| Frank Rodriguez | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher /Coach | |
| Born: (1972-12-11)December 11, 1972 (age 52) Brooklyn,New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 26, 1995, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 22, 2001, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 29–39 |
| Earned run average | 5.53 |
| Strikeouts | 371 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Francisco Rodriguez (born December 11, 1972) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher who played inMajor League Baseball from 1995 to 2001.
Rodriguez won theDick Howser Trophy, the annual national award for the outstanding collegiate baseball player, for his 1991 seasonHoward Junior College inBig Spring, Texas. Since then, no junior college baseball player has won the award. Rodriguez played shortstop and pitcher for Howard, and he led his team to the 1991JUCO World Series title. He won 14 games as a pitcher and hit 26 home runs.[1][2]
Rodriguez was drafted as a shortstop by theBoston Red Sox in the second round of the1990 MLB draft.[3] He signed with Boston in Jun 1991 and began his professional career in 1991 with theClass A Short SeasonElmira Pioneers.[3][4] He converted to a pitcher in 1992 with theClass ALynchburg Red Sox.[5]
He made his major league debut for the Red Sox on Wednesday, April 26, 1995, pitching a scoreless inning. On July 26, he was traded to theMinnesota Twins for closerRick Aguilera, with Minnesota later sending minor leaguer J. J. Johnson to complete the trade.[3][6] Rodriguez led the Twins with 13 wins in 1996 and won the team'sJoseph W. Haynes Award as pitcher of the year. However, he also had 14 losses and a 5.05 ERA.[4][7]
TheSeattle Mariners claimed Rodriguez off waivers from the Twins in May 1999,[8] and he pitched for Seattle through the 2020 season. He was suspended in August 1999 for hittingChuck Knoblauch of theNew York Yankees and swearing at the Yankees dugout, in retaliation forEdgar Martínez being hit, spurring abench-clearing brawl.[9][10]
Rodriguez last pitched in the majors for theCincinnati Reds in 2001.[3] He struck out fourFlorida Marlins batters in one inning on July 22, withRyan Thompson reaching on a wild pitch and later scoring in the inning.[11][12] Rodriguez finished with an MLB career record of 29–39 and 5.53 ERA.[3][13]
In 2008, he returned to pro baseball playing for theNewark Bears of theAtlantic League where he pitched to a 2–1 record, with 7.79 ERA.[7][5]
Rodriguez was an assistant coach for theSUNY Maritime College Privateers in the Bronx, New York from 2015 to 2021.[14][15][16]
He became the pitching coach for theMercy University Mavericks in 2022.[17] After two seasons, he became an associate head coach.[18]
· Baseball Almanac