Eduardo Rodriguez Leadership is Showing in Full Effect

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cincinnati Reds Friday by a score of 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Salt River Fields on an extremely cold and cloudy day.

The story of the day was how Eduardo Rodriguez did on the mound in his second official start in a Spring Training game and then

Rodriguez excelled, locating all his pitches for strikes while establishing zone presence. He interwove his cutter and fastball extremely well while occasionally mixing in a good slider or changeup.

Rodriguez pitched 3.2 innings and when he was pulled after the second out of the fourth inning, it was clear he could keep going and it seemed he wanted to.

Rodriguez spoke about the outing and not wanting to come out of the game, "One of those days that you don't want to come off of the mound... It's like everything that I was throwing was just going right where I want it. So, I just want to keep that mentality and go for my next game and for the season."

"Nobody want to get out of the mound when you feel like that. But we'll laugh and come out of the game because he's the boss, so gotta take it."

However, those 3.2 innings were strong as he struck out six batters and didn't allow a baserunner. It was the kind of pitching that earned him his big free agent contract and resembled his 2023 performances on the mound.

His shoulder looked extremely strong as he reached 94.1 mph with his fastball. His cutter reached 90.6 and all five types of pitches he threw were at least 0.7 mph faster than last year's numbers.

Rodriguez said that it was the best he's felt all Spring Training, especially with how the ball was coming out of his hand.

His 4-seam fastball reached 19 Induced Vertical Break, (IVB) which is a stellar number compared to his 14 average of last year. IVB is movement with the effects of gravity removed, so it measures what the pitcher is doing to make the ball move. Overall, it was a strong third outing for Rodriguez and sets him up for a good next couple of starts.

It has been noticed by some, how big a leader Rodriguez is in the clubhouse, especially with younger players and pitchers. He's taken them under his wing and guided them throughout Spring Training in search of not only being a close friend and teammate but helping them achieve success on the mound.

Speaking to Jack Sommers of Arizona Diamondbacks On SI, Rodriguez explained where he learned such an honorable and noteworthy quality such as leadership, It was during his days in Boston when he played with many older players compared to him being a young, early-20s pitcher. Despite being a clear leader, that isn't Rodriguez's end goal.

"They always taught me how to be a leader with the kids, not just a leader, but try to be just a helper, the most I can. I don't see it as a leader, I just feel like I try to help them all the time.

"I help them, whatever they from need me, if they need me for pitching, if they need me for mechanics, for situations or any part of the game, I'm always going to be out there. So that's what my mentality is every time I'm out in the clubhouse."

The team has numerous young pitchers on the roster and in Spring Training, especially those that are Latin or Spanish-speakers. Rodriguez has been able to guide them through various issues while serving as a valuable mentor who has gone through just about everything an MLB starting pitcher could go through, be it injury, World Series, off-field matters, and plenty more.

What's important to Rodriguez besides helping other players is to be a good friend, a true friend in the clubhouse and out of it.

For Rodriguez, the goal is to be a close friend who earns the younger players' respect and not let them be scared by the difficulties in baseball. He wants them to be comfortable around him and work with him, and so far, so good. "It's been working so far so good."

Ketel Marte drove home Alek Thomas with an RBI single in the second inning after Thomas had walked and reached second over the span of two batters. Pavin Smith homered in the bottom of the 8th inning. Those two runs accounted for all the D-backs scoring but it was enough.

Corbin Carroll continued his hit parade with a double, but the rest of the starting lineup had a quiet day offensively on a cold afternoon.

Meanwhile the bullpen pitched a strong game with the only blemish being a mistake pitch from A.J. Puk. Puk left a 96 mph fastball center-center in the zone and it was sent to the grassy lawn past the outfield walls. Puk recorded three strikeouts however.

Justin Martinez pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two, and Shelby Miller had another good scoreless inning with one strikeout. In total, D-backs pitchers struck out 13 batters while walking just three.