John Rodriguez (baseball player)

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**John Rodríguez**

St. Louis Cardinals — No. 53
Right field
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
July 18, 2005 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Selected MLB statistics (through October 2, 2006)
Batting average	.298
Home Runs	7
RBI's	43

John Rodriguez (born January 20, 1978 in New York, New York), is a Major League baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals. He plays outfield but is generally known more for his hitting than his fielding. He spent 9 years in the minor leagues before making his Major League debut on July 18, 2005 with the Cardinals. He was finally called up to replace the injured Reggie Sanders, and performed well enough that the Cardinals signed him to a one-year contract following the season. On July 20, 2005 John Rodriguez hit his first career home run off Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Rodriguez got more playing time for the 2006 Cardinals (183 at-bats, 34 more than the year before) and was on the postseason roster, winning a championship ring when the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series. Rodriguez was hitless in his only World Series at-bat.