One Prospect to Watch at Cincinnati Reds Spring Training: Hector Rodriguez

One of the most intriguing prospects you need to be watching during Spring Training for the Cincinnati Reds is Hector Rodriguez. He is drawing rave reviews from spectators at camp but carries one major flaw that will cause all Reds fans to collectively groan.

First things first, Rodriguez can hit. He is the kind of hitter the Reds love to tell us about that is well-rounded with an above-average line drive rate. He also makes a lot of contact.

Across three levels of the minors last year, Rodriguez slashed .283/.336/.450 in 575 plate appearances. He began in Dayton, made a quick stop in Chattanooga, and finished the year in Louisville. While he struggled some after being promoted to the Bats, Rodriguez never had a strikeout percentage above 16.5%.

Feb 18, 2025; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Hector Rodriguez poses for a portrait during Media Day at the Cincinnati Reds Development Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Even during a bit of slump in Louisville, Rodriguez made contact at a better rate than most. A league average hitter will make contact with a pitch inside the strike zone 86% of the time. Rodriguez did so 88.9%. He also makes contact with pitches outside the zone (67.6%) at a far higher clip than the league average hitter (61.7%).

The problem is how often he attacks those pitches outside the zone.

Rodriguez offered at 46.2% of those types of pitches last year in Triple-A. That’s almost 15% higher than the league average hitter. That is coupled together with a swing rate that is almost 10% more than the average Joe.

Now you might be pointing back to that strikeout percentage that I mentioned a moment ago. Here’s the problem with that number: context.

Minor League strikeout percentages and Major League strikeout percentages are not created equal. The moment Rodriguez steps into a batter’s box at Great American Ballpark (or any other MLB ballpark) he will be opposed by a pitcher who has better stuff than he has ever seen.

There just is no comparing the stuff of a Triple-A pitcher and a MLB pitcher. Executives and scouts around the league would agree that the gap has never been larger. Part of that means Rodriguez will just have to get to Cincinnati and see if he can hang with the big league pitchers. I would remain cautiously optimistic about him when that happens.

Rodriguez would seem to be an exciting prospect but he has to work on his patience at the plate. Reds fans can name an entire lineup of players whose profile coming up through the minors was “exciting hitter who can be too aggressive at times.” So many of these guys have come and gone through the Reds lineup, and I am only referencing the last 10 years or so.

He plays well enough in the outfield that his glove is not a minus. He’s also getting to the point in his development where we will see him at Cincinnati at some point in 2026. Whether that is for a cup of coffee and then a bus ride back to Louisville, or not, will depend on his ability to take a few more pitches this year.