Hundreds of baseball players make their debut over the course of a season. However, for every Ronald Acuña and Scott Kingery, there are dozens of lesser-known prospects making their debuts who aren’t as frequently discussed. To remedy that, Alex Fast, Adam Garland, Ben Palmer and I will be doing a write-up on every single player making their MLB Debut. Inspired by the Effectively Wild podcast and Andrew Perpetua, we’ll discuss each debut’s skill set, how long they will likely remain in the majors and any other pertinent information you need to know. Each player will also be stored in a spreadsheet featuring further information (bio, D.O.B, player ID’s, etc) that can be accessed at the bottom of the article.
Here is the lone debut from June 3rd:
Jefry Rodriguez (RP/SP, Washington Nationals, 24 years old)
Call Up Date: June 3rd
Role: Bullpen Depth
Organization Ranking: 16th
Overall Ranking: N/A
Grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Change-Up: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45
Fantasy Relevance: Worth monitoring
Rodriguez got the call yesterday and due to an injury to Jeremy Hellickson was utilized immediately. Hellickson left Sunday’s game after one out due to an injured hamstring and despite pitching 6 1/3 three days prior, Rodriguez got the call and performed very well. He went 4 2/3 IP with 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB and 3 K in what was the longest debut in relief in Nationals history. You may remember Jefry Rodriguez for the 80-game suspension he received last year in the midst of a stellar Class A Advanced campaign. This year, Rodriguez has made 11 starts in AA this year with a 3.88 ERA, 60 K and 23 BB. He has a great fastball that can hit 97 but usually sits around 95 and has a good amount of sink to it. He backs that up with an above average curve that as a lot of late action to it but is still lacking a bit in terms of control. Rodriguez is an interesting case: he made his debut because Tim Collins was added to the Paternity List and the Nationals bullpen was sorely depleted due to a 14 inning game on Saturday, however this strong performance could keep him around a bit. I think for now, he’s worth monitoring to see what the Nationals due with him. If he continues to be utilized as long-relief he isn’t particularly a fantasy asset as he won’t net you holds or saves but if he has continued success he could be moved into a different role.
Missed a player’s debut? Read detailed reports on all 2018 MLB debuts in this spreadsheet.