Primo
Rodriguez

vs Heritage HS - Sacramento State commit; Rodriguez (1-for-3, R, HBP) had another productive game for the Falcons. The 3rd year varsity junior exhibited his trademark patience and discipline at the plate, which we saw in a game last week and a trait that as been present with him going back to his sophomore year. He was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance and was able to stay back on a curve during his second at-bat, flying out. He worked the count during his final plate appearance and singled to the opposite field, which displaying the ability to use the entire field. He was noticeably not running at full strength after suffering a leg injury last week against California. Rodriguez played 1st base in this game and could be there for some extended time as his lower body gets healthy. He was run for after his single as a precaution.

vs Cal HS - Sac State commit; Went 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 HBP. An exciting hitter who has played varsity ball for three seasons now. At 5-foot-8, 175-pounds he has a strong compact build and doesn’t necessarily stand out physically but he is fun to watch with a bat in his hands. He mostly played the outfield last year but he started at first base in this game. He has a quiet set up, not much movement with the bat and stands with his feet close together. Rodriguez doesn’t possess great running speed but he moves around the bag well and was very quick with tags on pick-off attempts. He had an interesting day at the plate in this one. He was hit by pitches in his first two at-bats, the second of which got him in the head, which caused some emotions to flair but things settled down without incident. Rodriguez worked the count in his next at-bat and ended up striking out on a high fastball. Generally shows good plate discipline but chased a pitch he would likely let go most of the time, as perhaps the emotions of the HBPs got to him a bit. In extra innings he composed himself and in his final at-bat he roped a long single to the right-center gap with his compact and powerful stroke that nearly scored the winning run. He left the game at that point, with an apparent/possible leg injury.

NorCal Preseason All-State: Rodriguez has regularly shown an ability to handle the bat from the left side and that was still the case during this viewing. The body will firm up as he continues to mature, but it’s his ability to swing the bat that will carry him over the next few years. Starting narrow and open, the hands have a small load back on a front foot lift allowing the barrel to work under the shoulders as he stays behind the baseball; balls were jumping into each of the gaps and middle of the field before finishing the round showing pull power when he wants to create leverage. On defense he showed very good directions and angles through the ball with a compact full swing arm that carried balls to bases and was consistently accurate. Rodriguez looks like a strong left-fielder at the next level who can get on base and show the extra-base power needed.

BAWS 2019 - Medium, full frame with strength in upper half and athletic strength in lower half (7.33 60yd). Wide stance at the plate with even, high hands; pulls knob down with the ability to stay behind the baseball through contact. Quick bat with lift through the zone; showed ability to drive the gaps with good lower half usage flashing power to the gaps (91 EV). Stayed to the middle of the field creating a lot of hard contact with balls squared up deep to CF. Defensively showed some athletic actions with a solid first step; able to track the ball well during games with strong range into the gaps. Arm is compact fitting CF and staying online to bags (79 MPH). Has continued to shape body and chance for strength in bat to make another jump.