Luis Rodriguez is the Dodgers’ #11 Prospect in their top 30 and is a 19-year-old outfielder. He stands 6’2 weighing 175 pounds playing in the Arizona Complex League on the Dodgers rookie ball affiliate. The Dodgers signed Luis Rodriguez as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2019.
In 69 at-bats this year, Rodriguez is hitting .217 with 4 homeruns and 9 RBIs. It is tough to be critical of those numbers due to his age and it is his first season with the Dodger organization. I can’t even imagine how different his life is now in the United States as a professional baseball player than it was as a teenager in Venezuela. It’s going take some time for him to adjust but once he does that, expect his play to improve. He has always hit well against pitching his age. Luis Rodriguez has a surprising amount of power as a skinny 18-year-old. If he gains some muscle and healthy weight, he can develop into an above average hitter.
Rodriguez is athletic enough to play all outfield positions. He reads the ball well off the bat and uses his speed to get to the spot efficiently. His arm is powerful but not very accurate. His speed can be a true weapon for him. Luis clocks in at above-average speed which helps in every aspect of his game. If he develops the skill to read pitchers and steal bases, he can take his game to the next level. The Dodgers historically have had great base stealers like Maury Wills and Davey Lopes. It would be nice if the Dodgers could add another player to this special list, especially with the direction baseball is going. Baseball is going away from stealing bases because the analytics say it is not worth it, yet we continue to see it employed against us to good effect (think San Diego Padres).
Luis Rodriguez has an ETA of 2024. He is a true developmental player that has a lot of potential talent. The Dodgers have the potential of having a five-tool player in Luis Rodriguez. A five-tool player is a player who is projected to be above average in these 5 “tools”: Hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding, and throwing. Luis has the chance of being above average in all those categories. This is a prospect to watch for in the next few years.