Here’s Grayson Rodriguez, and we’ll pick up everything we know on the other side of feasting your peep-holes on him:
Top @Orioles pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez lowers his @BowieBaysox ERA to 2.33 with 6 K’s in 5 IP. pic.twitter.com/GttDMnyt9M
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 18, 2021
Especially like the pitch towards the end that the catcher can’t even get a glove on. That’s filth. That’s what an ace looks like in the minors. His minor league results: 23 GS, 2.36 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 2.67 FIP, 40.5 K%, 6.8 BB%, 14.1 K/9, 161 K in 103 IP between High-A and Double-A. He won the Jim Palmer Award for the MILB Pitcher of the Year for the Orioles. They presented him with a pair of Jockey underwear. The bad news that I’m omitting here is–No, not that the Jockey underwear were previously worn. That I don’t know, but maybe they were since it’s the Orioles, which brings me to my problem that I omitted. This was the 2nd year that Grayson Rodriguez won the Orioles’ MILB Pitcher of the Year award, which is such a joke. The Orioles are cheap eh-eff. This kind of bee ess really needs to end, so I can stop spelling out cuss words. There should be zero incentive for a MLB team to keep a prospect in the minors if he’s ready. Grayson Rodriguez prolly could’ve had a season as good as Alek Manoah last year, but he’s throwing darts in the minors. So, what can we expect from Grayson Rodriguez for 2022 fantasy baseball?
Here’s what Prospect Itch said about Grayson Rodriguez previously, “The 11th overall pick in 2018 stands 6’5” and weighs in at 220 pounds. Considering that he’s wielding five potentially plus pitches and coming up under the former Houston brain trust of Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal, he gives me Forrest Whitley vibes in the best way. I’d love to know if the front office has a similar feel and will try to avoid putting Rodriguez into a two-pitch, cookie-cutter box the way Houston dealt with Whitley’s diverse arsenal. Speaking of cookie-cutter, I’d like to stamp Grey’s head.” Not cool, moving on!
Grayson, which is by the way what I named my actual make-believe son, didn’t stop at two pitches as Itch worried about. He has three plus-pitches (fastball, slider, change) and the curve isn’t shabby. Four plus-pitches is basically: Go take a nap, Mr. Hitter, because Grayson’s gonna strike you out. ACKCHUALLY, three plus-pitches is that too. You don’t need four. You definitely don’t need five. Is Men at Work’s Overkill playing right now? Yes. Grayson’s pitches in GIF form is, “Stop! He’s already dead!” from The Simpsons regarding the hitters he’s facing.
Grayson Rodriguez is one of the best pitching prospects in the minors. Full stop. Or “periodt” if you’re a “quirky” white girl, as Urban Dictionary defines them. On Prospect Itch’s top 100 fantasy baseball prospects, Grayson is 17th, and the top pitcher. Gray-Rod, which sounds like but is different than A-Rod kissing the mirror, has a Sistine ceiling. The sky’s the limit, really. Now you ready to be bummed out by my projections? I’m thinking there’s at least a 50% chance I’m back here next year going over Grayson Rodriguez for another rookie outlook post. For 2022, I’ll give Grayson Rodriguez projections of 3-3/3.87/1.24/78 in 61 IP, with a chance for more depending on the Orioles, but I think that’s honestly optimistic for MLB playing time for this year.
