Last year the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League pitcher of the year award went to right-handed hurler Carlos Rodriguez. The 21 year old pitcher is currently ranked 13th on the organization’s top 30 prospect list. He now will get to start Saturdays World Baseball Classic game for Nicaragua as they take on Puerto Rico.
Brewers prospect Carlos Rodriguez was named the starter for Nicaragua’s first WBC game. For Milwaukee’s No. 13 prospect, it will be a homecoming like no other. https://t.co/AX4Yk5zY9R
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 10, 2023
Brewers 2022 MiLB Pitcher of the year Carlos Rodriguez will start Saturday for Nicaragua in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Saturdays game will be the opener for both Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. The game will be played at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida and as mentioned above will feature Carlos Rodriguez as the starting pitcher for Nicaragua. Opposing him on the mound will be Marcus Stroman.
Rodriguez, a sixth round pick by the Brewers in 2021, was Milwaukee’s leader among qualified affiliate-ball Minor Leaguers in WHIP, opponents’ average, strikeout rate and FIP in 107 2/3 innings at Single-A and High-A last season. He now will get the chance to showcase his skills against Major League hitters prior to reaching the Double-A level.
When asked about the opportunity, Rodriguez provided the following response. “It’s a great opportunity for me to show the Brewers what I could do at the Major League level. I have to prove myself so I can show them that I’m able to pitch at that level, but I’m not going to overthink it. At the end of the day, those guys are humans just like me, so I’m going to go do what I know how to do and just pitch.”
The cool thing for Rodriguez is that he will get the opportunity to do this just 10 miles from Miami Christian, where he attended high school. He also has the support of his manager Sandor Guido. Guido provided the following statement on Rodriguez.
“He’s 21 years old, but it’s all about his character, his preparation, his mentality, and how he carries that with him on the mound. He’s going to learn a lot from this moment when facing these hitters, but it’s also going to help him as he continues his growth and career trajectory to reaching the Majors.”
Nicaragua and Puerto Rico’s game starts at 12:00 PM ET on March 11. The game will be televised on FS2.
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