The Citizen
AUBURN - Edward Rodriguez didn't expect to be back in Auburn this season. Then again, the Toronto Blue Jays probably didn't expect he'd be here either.
The lanky, hard-throwing right-hander was one of the few bullpen bright spots for the Doubledays in 2005. Rodriguez, or “E-Rod” as he's known by teammates, amassed a 3.49 ERA while striking out 25 batters in 21 appearances.
On April 6 of this year, Rodriguez reported to Class-A Lansing, a step up from Auburn. He appeared in six games before being suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Under the league's new rules, the first violation carries a hefty suspension of 50 games.
“It was an experience you never want to go through,” Rodriguez said through an interpreter. “When somebody's young they make mistakes. It's something that will never happen again. I've learned from it and matured from it.”
After serving his suspension, Rodriguez was told to report to the Doubledays. While a demotion isn't usually considered a positive thing, Rodriguez is grateful to be allowed the opportunity to pitch again.
“He told me 'I don't care where I go, I just want to pitch,'” Doubledays pitching coach Antonio Caceres said. “Some guys get dropped a level and they feel down. Not him. He's as focused as anybody on this team.”
The Auburn coaching staff has noticed a distinct improvement in not only Rodriguez's arm, but in his drive and demeanor. Caceres said the demotion and suspension have done nothing but inspire him to take the mound again and prove to people he can be successful while doing things the right way.
“The main thing has been his attitude with the coaches,” Caceres said. “He's more coachable.
“He's a got a strong work ethic and it shows. When we're running he's always the first one out on the field. He does everything the right way.”
Rodriguez didn't waste any time showing off his new-found confidence in the Doubledays' season-opener. He picked up the save in a 4-3 win over Batavia and struck out the side in the ninth inning.
In three appearances in Auburn, Rodriguez allowed no runs and struck out six.
“I'm not angry to be back (in Auburn),” Rodriguez said. “It's just too bad this situation had to happen. But I'm ready to work hard to get back to where I was.”
Rodriguez's hard work paid off this past week as he got called back up to Lansing. This time, he won't take pitching for granted and in fact, is probably mentally tougher.
Rodriguez credits his early success to an added confidence in his slider. Caceres credits the success to better consistency. He said when Rodriguez keeps his fastball down, which is clocked between 90-92 mph, he's almost unhittable.
“When he was in Pulaski (two years ago) he had good stuff but he wasn't consistent,” Caceres said. “We've been working on his mechanics a lot and he's developed some quality pitches. He's more consistent when he throws the fastball and he's gotten better at changing speeds.”
Stuff-wise, Caceres admits Rodriguez has got a chance to one day pitch in the big leagues. Right now, he's just focused on learning from his mistakes and determined to dominate every time he takes the mound.
“It's always been baseball,” Rodriguez said. “(At Lansing) you learn that everybody is a little bit more fine-tuned. It was a good learning experience. I've got to throw more quality pitches because at that level everybody controls their pitches. I'm feeling pretty good here. My pitches are feeling good and I'm really confident every time I take the field.”
The lanky, hard-throwing right-hander was one of the few bullpen bright spots for the Doubledays in 2005. Rodriguez, or “E-Rod” as he's known by teammates, amassed a 3.49 ERA while striking out 25 batters in 21 appearances.
On April 6 of this year, Rodriguez reported to Class-A Lansing, a step up from Auburn. He appeared in six games before being suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Under the league's new rules, the first violation carries a hefty suspension of 50 games.
“It was an experience you never want to go through,” Rodriguez said through an interpreter. “When somebody's young they make mistakes. It's something that will never happen again. I've learned from it and matured from it.”
After serving his suspension, Rodriguez was told to report to the Doubledays. While a demotion isn't usually considered a positive thing, Rodriguez is grateful to be allowed the opportunity to pitch again.
“He told me 'I don't care where I go, I just want to pitch,'” Doubledays pitching coach Antonio Caceres said. “Some guys get dropped a level and they feel down. Not him. He's as focused as anybody on this team.”
The Auburn coaching staff has noticed a distinct improvement in not only Rodriguez's arm, but in his drive and demeanor. Caceres said the demotion and suspension have done nothing but inspire him to take the mound again and prove to people he can be successful while doing things the right way.
“The main thing has been his attitude with the coaches,” Caceres said. “He's more coachable.
“He's a got a strong work ethic and it shows. When we're running he's always the first one out on the field. He does everything the right way.”
Rodriguez didn't waste any time showing off his new-found confidence in the Doubledays' season-opener. He picked up the save in a 4-3 win over Batavia and struck out the side in the ninth inning.
In three appearances in Auburn, Rodriguez allowed no runs and struck out six.
“I'm not angry to be back (in Auburn),” Rodriguez said. “It's just too bad this situation had to happen. But I'm ready to work hard to get back to where I was.”
Rodriguez's hard work paid off this past week as he got called back up to Lansing. This time, he won't take pitching for granted and in fact, is probably mentally tougher.
Rodriguez credits his early success to an added confidence in his slider. Caceres credits the success to better consistency. He said when Rodriguez keeps his fastball down, which is clocked between 90-92 mph, he's almost unhittable.
“When he was in Pulaski (two years ago) he had good stuff but he wasn't consistent,” Caceres said. “We've been working on his mechanics a lot and he's developed some quality pitches. He's more consistent when he throws the fastball and he's gotten better at changing speeds.”
Stuff-wise, Caceres admits Rodriguez has got a chance to one day pitch in the big leagues. Right now, he's just focused on learning from his mistakes and determined to dominate every time he takes the mound.
“It's always been baseball,” Rodriguez said. “(At Lansing) you learn that everybody is a little bit more fine-tuned. It was a good learning experience. I've got to throw more quality pitches because at that level everybody controls their pitches. I'm feeling pretty good here. My pitches are feeling good and I'm really confident every time I take the field.”
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