Yariel Rodríguez

Yariel Humberto Rodríguez Yordy (born March 10, 1997) is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons. He has also played in the Cuban National Series for Ganaderos de Camagüey, representing the Cuba national baseball team as well.

Yariel Rodríguez
Rodriguez with the Chunichi Dragons
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1997-03-10) March 10, 1997
Camagüey, Cuba
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
NPB debut
August 9, 2020, for the Chunichi Dragons
NPB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Win–loss record10–10
Earned run average3.03
Strikeouts188
Holds39
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Professional career

Rodríguez had previously been linked with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)[1] before signing with NPB's Chunichi Dragons on a development deal on January 26, 2020.[2] Rodríguez recorded a 3–4 win-loss record and 4.12 earned run average (ERA) in 11 appearances in his first year with Chunichi.

In 2021, Rodríguez made 12 appearances with Chunichi's main team, posting a 1–4 record and 3.65 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 61+23 innings pitched. In 2022, he pitched in 56 games for the club, logging a 6–2 record and a 1.15 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 54+23 innings of work. He was named the Central League Most Valuable Setup Pitcher following the season.

On March 28, 2023, Rodríguez unilaterally left the Dragons to seek a contract with a Major League Baseball (MLB) team.[3] The Dragons have declared that the contract with Rodríguez is still valid.[4][5] On October 5, Rodríguez was officially released by Chunichi, and it was reported that he would look to sign a MLB contract.[6]

Pitching style

As a reliever, Rodríguez throws a fastball topping out at 100 mph and a slider as his primary pitches.[7]

International career

Rodriguez was part of the Cuba national baseball team at the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament.[8] He started the first game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Cuba, striking out six and giving up one run in four innings against the Netherlands.

References

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