The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2024 season with a bona fide front-line starter in Corbin Burnes. With Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez a part of the rotation, the Birds had a legitimate three-headed monster in their starting rotation.
However, the rotation took a slight blow when it was announced that Bradish had a UCL strain and would begin the season on the injured list. Burnes has been a strong edition and, so far, has lived up to the label placed on him. He is currently 3-0 through six games with a 2.55 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.
No slouch in numbers, Burnes has pitched strong in his games started, even when his best stuff is off during his outing. On the other hand, Rodriguez has started to establish himself as the ace of the Orioles’ rotation.
The former top-ranked pitching prospect struggled during the first half of last season. Through 10 games, the former first-round pick posted a 7.35 ERA.
After compiling an 11.14 ERA through May, the Orioles sent Rodriguez down to Norfolk to reset and re-adjust. What many thought was a risky move, turned out to be the turning point in the young fireballer’s career.
Rodriguez would return in July, and the adjustments showed. Over the next 13 games, he would go 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA down the stretch of a season that saw the Birds win 101 games and an AL East Division Title.
The 2024 season has started with the young Rodriguez picking up right where he left off last season. Through six games, Rodriguez is 4-1 and has posted a 3.71 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP through 34 innings.
Rodriguez has posted three quality starts and was a third of an inning away from having four of them. Last season, Rodriguez had seven quality outings in 23 starts.
If you look deeper, you can see where Rodriguez has improved. His pitches per inning are down from 17.3 to 16. With that improvement, his pitches per plate appearance have dropped from 4.1 to 3.7. Of course, this is just through six games, but the maturity that Rodriguez has already put on display has shown from last season to this season.
Against the New York Yankees, a 2-0 victory on Monday, Rodriguez was pacing the dugout, angry he was unable to complete six innings; a game he held the red hot Yankee lineup to five hits and no runs after they scored 30 in their previous two.
The competitive fire that burns, that strives to do better, even when greatness happens, is a driving force that makes this young man the one who will take the ball when it matters most, when there is no tomorrow. Rodriguez, who won’t be 25 until November, is still shaping and growing and is still a few years away from his prime.
At the rate he is improving, he has the ability to become one of, if not, the top pitchers in the American League. Combined with Kyle Bradish, this one-two punch only looks to improve and help the Orioles sore to new heights.
With Burnes helping to set an example, Rodriguez is learning to spread his wings and is becoming the ace not only of the staff but of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
Get those gas cans ready, Birdland. It’s going to be a long and eventful ride with Grayson Rodriguez leading the way.
What are your thoughts on Grayson Rodriguez’s mentality this season? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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