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SF Giants send scouts to NPB, WBC star Yariel Rodríguez’s workout

The SF Giants were one of many teams with scouts in attendance for former Team Cuba and Chunichi Dragons star Yariel Rodríguez's free-agent workout.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants send scouts to NPB, WBC star Yariel Rodríguez’s workout
SF Giants send scouts to NPB, WBC star Yariel Rodríguez’s workout

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants were one of more than 15 MLB teams with scouts in attendance for free-agent right-handed pitcher Yariel Rodríguez's workout in the Dominican Republic, according to a report by freelance reporter Francys Romero. The 26-year-old Rodríguez debuted in the Cuban National League as a teenager in 2015 and signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan prior to the 2020 season as part of a partnership between the NPB and the Cuban government. However, Rodríguez defected from Cuba earlier this year and was released by the Dragons because he wanted to sign with an MLB team.

Rodríguez was Team Cuba's ace at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, starting the team's first game of the tournament and recording a 2.45 ERA across 7.1 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts. Rodríguez showcased a mid-90s fastball alongside a devastating slider that helped him generate a ton of swings and misses. Rodríguez's dominance on a big stage surely made it easier to envision making the transition to MLB.

Rodríguez was an effective long reliever and starting pitcher for the majority of his career. However, he took his performance to another level in 2022 when the Dragons began utilizing him as a standard one-inning reliever. In 56 appearances over the course of the season, Rodríguez recorded 60 strikeouts and issued just 18 walks in 54.2 innings pitched with a 1.15 ERA.

Despite his success, Rodríguez's fastball has received roughly average grades. While there are plenty of effective relievers in the majors with just one exceptional pitch, it seems like Rodríguez might not be able to immediately step into a back-of-bullpen role with an MLB team.

Given his combination of youth and track record, it will be interesting to see what type of contract Rodríguez ends up signing on the open market. Since he was released by Chunichi and is older than 25, his contract will not cost a signing team either a posting fee or international pool money. 

The SF Giants will have some available spots in the bullpen. While Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, Taylor Rogers, and Luke Jackson are all under team control through next season, veteran relievers John Brebbia and Scott Alexander are both slated to be free agents. If the organization's scouts come away from Yariel Rodríguez's workout impressed, the righty could quickly become a free-agent target.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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