Did the Rangers Find a Gem in 2025 International Signee Elorky Rodriguez?

The Texas Rangers picked up Elorky Rodriguez this year, and he has absolutely been killing the baseball in the Dominican Summer League so far.

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers had a pretty expansive 2025 international free agent class, bringing over players like Seong-Jun Kim, Jhon Simon, Emil Martinez and more. However, one name also sticks out from the group as a potential high-end prospect in the near future, and that is Elorky Rodriguez, a 17-year-old outfielder who has rapidly taken to the minor leagues.

The Rangers valued him highly, as was shown by their slightly over $1 million bonus deal to land him this past offseason, which indicates he would get playing time early.

In his first Dominican Summer League season, he certainly made an impression with his talent, and heading into year two, all eyes are now on him to continue to develop rapidly and potentially earn an early promotion.

Dominican OF Elorky Rodriguez officially signed with the Texas Rangers.

Bonus deal: $1,000,000. pic.twitter.com/ifLRAfBz83

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 15, 2025

It will be intriguing to see how he performs in the spring of 2026 and whether or not he gets any reps at higher farm system levels in the first few months of the year. Given how quickly he took to the farm system, he could find himself rising rather rapidly if he continues this level of success.

How Did Rodriguez Look in the Dominican Summer League This Year?

Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

In his first season with Texas, Rodriguez found his footing about as fast as anyone could have ever expected, hitting the cover off the ball in the vast majority of his appearances.

• 46 total games
• Slashed .337/.473/.506
• 46 runs
• 48 RBI
• Nine stolen bases
• Six home runs
• 39 walks
• 38 strikeouts.

An impressive start from the plate, no doubt, especially when factoring in the plate discipline, as he walked more often than he struck out, and his consistency in hitting was high.

His fielding numbers were a little more streaky, which is ok given this was only his first stint in the minor leagues. He split time between center field and second base, and in the former, he played 148.2 innings, posting 20 putouts, two double plays turned and one error, good for a .952 fielding rate.

At second base, he played 129 innings, putting up 26 assists, 26 putouts, six double plays and five errors, which counts out to a .912 fielding rate.

Over time, he is going to continue to find his stride in both positions, but for now, it seems as though center field may be the spot for him, given his success there and lack of errors.

It will all depend on what the team needs from him long-term, though, as he is still a long way away from making an MLB debut in the future. But he has made great strides in year one, as he looks to find his first promotion in the coming year.

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