Failed Prospects Pt. 18: Sam Travis

 Just a one-card post to show off today, and I figured it would be a good time to talk about Sam Travis.

Sam Travis was a second round draft pick by the Red Sox in the 2014 draft.  He was immediately successful in the minors.  In his first season, he hit .316/.351/.467 with seven home runs and 44 RBIs.  He followed that up with an even better season in his second year in the minors, reaching Double A and hitting .307/.381/.452 with nine home runs, 78 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.  At this point he looked like the team's first-baseman of the future, and given that he was already in Double A, that future looked soon.

He spent the entire 2016 season in Pawtucket, but his hitting took a step backward.  He hit just .272/.332/.434 with six home runs and 29 RBIs.  Some of that was due to injuries as he played in just 49 games.  But his numbers were going in the wrong direction.  Instead of looking like he would become the first-baseman in 2017, the team brought in Mitch Moreland.  Travis started the 2017 season back in Pawtucket.  His numbers again declined, to .270/.351/.375 with six home runs and 24 RBIs in 82 games.  Despite that, he did get a call-up to the Majors, playing in 33 games, but hitting just .263/.325/.342 with no home runs and one RBI in 83 plate appearances.

2018 saw Travis back in Pawtucket for a third season.  Again, his numbers failed to impress.  He hit .258/.317/.360 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs.  His speed was completely gone by now, as he stole just one base.  He again played in the Majors, but for just 19 games, hitting .222/.263/.389.  He did hit his first Major League home run and drove in seven runs.  In 2019 he had a little bit of an uptick in his numbers, hitting .275/.362/.432 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 68 games.  He was given a longer look in the Majors, but despite some increased power, he still could not get much going.  Travis hit .215/.274/.382 with six home runs and 16 RBIs.  

Unfortunately, that was it for Sam Travis in Boston.  In January, he was shipped to Texas in exchange for reliever Jeffrey Springs.  In his career with Boston, Travis hit .230/.288/.371 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs.  He just was not able to take the next step after Double A.  He failed to live up to his early promise and did not hit nearly enough to be a regular first-baseman at the Major League level.  Travis did not appear in the Majors with Texas in 2020 and was released last month.  His future is very much up in the air.

Failed Prospects Pt. 17: Seung-Jun Song

In the late 1990's/early 2000's, Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette seemed to be obsessed with finding low-cost, high-reward pitching from Asia, in particular from the Korean league.  Seung-Jun Song was supposed to be the crown jewel of the foray into the Asian market.  Unfortunately, only Tomokazu Ohka was able to have any kind of success in the U.S., and most of that came after being traded to Montreal.

Song was signed as an international free agent in 1999 before he played professionally in Korea.  He started his professional career at the same time that most players his age were starting college.  He was impressive from the start.  In the rookie league, Song was 5-5 with a 2.30 ERA and a 3.05 K/BB rate and 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

He rose through the ranks fairly quickly.  With Low Class-A Lowell in 2000, he was 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA.  He struck out 93 and walked just 20 in 72.2 innings.  Across two levels in 2001, he was 8-4 with a 1.90 ERA.  He had a 3.75 K/BB rate and a 9.9 K/9.

Prior to the 2002 season, Song appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list at #60.  It was the first time he was ranked on the list.  Song had also moved to the top of the team's top prospect ranking.  Unfortunately, he struggled for the first time in 2002.  It was not a huge deal.  He was still just 22 years old, but he started out the season at Double A Trenton and was 7-7 with a 4.39 ERA.  However, his K/BB and K/9 rates were close enough to his previous numbers that the increase in ERA was not much of a concern.

At the trading deadline in 2002, Song was packaged along with fellow Korean Sun-Woo Kim to Montreal for Cliff Floyd.  Duquette was not very good at building up and retaining a decent farm system and wanted another bat for the stretch run.  Ultimately the move did not pay off.  Floyd was a good hitter, but Boston still fell short of the postseason and allowed Floyd to walk after the season.

Song pitched in just one game in Montreal's system the rest of the way in 2002.  He had a good season in 2003, making it to Triple A for the first time and going 12-4 with a 3.08 ERA.  Unfortunately, that was the last of his success.  His career stalled after that due to injuries and ineffectiveness.  In 2004 he was 4-2 with a 4.78 ERA over three levels.  He had a little more success in 2005, but was moving backwards.  He last appeared in the U.S. in 2006 in the Royals system.  After that season he returned to Korea where he has pitched ever since.  He is still active in Korea.

Seung-Jun Song never appeared in the Major Leagues.  He moved through the Red Sox system quickly and looked to be ready to make the leap to the Majors after the 2003 season.  But injuries derailed his promising career.  It is a shame.    

Failed Prospects Pt. 16: Will Middlebrooks

To call Will Middlebrooks a bust is probably a little harsh.  He did have a terrific rookie season with the Red Sox, though it was ultimately cut short by injuries, and of course he started late.  I really liked watching Will Middlebrooks, at least when he was hitting.  I was in attendance at a game in Kansas City in which Middlebrooks was the big hitting star.  He hit two home runs and a double.  Each of the home runs was down the line, though one was to left and the other to right.  That performance was hard to forget, even after Middlebrooks's strikeouts were piling up in other years.

Middlebrooks was picked in the fifth round of the 2007 Draft and rose to be Boston's top prospect a few years later.  He showed some big power in 2011, hitting 23 home runs across three levels in the minors and hit .285, though his OBP was pretty low, which was a harbinger of things to come from him.  The 2012 Red Sox were a mess.  Kevin Youkilis was the starting third-baseman but he was struggling and was not getting along with new manager Bobby Valentine.  Boston eventually called up Middlebrooks and Youkilis's days were numbered.  He was eventually traded to the White Sox and Middlebrooks was the new third-baseman.

He had a very good rookie season, hitting .288/.325/.509 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in 75 games.  He suffered a wrist injury that ended his season early.  It was clear he had some holes in his swing and was susceptible to striking out, but if he could cut down the strikeouts and increase the walks, he could have been a pretty decent player.  He definitely had power.  He was not a terrific defensive player, but he could get the job done.

After the season, Boston refused to part with Middlebrooks in trade.  He was expected to step in and be the starting third-baseman in 2013.  And he had some good games.  His power was definitely present and he hit three home runs in one game at Toronto.  For the season, he hit a career high 17 home runs, but only drove in 49 and his slash line was an unimpressive .227/.271/.425.  He eventually lost his job to rookie Xander Bogaerts and even spent some time in the minors.  Middlebrooks played in the postseason, but only picked up four hits, including two doubles, in 28 at-bats.  He did not play in the field after a bizarre play in which he was ruled to have interfered with Allen Craig at third base in the bottom of the 9th.  Craig was ruled to have scored the winning run.

The next season, Middlebrooks was again given the opportunity to start the season, though not as much was expected out of him and he was also not given as much opportunity to prove himself.  He ended up playing in just 63 games and he only managed to hit two home runs while hitting .191/.256/.265.  Pablo Sandoval was signed as a free agent after the 2014 season and it was clear Middlebrooks was on his way out.  Boston traded him for Ryan Hanigan, a backup catcher.  Just two seasons after Boston refused to part with him for anyone, Middlebrooks was traded for a backup catcher.

Middlebrooks played in 83 games for the Padres in 2015, but only managed a .212/.241/.361 line with nine home runs.  He was tried out at shortstop, but that was not a good idea.  In 2016, Middlebrooks played in just 10 games with the Brewers.  He was signed as a low-risk free agent by the Rangers earlier this offseason.

For his Red Sox career, Middlebrooks hit .237/.284/.411 with 34 home runs and 122 RBIs.  He is still just 27 years old, but he is running out of time to show that he can be a quality hitter.  The power is real, but he could never make enough contact to make use of it.

Failed Prospects Pt. 15: Craig Hansen

Craig Hansen is a good example of why the draft can be a crapshoot.  Hansen was selected in the first round of the 2005 draft, 26th overall.  He was considered the closest to being Major League-ready.  It was largely speculated that Boston could bring him up right away for relief help down the stretch.  It was a move that was met with positive reviews, especially by Peter Gammons.  He was expected to be the closer of the future and fairly quickly.

Hansen did make the Major Leagues in 2005, but he only pitched in four games with a 6.00 ERA.  He was not ready yet.  He did make it back to the Major Leagues in 2006 and spent quite a bit of time there, but he was passed on the depth chart for closer by Jonathan Papelbon, who had a phenomenal rookie season.  Hansen struggled in 32 games, going 1-3 with a 6.63 ERA and 30 strikeouts versus 15 walks in 38 innings.  He showed some signs of the talent that made him a first-round pick.  He was still considered a work-in-progress.

Fearful that he had been rushed to the Majors and dealing with some injuries, Boston left him in the minors for the entire 2007 season and he did have a good year with a 3.86 ERA in 40 games.  In 2008 he was expected to make his return.  He had been diagnosed with sleep apnea and was taking some medication.  It was thought that that had contributed to his struggles.  He pitched well briefly in Pawtucket at the start of the season and was called back up to Boston in late April.  Unfortunately, he again struggled.  He pitched in 32 games with Boston in 2008, going 1-3 with a 5.58 ERA and walked almost as many as he struck out.

It was becoming clear than Hansen was not going to develop into the relief prospect he was expected to be in Boston, so he was shipped to Pittsburgh in the three-way Manny Ramirez deal.  Things actually got worse for the Pirates.  He pitched in 16 games with a 7.47 ERA and 20 walks versus just seven strikeouts.  He then only made it into five games for the Pirates in 2009, which was the last time he pitched in the Major Leagues.  He was in the Mets system as recently as a year ago, but has not been seen this year.

Failed Prospects Pt. 14: Jose Malave

I saw Jose Malave play for the Sioux City Explorers in 2003 when they played the Lincoln Saltdogs.  It reminded me of when he was considered a promising prospect in the Red Sox system.  At this point he was 32 years old and had spent all of 45 games in the Major Leagues.

Malave hit more than 20 home runs in consecutive seasons in the Red Sox organization in 1994 and 1995.  He was called up to the Majors in 1996 but struggled.  He hit .235/.257/.382 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 41 games.  He struck out 25 times versus just two walks.

The next season he again had a good year for Pawtucket which lead to another call-up.  This time he only played in four games without a hit.  By this point, Malave was 26 years old and his days as a prospect were past.  It appeared he would never develop into a Major League player and he was allowed to leave for Japan after the season.

Malave played for several independent and foreign league teams through 2003.  He never made it back to the Majors.

Failed Prospects Pt. 13: Juan Pena

Juan Pena was once one of Boston's most highly-touted pitching prospects.  He ended up making his Major League debut in 1999 after performing well for a few years in the minors.  He made it into two games for the Red Sox and performed really well.  He won both of his starts, pitching 13 innings in the two starts while striking out 15 and walking three.  His ERA was a remarkable 0.69.  It was really an incredible start to his career.

Unfortunately that was pretty much it for Pena.  He missed the entire 2000 season due to injuries.  He was never the same after that.  He continued to pitch in the Red Sox system for another couple of years before moving to the Blue Jays system.  He never made it back to the Major Leagues though.

Injuries did Pena in.  It's a shame.  He had a very promising start.

Failed Prospects Pt. 12: Eric Wedge

In the early 1990's, the Red Sox had a number of highly-touted catching prospects in the minor leagues. Scott Hatteberg, John Flaherty, and Eric Wedge were all expected to one day star in the Major Leagues. All three players made it, but none of them were really stars at all. Wedge was perhaps regarded the highest of the three players and did the least of the three at the Major League level.

Wedge was a third-round pick in the 1989 draft and skyrocketed through the Red Sox system, making his Major League debut in 1991 with one at-bat on the last day of the season. He singled.

In 1992, he got a bit more of an extended stay in the Big Leagues, playing in 27 games and bashing five homers in just 68 at-bats. He had a line of .250/.370/.500 in those 27 games. Then, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and the Rockies plucked him away.

Wedge only played in nine games for the Rockies in 1993 and was back in Boston for 1994, but only made it into two games. That was the end of his Major League career. Wedge bounced around the minors for a couple more years before giving up in 1997. He was 29 when he retired.

Since then, Wedge has made it back to the Major Leagues as a manager for the Indians and now Mariners. He has been far more successful as a manager than he ever was as a player.

Failed Prospects Pt. 11: Charlie Zink

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.
CHARLIE ZINK
Another prospect that I was disappointed never turned out. Zink was a knuckleballer who threw a decent fastball and what was called a hard knuckleball. Zink pitched reasonably well in the minor leagues, with a decent record some years, but higher ERAs. Being a knuckleballer though, not much was expected. Nevertheless, Zink has, to date, only pitched in one Major League game.

Zink was brought up to start a game in 2008. He pitched 4.1 innings, giving up eight runs. He had one strikeout and one walk. That has been the extent of Zink's career thus far, but he is still in the minors, most recently in Minnesota's system.

Knuckleballers have a long shelf life, so there is still a chance Zink could make it to the Majors, but I am surprised, at 30 years old, that he is not discouraged and has decided to retire yet.

Failed Prospects Pt. 10: Abe Alvarez

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

ABE ALVAREZ
I really wanted Abe Alvarez to succeed. He had such an interesting story. He was legally blind in one eye and wore his baseball cap to the side to shade the light from that eye in order to see better. He pitched reasonably well in the minor leagues, but he was not able to succeed at the Major League level.

Alvarez only pitched in four games with the Red Sox in three seasons. He was 0-1 with a 11.32 ERA and five strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Very unfortunate.

Currently, Alvarez is pitching in an independent league. I really wanted Alvarez to succeed. It's a shame.

Failed Prospects Pt. 9: Juan Diaz

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

JUAN DIAZ
Juan Diaz was a Cuban undrafted free agent who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996. After a few years in the Dodgers system, he signed as a minor league free agent with the Red Sox in 2000. He was a very large man, with big power potential. He hit 20 or more home runs in the Red Sox minor league system for three straight years. He looked like a potential star with his massive power.

But there was a problem.

After 2001, when there was a push to find accurate birth records of immigrants from Latin American countries, it was discovered that Diaz was older than originally thought. Four years older. Immediately, Diaz's prospect status was killed. A 28 year old hitting 20 or more home runs in AAA is significantly less impressive than a 24 year old.

Diaz made the Majors briefly in 2001 with the Red Sox and did hit a home run. But that was it for him.

Failed Prospects Pt. 8: Wilton Veras

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

WILTON VERAS
Wilton Veras was supposed to be one of the top prospects that Dan Duquette developed. It just did not work out that way. The third baseman had power potential, could hit for a decent average, and played decent defense. At least he did in the minors.

But Veras never could make the Major Leagues for long. He spent parts of two seasons in Boston and compiled a slash line of .262/.297/.340/.637. He hit two home runs and drove in 27. He also struck out 34 times and only walked 12 times in 294 plate appearances. It was this poor strike zone judgment that ultimately cost Veras a career.

Veras jumped from AA to the Majors. He could not cut it in the Majors so he was sent to AAA to get more seasoning but he was never able to develop there either. He was out of professional baseball after the 2003 season.

Failed Prospects Pt. 7: Steve Lomasney

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

STEVE LOMASNEY
The Red Sox have had some troubles developing catchers since the early 1980's when Rich Gedman emerged. Since then, John Marzano, John Flaherty, Eric Wedge, and Scott Hatteberg all came from the Red Sox minor league system, none of whom made a single All Star game with the team. Steve Lomasney was supposed to change that. He was hyped to be the second coming of Carlton Fisk.

Lomasney was rated the #50 prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2000 season. He had hit 20 home runs and .259/.390/.482/.873 in two stops in 1999. However, in 2000, he started to slip and never came close to those numbers again. He finally made it to AAA Pawtucket in 2001 but continued to struggle. He bounced between AA and AAA for years, never quite making the leap for good.

He played one game in the Major Leagues with Boston in 1999 and was hitless in two at-bats with two strikeouts.

Failed Prospects Pt. 6: Donnie Sadler

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

DONNIE SADLER
After Garciaparra exploded into the Major Leagues, there was a lot of hype about a player that was supposed to fill the position next to him. Donnie Sadler was expected to be just as good of a contact hitter, steal a lot more bases, and play sparkling defense. Sadler was originally drafted as a shortstop but moved to second when he was blocked by the meteoric rise of Nomar.

Sadler rose through the minors quickly. He was drafted in 1994 and was already in AAA by 1997, but that's where he started to stall. He never really found his stroke there, although he did develop some power and he was stealing bases at a high rate.

Sadler made his debut in 1998 with the Red Sox, starting the year out with the team. However, he only hit .226/.276/.395/.671. He played only 58 games that year. He improved a bit at the plate in 1999, but still only played 49 games. He did the same in 2000. For his Red Sox career, Sadler hit .242/.283/.352/.635 with four home runs and nine stolen bases. Not the numbers he was expected to put up. Sadler was traded with Michael Coleman for Chris Stynes.

Sadler bounced around a few organizations, never playing regularly and never really learning to hit well. He last appeared in 2007.

Failed Prospects Pt. 5: Michael Coleman

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.
MICHAEL COLEMAN
Michael Coleman was expected to be an all-around talent. He could do anything on the baseball field, run, hit for power, play defense, etc. He even had the nickname "Prime Time", which was also Deion Sanders's nickname. He was expected to be a great player. It just did not work out that way.

Coleman was selected in the 18th round out of high school. He cracked the Top 100 prospects list in 1996 and made it to #51 in 1998. He had a 20/20 season for two minor league levels in 1997 and hit 30 home runs in 1999 for Pawtucket.

Coleman made his ML debut for the Red Sox in 1997, but only played in eight games. He played two more in 1999. He spent several seasons in AAA and the Red Sox eventually tired of him not being able to take the next step forward. Coleman was traded to the Reds along with fellow failed prospect Donnie Sadler before the 2001 season for Chris Stynes. He was traded again during Spring Training along with the whining Drew Henson to the Yankees for Wily Mo Pena, which turned into a hell of a trade for the Reds.

Coleman played 12 games for the Yankees that year and was released. He went back to the Red Sox where he again failed to make the Majors and bounced around the minors for a few seasons after that.

Failed Prospects Pt. 4: Brian Rose

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.
BRIAN ROSE
Brian Rose was part of a trio of hot pitching prospects for the Red Sox in the mid to late 1990's. He is the only one who did not develop into a longtime starter, though none of the three really lived up to expectations. Jeff Suppan and Carl Pavano have both had long careers, but Rose was supposed to be the best of the three of them.

Rose was drafted in the third round of the 1994 draft, the same draft that produced Nomar Garciaparra. He made a quick impact and won 12 games during the 1996 season for AA Trenton. He then won 17 games and had a 3.02 ERA and 116 strikeouts for Pawtucket in 1997. He made his Major League debut in 1997 in one game of a doubleheader and gave up four runs in three innings, striking out three and walking none.

In 1998, he was 1-4 with a 6.93 ERA, proving he was not ready yet. But he was still 22. In 1999, he was 7-6 with a 4.87 ERA, but only 51 strikeouts in 98 innings. It was this low strikeout rate that probably lead to the devaluation of Rose as a prospect.

In 2000, he started out 3-5 with a 6.11 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 53 innings and quickly lost favor with the Red Sox. He was part of a package including Jeff Frye, John Wasdin, Jeff Taglienti and cash that was sent to the Colorado Rockies for Rolando Arrojo, Mike Lansing, and Rich Croushore. Neither side really got much out of this trade.

Rose pitched poorly for Colorado in 2000 and then bounced from the Mets to the Devil Rays in 2001. He never made the majors again and jumped from team to team.

Failed Prospects Pt. 3: Greg Blosser

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

GREG BLOSSER
Greg Blosser was the Red Sox first draft pick in the 1989 draft (16th overall), even picked before Mo Vaughn. That draft produced a lot of busts and Blosser is certainly worthy of being included with the likes of Tyler Houston, Roger Salkeld, Jeff Jackson, Donald Harris, Paul Coleman, Earl Cunningham, and others. Blosser's big weapon was power. He was expected to be the Red Sox left-fielder of the future, eventually taking over for Mike Greenwell.

In 1990, Blosser hit 18 home runs for Single A Lynchburg. He had a down season in 1991, but hit 22 for New Britain in 1992 and 23 for Pawtucket in 1993. He was brought up to the Majors for the first time in 1993. He had 30 at-bats for Boston in 1993 and only had one extra-base hit, a double and one RBI.

In 1994, he hit 17 home runs again for Pawtucket and made it back to Boston for 15 more at-bats. This time, he could not manage a single extra base hit. Blosser would never make it back to the Majors. His MLB line: .077/.200/.103/.303. Pretty bad. Blosser bounced around for several teams in the minors, continuing to hit lots of home runs, but never making it back.

That is a bust.

Failed Prospects Pt. 2: Jeff McNeely

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

JEFF MCNEELY
It seems like the Red Sox had a lot of highly regarded prospects in the early 1990's who just did not pull it together. Jeff McNeely is another one of those players. McNeely was drafted in the second round of the 1989 draft and was expected to be the Red Sox center-fielder of the future, eventually taking over for Ellis Burks.

McNeely was rated the #20 prospect in Baseball America in 1991, and #16 in 1992. His minor league stats in 1991 looked great: .322/.436/.421 and 38 stolen bases. He slumped quite a bit in 1992 in AA, but bounced back in 1993 to put up better numbers in AAA Pawtucket. He even merited a call-up to the majors in September.

In 1993 with the Boston Red Sox, McNeely appeared in 21 games and went .297/.409/.378. Obviously power was not part of his game, but his batting average and on-base percentage were both decent. He also stole six bases and walked seven times. But this was the only time he would appear in the majors. He slumped again in AAA in 1994 while with Boston and then was traded after the season in the deal for Luis Alicea.

McNeely's numbers continued to drop and he ended up bouncing around a little bit, never touching the majors again.

Failed Prospects Pt. 1: Frankie Rodriguez

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ
Frankie Rodriguez was drafted in the second round of the 1990 draft and was a two-way talent, equally able to pitch and play shortstop. He actually played his first minor league season at shortstop, but then was moved to pitcher permanently. He was extremely talented as a young minor leaguer and was rated the #9 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America prior to 1992. His ranking slipped a little in later years, but he was always in the Top 40 until he made the Majors.

He was a pretty good pitcher in the minor leagues too, keeping his strikeouts per nine innings right around seven to eight and an ERA below 4.00. Big things were expected of him. He was supposed to join the rotation behind Roger Clemens in 1995 and be a big-time starter from that point on.

He did join the Red Sox rotation for two starts in 1995 but was bombed. He then went to the bullpen for seven more games and did not fare much better. He was later traded to Minnesota in the trade that brought Rick Aguilera to Boston. He finished his Boston career at 0-2 with a 10.57 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.

In Minnesota, Rodriguez continued to struggle. He was a starter for most of the next couple of years, but he never developed into the pitcher he was supposed to be. In 1996, he did win 13 games, but lost 14 and had an ERA of over 5.00. His strikeouts per nine innings were also dropping and his walk rate was increasing. Eventually, he was placed on waivers and picked up by Seattle, who used him almost exclusively as a reliever, but he never pitched as well as expected. He also pitched briefly for Cincinnati in 2001 but again was a bust. He was cut loose and retired at the age of 28.

In 2008, Rodriguez showed up in Newark with the Independent League Bears, but only pitched in nine games and had a 7.72 ERA.