Hillcats reliever makes most of new chance in Pittsburgh organization

R.J. Rodriguez wasn’t merely at a career crossroads. He was nearly in the middle of a career crisis.

Soon to be 25, Rodriguez had never advanced past High-A in three years of playing minor-league baseball, and in April, he found himself unemployed. The San Diego Padres, who had signed him as a minor-league free agent in 2006, released the 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander after spring training.

Rodriguez was getting to the age where he worried about his chances of latching on with another team. Fortunately he had an ally in that regard — Wally Whitehurst, Rodriguez’s pitching coach in 2008 in Lake Elsinore, Calif.

Whitehurst changed organizations in the offseason and took a job with the Pirates as Lynchburg’s pitching coach. Soon after he was released, Rodriguez called Whitehurst, hoping to set up a tryout. Whitehurst put in a word, and within days, Rodriguez was in Bradenton, Fla., auditioning for Pittsburgh.

Whitehurst’s pitch to his new employers:

“He’ll throw every day for you. He wants the ball. He was put in those situations, in the Padres system, as a closer, and he did fairly well. He was a pretty good teammate to those guys. And at the time in spring training, we were really looking to add somebody that could possibly do that role, or just add an arm to the organization. That’s what I conveyed to those guys.”

The Pirates liked what they saw in Rodriguez — a fastball that clocked in the low 90s and a potent changeup that proved to be Rodriguez’s best pitch. So Pittsburgh signed him to a minor-league deal and eventually assigned him to Lynchburg.

Rodriguez admitted to feeling some stress coming into the season.

“Definitely,” he said. “I came in with a lot of pressure, on myself and on Wally, because he stuck his neck out for me in getting me this job. I felt like I was pressured in a way to prove myself once again. It’s turned out well so far.”

That’s hard to argue.

Rodriguez leads the Carolina League with 16 saves and raised his record to 5-2 Tuesday night by earning the win over Wilmington with a scoreless ninth inning. His ERA is 2.87 ERA, he’s struck out 28 in 31 innings and has limited opponents to a .222 batting average, a marked improvement over his second year in Lake Elsinore, when teams hit .298 against him.

Last month, Rodriguez was named a Carolina League All-Star, and he and Whitehurst returned to Lake Elsinore to participate in the Carolina League-California League All-Star game.

“It was amazing, the time of my life,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody welcomed me with open arms that day. All of the staff, all my old buddies who had made the All-Star team too. It was a great experience. I loved it.”

Rodriguez certainly benefited from his pre-existing relationship with Whitehurst, and not only because it helped the closer land a job. Most times, when a pitcher enters a new organization, it takes some time for the coaching staff to get acclimated the pitcher’s tendencies, his strengths and his weaknesses. When Rodriguez arrived in Lynchburg, Whitehurst already had a lengthy scouting report on his pupil, knew all about Rodriguez’s over-reliance on his changeup and his lack of trust in his fastball command.

Simply put, Rodriguez has done a better job this season throwing his fastball for strikes low in the strike zone. He tended to leave those pitches in the upper half of the zone in Lake Elsinore and paid the price. In 75 innings last season, Rodriguez allowed 88 hits. In 30 1/3 innings this season, he’s allowed 24.

Having Michael Dubee around for half a season helped hone Rodriguez’s competitive instincts. The two fed off each other. As Dubee racked up an absurd 50:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Rodriguez tried to keep up. Since May 26, Rodriguez has walked just four batters in 15 appearances, cutting his ERA from 4.15 to 2.87 in the process.

“He’s getting ahead more,” Whitehurst said. “He’s thrown strike one, and that’s a huge key. In his mind, if he goes 1-0, he’s got to be a little more perfect. If it’s 2-0, he’s got to be more perfect. And that’s not necessarily so. It eases into his mind: Strike one, then I can go to work.”

If Rodriguez continues with that mentality, he may challenge the Hillcats’ single-season saves record of 29, set by D.J. Carrasco in 2002. It’s all heady stuff for a guy who, in April, was just happy to have another chance at extending his career.

“Before spring training came along, I said to myself I had a feeling I was going to have a good year,” Rodriguez said.

“Unfortunately, I got released, and that wasn’t in my plans. I guess it was kind of a fresh start. I didn’t think I’d be 16-for-17 (in save opportunities), but I am. I’m grateful for it. I just want to keep it up.”