SARASOTA, Fla. -- Before Adley Rutschman arrived, Grayson Rodriguez was the top prospect in the Orioles' system. The 2018 first-rounder has put up an eye-opening 2.46 ERA in 29 games (28 starts) across Rookie-level and Class A stints since the Orioles selected him with the 11th overall pick.

MLB.com: Going into the Draft a couple of years ago, what were your expectations? You were getting a lot of first-round buzz, but did you expect to go as high as you did and did you have much attention from the Orioles?

Rodriguez: It was a big surprise. I found out watching it on TV. We weren't expecting to go when we did, that high, but it was a great surprise. It was just a great feeling.

MLB.com: What's it like coming to an organization that's obviously in a rebuilding mode right now, they're struggling at the big league level -- but as a prospect, do you look at it like there's a lot of opportunity here?

Rodriguez: There's a lot of growth here. [GM] Mike Elias has done a great job. There's lots of new faces here in camp this year, staff-wise and player-wise, and everybody's growing together. On the technology side, that's a big thing the Orioles have invested in and so far, it's going in the right direction.

MLB.com: How much of a change in the use of technology and analytics have you seen from one regime to the next? You were just in the organization for about half a year before Elias and Co. came in. How are you specifically using that, and what are they having you do to try to make you a better pitcher?

Rodriguez: In our bullpens, we use it a lot. We didn't use it much when I got here my first summer, and then the first Spring Training when I got back, it was a really big thing. Edgetronic cameras, TrackMan, all kinds of stuff started showing up and we started using it, learning how to use it and figuring it out. Really using it to the best of your abilities to maximize your game. It's been a great thing.

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MLB.com: Have you specifically tried to refine any pitches with that? How have you used it in terms of particular pitches?

Rodriguez: I just started throwing a changeup here this past season, and it's been a big thing. I really never knew how to throw a changeup, and using those cameras, seeing how it moves on a computer screen, all kinds of stuff, it really opens up the possibilities of what you can do. Being able to use technology to better it just with all the pitches -- fastball, curveball, slider -- everything can be improved on using that stuff.

MLB.com: If I asked you to give a scouting report on yourself, how would you rank your pitches?

Rodriguez: No. 1, I'd go with fastball. That's just how I dominate my game, I guess. The fastball is my go-to pitch a lot. The slider is probably my next-best one. I love throwing that. And then the changeup has developed really well, and I started throwing that to both lefties and righties. And then the curveball, I guess. But on any given day those can change. How you're feeling in the bullpen before a start, anything can change on any given day.

MLB.com: What were your expectations or hopes going into your first full professional season? It was a pretty spectacular year, dominant season in low Class A, you get to go to the Futures Game and you're Orioles Minor League pitcher of the year. Did you set many goals for yourself going into the year and what do you think of your year looking back now?

Rodriguez: A big goal for every pitcher is just to stay healthy, get through the season with nothing wrong. We were able to do that and the success kind of comes later. It's not really about wins and losses in the Minor Leagues, it's about getting better. My goal is to just come in and get better, develop a little bit, refine all the pitches and learn, learn how to execute a full season. Everything else was just extra. It was just icing on top of the cake.

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MLB.com: Now that you have that first full year behind you, have you set any kind of timetable for when you hope to be in Baltimore or do you not worry about that so much?

Rodriguez: Usually I don't worry about that stuff. It’s kind of out of my control. I kind of view things like you can only control what's in front of you. You go out and play great every start, and everyone else will handle all that other stuff.

MLB.com: What in particular are you trying to work on? What do you think you need to do between now and getting to the big leagues?

Rodriguez: Command's always a thing with every pitcher. Your command can always be better. There can always be less walks this year than there were last year. That's a big thing, just being able to come in and repeat delivery and everything else, become more of a fine-tuned machine.

MLB.com: The Orioles farm system is probably the strongest it has been in at least a decade. You guys had the No. 1 overall pick last year in Rutschman, before you guys like D.L. Hall came in, they've made some trades. Do you sense being in this organization, that you can see a lot of impressive young talent, and as much as the big league team is struggling, that you can see some hope for the future?

Rodriguez: Oh yeah. We had a great Draft last year. I got to play with some of those guys at Delmarva last year that actually came up to low A. Being able to hang out with those guys, they're great guys, and watching them play on the field is spectacular. There's definitely some talent down here. If you come out and see our intrasquads, it's amazing. There's a lot of guys that aren't known that should be known and could be top prospects. They will, they'll be great Major League players. There's an abundance of players down here that a lot of people don't know.

MLB.com: What was your first impression after getting to play with Rutschman?

Rodriguez: Great receiver. Being able to throw to him as a pitcher -- you're working with catchers firsthand -- and being able to throw with him my last couple of starts of the last year, just seeing how he controls the run game. As a pitcher, that's kind of a big thing some guys have to worry about, but with him back there, there's not much worrying about it. He's throwing some missiles down to second base. That's pretty fun to watch.

MLB.com: What did you think of him watching him hit?

Rodriguez: It was great. In Lakewood, [it's] a pretty big park, and he put one out into the wind. That was pretty special to see. Him being a switch-hitter, it's great already.