Last thing Itch said on him, “Emmanuel Rodriguez made his Triple-A debut this week at age 21, and while he hasn’t been my favorite bet to thrive at the highest level, there’s no denying what he’s put on film to this point. In 37 Double-A games, he slashed .298/.479/.621 with eight home runs and nine steals. That was good for a 202 wRC+ even while he was striking out 27.5 percent of the time. If he can make enough contact in Triple-A, he’ll be an option for the major league club early next season, a much quicker timeline than I was forecasting. Also in the forecast is pain for Grey.” I’m sorry, what? That was in September, and a few days later Rodriguez sprained his thumb, because, after all, he is a Twins prospect. Did you know the Twins scout almost exclusively from a list of patients who are being investigated for insurance fraud because they’ve made too many claims? Speaking of twins and hospitals, don’t you think they could’ve used the full name Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in this headline:
Any hoo! Assuming Emmanuel Rodriguez doesn’t come from the same stock of all other Twins prospects (fat chance!) and can stay on the field, well, then we’re in for some gloriousness. He was top 20 overall in the Itch’s last top 50 fantasy baseball prospects and that has a few guys in front of him who aren’t due up this year. Out of redraft prospects, he’s the 14th best prospect on that list, and two guys (Jasson Dominguez and Jordan Lawlar) are due up in 2023. Wait, what year is it? I tease, ETAs are when a guy is due or first appeared. So, what can we expect from Emmanuel Rodriguez for 2025 fantasy baseball?
Last year, Emmanuel Rodriguez stopped incredibly briefly in four spots in the minors, ending the year with a 9/9 year, which was almost exclusively in Double-A (he went 8/9 there), where he hit .298 with 25.1 BB%, and I just cackled like a hyena on nitrous. A 25+ walk rate?! Hey, quick question, has Emmanuel Rodriguez ever swung his bat? Let’s see if we can find clips of that:
Emmanuel Rodriguez – Minnesota Twins (1)* pic.twitter.com/UulW6mVclU
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 24, 2023
And prolly my favorite clip I’ve shown this entire rookie series because it shows a guy’s power and speed:
Emmanuel Rodriguez with an inside-the-park GRAND SLAM for his first Triple-A HR??#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/UBhAGY7z5A
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) September 8, 2024
A guy that walks 20+ percent of the time and can steal 30 bags is interesting on his own. Throw in the 30+ homer power, and, woo boy, we need to coronate my man. He could be as dynamic as they come if he swings and makes contact. I’m sure I’ve seen this profile before, but I’m trying to remember, oh, I know, Elly De La Cruz! Emmanuel Rodriguez had a 29.5 K% in High-A. That is amazing. In Complex League in 2021, he had a 36.6 K%. It actually tells me two things: One) He can’t make contact and doesn’t swing. Two) He must be so athletically dynamic to even get drafted because ya know those scouts didn’t actually see him swing and make contact. It’s so rare! He’s not a three-true-outcome player. He’s Neo, because he’s The One Outcome player. That outcome: A walk. Granted, things have become a little better as he’s aged, and *only* had a 27.5 K% in Double-A last year.
Emmanuel Rodriguez might be a fantasy stud if he can make contact and stay healthy. About that latter point, he missed roughly three months with his thumb when he slid head-first into second base. Last year was a lost year. He conserved energy, I conserved keystrokes. Before that, he was mostly healthy in 2023. Will he stay on the field in 2025? Eff if I know. I’m waiting on Royce Lewis for two years; waited on Buxton for, like, ten years; I waited for Alex Kirilloff for so long that he retired. Twins seemingly have a spot for Emmanuel Rodriguez in their lineup, so if he doesn’t hit .170 in Spring Training and stays on the field? He should be good to go! I sound facetious, but this is about as high upside and low upside as you get with rookies. He could be a top 50 player overall or a less-than-50-at-bat nothingburger. For 2025 fantasy baseball, I’ll give Emmanuel Rodriguez projections of 41/11/38/.231/16 in 324 ABs with a chance for much more or much less.
