John Rodriguez (baseball)

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John Rodríguez

New York Mets — No. 5
Right field
Born: January 20, 1978 (1978-01-20) (age 30)
Bats: Left Throws: Left 
Major League Baseball debut
July 18, 2005 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2006)
Batting average     .298
Home runs     7
Runs batted in     43
Teams

John Joseph Rodriguez (born January 20, 1978 in New York, New York), is a Major League baseball player for the New York Mets organization. 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, 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.

Rodriguez gave himself the nickname "J-Rod" when he first came to the Cardinals, as his hitting prowess at the time was akin to "A-Rod" Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez has stated he is not a big fan of this nickname.

On November 30, 2007, the Cardinals designated Rodriguez for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster to make room for newly-acquired shortstop, Cesar Izturis. [1] It was shortly thereafter the team decided to release him.[2]

Rodriguez signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on January 4, 2008, but did not make the major league team out of spring training. On June 2, 2008, Rodriguez was released. On June 8, Rodriguez signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets and was assigned to Triple-A New Orleans.


06/07/08 Transaction New Orleans John Rodriguez signed as a free agent

[edit] References

  1. ^ Strauss, Joe. "Izturis deal nudges out Eckstein." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2007-12-01. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  2. ^ Strauss, Joe. "LaRussa: Now, it's personal." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2007-12-06. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.

[edit] External links

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St. Louis Cardinals 2006 World Series roster
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