Joely Rodriguez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #23 prospect in 2017
  Through his first six seasons with the Pirates, Rodriguez barely distinguished himself as a prospect, with Pittsburgh trading him to the Phillies after the 2014 season for Antonio Bastardo. After a rough 2015 campaign with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Rodriguez returned to Reading in 2016 as a reliever, but by the end of April the Phillies sent him down to high Class A Clearwater. The Phillies wanted to put him in a situation where he could stay calm and work on staying within his delivery with a lowered arm angle. The strategy worked, as Rodriguez took one step backward before zooming forward, getting back to Triple-A in August and making his major league debut as a September callup. Rodriguez's fastball sits at 94-96 mph and can touch 98 with sink to help him get grounders, pounding the bottom of the strike zone especially to his glove side. He throws a solid-average slider that's tough on lefthanded hitters from his arm angle. His changeup is below-average but he hasn't thrown it as much as a reliever. Rodriguez should be able to stick in the big league bullpen as a middle reliever.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #24 prospect in 2015
  Considered a fringe prospect in the Pirates system until having a breakout season at two Class A levels in 2013, Rodriguez joined the Phillies in December in the trade for reliever Antonio Bastardo. Rodriguez struggled at Double-A Altoona in 2014 but bounced back in the Arizona Fall League. He is intriguing despite his relative lack of success because he can throw three pitches for strikes with his 89-92 mph sinking fastball, curveball and changeup. All pitches grade as average at their best. Though he reached Double-A as a starter, Rodriguez's long-term role could be as a reliever because he tends to tire in the middle innings. The Phillies probably will keep him in the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2015.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #30 prospect in 2014
  Rodriguez has been slow to develop since being signed in 2009, but he took a big step forward in 2013 and made the 40-man roster in November. Extremely raw when signed, Rodriguez is capable of throwing his fastball at 95 mph, but he has only a rudimentary curveball and changeup. Command was a problem for him at the start of his career, but he has learned to sink his fastball, which now sits at 91-93 mph, to both sides of the plate while learning to take something off the pitch to generate more movement. The curve and change are now serviceable pitches, but he will need to continue refining both in order to remain a starter. Rodriguez has become a groundball pitcher over the last two years, and that fits with the organizational philosophy of frequently employing defensive shifts. He was limited to two starts at short-season State College in 2011 because of a strained elbow but has been durable since that injury. Rodriguez figures to make the jump to Double-A Altoona in 2014 to see if he can build on the momentum he generated last year.