'Über-athletic' Endy is now Swiss-army knife

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The entire sequence couldn’t have lasted more than two seconds. Those two seconds were enough to understand the breadth of Endy Rodriguez's versatility.

Miles Mastrobuoni lined a shot at the infield’s right side. Rodriguez, playing first base, jabbed to his right to snag it. Ryan Boldt broke towards second, but quickly realized his mistake. Rodriguez realized faster. Immediately after the ball hit the glove, Rodriguez changed his momentum. He took several hard steps towards Boldt, and when Boldt was in range, Rodriguez dove, extended and tagged Boldt. Double play.

The play would’ve been impressive enough for any first baseman. Rodriguez, the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is not a first baseman, at least not full-time. Rodriguez is, and primarily will be, a catcher. But in being able to play all over the diamond, Rodriguez is carving out his own niche, one that could provide him with several different paths to Pittsburgh.

"If you can play short and play places, it’s really beneficial. But if you can catch and play other places -- and he plays first like a first baseman and outfield like an outfielder -- that’s a really positive thing,” said manager Derek Shelton.

In the Minors, Rodriguez has spent the bulk of his time behind the plate. That won’t change this season. In his career, Rodriguez has played 449 1/3 innings at catcher, far more than any other position. When the shin guards, chest protector and face mask come off, though, Rodriguez is plenty capable of taking on different responsibilities.

There’s the aforementioned first base, where he’s played 127 1/3 innings. First base is a standard secondary position for catchers, but Rodriguez’s protean sensibilities begin, not end, there. He’s played 85 innings in left field, two games in right field and even a game in center field. At Pirate City, Rodriguez took grounders at second base. Rodriguez has even pitched, throwing two-thirds of a scoreless inning for Single-A Bradenton. For those counting, that’s four different gloves -- catcher, first base, infield and outfield -- that Rodriguez has in his bag. Talk about super-utility.

“We’re moving to a place where we’re going to give everybody a little time at a secondary position, but he has a second, third, fourth and probably fifth positions as well because he’s so athletic,” Pirates farm director John Baker told MLB.com. “The moments don’t get too big. … It can be nerve-wracking to go into a bunch of different places. He wants it and asks for it.”

Baker recalled his first meeting with Rodriguez. The young backstop made sure to tell Baker that while he’s a good catcher, he’s good wherever they want to put him on the field. With Henry Davis, the No. 24 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, billed as Pittsburgh’s catcher of the future, Rodriguez’s versatility provides him with multiple pathways.

Rodriguez will spend time at first base and left field along with catching for High-A Greensboro, per Baker, but could have the opportunity to play second base and potentially even third base if the opportunity arises and makes sense. In playing multiple positions, Rodriguez gives himself the chance to get in the lineup as frequently as possible, which gets to the second part of what makes him so exciting.

For all of his Swiss-army knife capabilities on defense, there’s an argument to be made that Rodriguez, who hits from both sides of the plate, is the best pure hitter in the farm system. He hits for average. He draws walks and minimizes strikeouts. He flashes some pop. In 2021, his first full season, Rodriguez slashed .294/.380/.512 with 15 home runs and a 140 wRC+ in 98 games, winning Low-A Southeast League MVP.

“He’s über-athletic,” Shelton said. “When you’re that athletic and you swing the bat like that, I think that’s why he was the MVP of the league down here."

Rodriguez will likely begin the season with High-A Greensboro, but aspires to join the stacked Double-A Altoona squad by season’s end. He’s already beginning to garner more attention after his MVP season, jumping from No. 19 to the No. 7 Pirates prospect in MLB Pipeline’s latest update. With another big season, Rodriguez can put himself on the fast track to Pittsburgh. And should he get there, the question will be just how many gloves he brings with him.