Francisco Rodríguez
From BR Bullpen
Francisco Jose Rodríguez (K-Rod or Frankie)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
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[edit] Biographical Information
Francisco Rodríguez became the youngest pitcher ever to reach 100 saves, when he did so on September 10, 2006, at age 24 years and 264 days. He then set the all-time single-season mark for saves in 2008.
He was pitching already at the age of seven at the Graciano Ravelo Baseball School, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Anaheim Angels in 1998. He pitched for Venezuela at the 1998 Pan-American Youth Championship in Mexico.
In the minors, Rodríguez pitched at rookie league-level Butte in 1999, primarily as a starter, with an ERA of 3.31 and a record of 1-1 before starting one game at low-A Boise. In 2000, he was in Lake Elsinore of the California League as a starter, posting a record of 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA. In 2001, he stayed in the California League, with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, where he posted an ERA of 5.38 as a starter.
In spite of that, Rodríguez moved up to Double A and to Triple A during the 2002 season, when he was 20 years old, and even had a few games at the major league level that year. He became a reliever, starting no games at any level from 2002 through now. His ERA at Arkansas in the Texas League was 1.96 as he had 9 saves and a 3-3 record. In Triple A at Salt Lake in the PCL, he had an ERA of 2.57 with a record of 2-3 and 6 saves.
In the majors in 2002, Rodríguez came up for 5 games, pitching 5 2/3 innings, without giving up a run. He was the youngest player in the league. He burst on to the national scene with a highly successful postseason run that saw him win five games while striking out 28 batters in 17 2/3 innings, earning him the nickname of "K-Rod". Controversially, he was included on the postseason roster over Aaron Sele, who had been injured much of the year; his inclusion was made possible by an ambiguity in the postseason roster rules that allowed for an injury replacement for any player on the 40-man roster: Rodriguez replaced Steve Green, who had been on the DL the entire year.
In 2003, in the majors, Rodríguez was mainly used as a set-up man for Troy Percival. He appeared in 59 games (all in relief) at the age of 21, finishing 23 but getting only 2 saves. His ERA was 3.03, and he had a record of 8-3. In 2004, he began to get saves, with 12 in 69 games, posting an ERA of 1.82. He was named to the All Star team.
In 2005 Rodríguez recorded 45 saves to lead the league, and in 2006 his league-leading 47 put him on the way to winning the Rolaids Relief Award. He had another good season in 2007, going 5-2, 2.41 with 40 saves as the Angels won their division. In 2008, he began to rack up saves at an unseen rate, as the Angels were winning a lot of close games. He was already closing in on 40 saves by the All-Star Game, to which he was selected, and he set a new major league mark when he notched his 58th save of the season against the Seattle Mariners on September 13. This shattered the record of 57 held by Bobby Thigpen since 1990.
At the age of 25, Rodríguez has pitched in post-season play four times already, in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007. In the 2002 World Series, which the Angels won, he pitched 8 2/3 innings in relief, getting 13 strikeouts with a 2.08 ERA. He had no saves, but a record of 1-1. He was welcomed back in Venezuela as a national hero after the Series, since he was front-page news there during the post-season.
Rodríguez has also pitched in the Venezuelan League, and was named to the League's All Star team as relief pitcher in 2004 and 2005.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 3-time AL All-Star (2004, 2007 & 2008)
- AL Rolaids Relief Award Winner (2006)
- 3-time AL Saves Leader (2005, 2006 & 2008)
- 30 Saves Seasons: 4 (2005-2008)
- 40 Saves Seasons: 4 (2005-2008)
- 50 Saves Seasons: 1 (2008)
- 60 Saves Seasons: 1 (2008)
- Won a World Series with the Anaheim Angels in 2002
[edit] Records Held
- Saves, season, 62, 2008
- Saves, right-hander, season, 62, 2008
