the plate and his ability to control the zone as a hitter. He’s been the starting catcher since day one for a Vanderbilt program that has big-time pitching talent, and scouts like his catch-and-throw ability, as well as his advanced receiving and blocking. Through his first 63 games with Vanderbilt, Rodriguez threw out 34% of basestealers. Rodriguez doesn’t have massive arm strength—some scouts grade it as average, and some put it as above-average—but his exchange and release are quick and help his natural strength play up. He has very limited power at the plate and creates most of his offensive value by simply working the count and getting on base. This spring he walked at a 16% rate and struck out just 8.5% of the time—one of the lowest rates in the SEC among players with 100 plate appearances. Rodriguez might not have the offensive tool set to profile as an everyday big leaguer, but he could do enough to be a backup. For analytical teams that like how he’s handled Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter and appreciate his on-base ability, he could go in the middle of the top-10 rounds.