Considering that Yovanny Rodriguez is only 17 years old, Amazin’ fans should be extremely thrilled about the prospect from the New York Mets, who is starting to generate some serious noise in the MLB.
Over the past 20 years, the overseas market has grown equally important to uncovering future stars, even though most fans are aware of the impact the annual MLB Draft will have on their favorite clubs’ futures. Teams need to make prudent financial decisions because of the new restrictions on the amount of money they may spend on overseas prospects.
And Yovanny Rodriguez, a teenage player from Venezuela, appears to be a real treasure that the Mets may have discovered. The prospect was the organization’s main objective during the recruiting process, and last month, they signed him to a minor league contract for $2.85 million.
“The Mets built a relationship with Rodriguez and his family throughout the process, and he was able to speak to [catcher] Francisco Alvarez on a few occasions, getting advice on the road he is about to take,” Joe DeMayo of SNY reported on Wednesday.
Alvarez, a fellow Venezuelan born catcher, advanced quickly through the system farm and, at the age of 21, started playing in the major leagues.
It is a coup for the Mets to sign Rodriguez, who was ranked sixth overall by MLB Pipeline and as the best catching prospect in this year’s international class by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He was rated by MLB Pipeline as having the potential to be the top player among these prospects.
According to scouts who spoke with SNY, Rodriguez keeps improving each time they get a close-up look at him. In addition, as his abilities increase, he gets physically bigger and stronger. From the most crucial defensive position on the field, the outlet also disclosed an intriguing tidbit of information regarding his elite-level defense.
“One Mets scout said he has a 70-grade arm on a 20-80 scale and that in workouts he would have pop times throwing down to second base that are at the level of JT Realmuto, who is among the best at throwing out base runners at the major league level.”
Yovanny Rodriguez has a lot of potential, as evidenced by the fact that New York Mets management are reportedly impressed with both his bat control and his ability to make strong contact on pitches.
“The barrel control leads scouts to project him to be able to make consistent contact at the next level,” SNY reported. “As Rodriguez continues to physically mature and get stronger, there is belief that he will also be able to hit for power.”
Although the Mets prospect is still years away, owner Steven Cohen should be extremely pleased with his strategy since it is clearly improving their farm system.