Grayson Rodriguez, 2023 Fantasy Outlook

Orioles’ GM Mike Elias on Grayson Rodriguez, “I hope he makes the opening-day rotation.” Hey, Mike, that makes two of us. Elias Sports Bureau asked of Mike Elias, “Are you our father?” Grayson Rodriguez is the biggest pitfall for fantasy baseball rookies posts. I’ve been here already. I thought he’d be up last year. Was very disappointing to not see Grayson Rodriguez. I’d love to lay it all at the feet of the Orioles. “Hey, what are you wearing, Lake Placid Summit Boy’s Adjustables?” That’s me seeing the cheapskates that the Orioles are fitted in. (I googled cheap ice skates, if those aren’t cheapskates, I don’t know. Leave me alone.) Any hoo! It wasn’t all their fault, Grayson had a severe lat strain from about May until September. So, yeah, that sucked. At least he didn’t win Minor League Pitcher of the Year three years in a row. Yes, he won it the previous two years, which is such a jizzoke. 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, if he stayed healthy and was actually in the majors, but he’s throwing darts in the minors. So, what can we expect from Grayson Rodriguez for 2023 fantasy baseball?

Here’s what I said last year, “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.” And that’s me quoting me! His minor league results are just goofy. In Triple-A last year, he had 69 2/3 IP and a 2.20 ERA with a 12.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. There’s no such thing as a pitching prospect, but this guy feels about as close to a lock as you’re going to find. 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, it is. 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 10th, and the top pitcher, who isn’t out with Tommy John. Gray-Rod, which sounds like but is different than A-Rod kissing the mirror, has a Sistine ceiling. The sky’s the limit, really. For 2023, I’ll give Grayson Rodriguez projections of 8-3/3.37/1.07/127 in 106 IP, with a chance for more depending on the Orioles, but I think that’s honestly optimistic for MLB playing time because he also doesn’t have many innings on his arm, after his partial past year.