| Vic Rodriguez | |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | |
| Infielder /Coach | |
| Born: (1961-07-14)July 14, 1961 (age 64) New York City, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1984, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 30, 1989, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .429 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 2 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
Victor Manuel Rodriguez Rivera (born July 14, 1961) is an American professionalbaseballcoach and formerinfielder who currently serves as the hitting coach for theHouston Astros ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for theBaltimore Orioles in 1984 and theMinnesota Twins in 1989, appearing in 17 games. He has previously held the assistant hitting coach role for theBoston Red Sox (2013–2017) andCleveland Guardians (2018–2023), and the primary hitting coach role for theSan Diego Padres (2024–2025).
Born inNew York City, Rodriguez attended high school inPuerto Rico. He threw and battedright-handed and as an active player was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 173 pounds (78 kg). He played 1,759 games in the minor leagues, batting .295 with 102home runs. In 13 seasons atTriple-A, he batted .290.
Rodriguez was originally signed at the age of 15 as an amateur free agent by theBaltimore Orioles in1977. He played mostly as asecond baseman as he moved his way slowly up through the Orioles organization, not reaching theTriple-A level for even a partial season until1982. After another full season atDouble-A with theCharlotte O's in1983, Rodriguez returned to Triple-A for good in1984 with theRochester Red Wings.
That was the season in which Rodriguez got his first chance at the majors. Called up in September when rosters expanded, Rodriguez appeared in 11 games for the Orioles, seven of them at second base, and went 7-for-17 for a batting average of .412. That would be the end of his career in the Orioles' organization, however, as he was traded to theSan Diego Padres for fellow infielderFritzie Connally.
Rodriguez lasted just one season in the Padres' system, playing for theLas Vegas Stars in1985 and batting .312. He became a free agent after the season and signed with theSt. Louis Cardinals, and spent the next two seasons with their top farm team, theLouisville Redbirds. By this time, Rodriguez had been shifted from second base tothird base defensively.
After the1987 season, he again became a free agent, signing with theMinnesota Twins during the offseason. He spent all of1988 and1989 with their Triple-A team, thePortland Beavers, before finally getting another chance in the majors. Called up in July to fill in for the injuredWally Backman, Rodriguez again posted impressive batting numbers, going 5-for-11 with 2 doubles for a .455 batting average and .636 slugging average. However, he was sent back to the minors in early August.
Rodriguez remained in the Twins system for two more seasons, continuing to play for the Beavers. In1992, he moved on to thePhiladelphia Phillies, playing two seasons for theScranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. In1994, he played for theEdmonton Trappers in theFlorida Marlins' system, then finished his career playing for theBoston Red Sox' top farm club, thePawtucket Red Sox, in1995.
After his playing career ended in1995 with thePawtucket Red Sox, Rodriguez remained in the Red Sox organization as a minor league coach and instructor for 17 seasons, including seven years (2002; 2007–2012) as roving minor league hitting coordinator and four (2003–2006) as Latin American field coordinator of instruction.
On November 30, 2012, theBoston Red Sox appointed Rodriguez as their assistant hitting coach.[1] Following managerJohn Farrell's dismissal on October 11, 2017, Farrell's coaches were told they were free to seek employment elsewhere.
On November 8, 2017, Rodriguez succeededMatt Quatraro as theCleveland Indians' assistant hitting coach.[2]
On December 22, 2023, Rodriguez was hired by theSan Diego Padres to serve as the team's primary hitting coach.[3]
On November 5, 2025, theHouston Astros hired Rodriguez to serve as the team's new hitting coach, replacingTroy Snitker andAlex Cintrón.[4]
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet