Luis Orlando Rodríguez (born June 27, 1980), is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. He is a

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

and throws

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Career

Minnesota Twins

Rodríguez made his major league debut with the

on May 21, . He was recalled from Triple-A

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

to replace rookie Jason Bartlett, who won the starting job out of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, but began to have trouble at the

plate Plate may refer to: Cooking * Plate (dishware), a broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food * Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining * Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...

. From -, Rodríguez was the primary second baseman at Rochester, although he played a handful of games at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

and shortstop in 2004. With excellent plate discipline, he

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.295 and .286 respectively, with a combined .354

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

. When Rodríguez got the call, he was hitting .278 with a .339 OBP in 33 games. In 79 games for the Twins, he hit .269 with 2 home runs and 20 runs batted in. In 2006, Rodríguez split time between Rochester and Minnesota, with the Twins, and he was .235 in 59 games. Inspired by the "

Rory Fitzpatrick Rory Brian Fitzpatrick (born January 11, 1975) is an American politician and former professional ice hockey defenseman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, ...

for

NHL All-Star The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

" Campaign, Rodriguez was the subject of a similar campaign known as "Vote for L-Rod" which aimed to elect him to the 2007 MLB All-Star game as the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

's starting 3rd baseman. For the 2007 season, Rodríguez hit .219 in 68 games.

San Diego Padres

Rodriguez was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres on October 4, . He made his Padres debut on July 5, after spending the first three months of 2008 with the PCL's

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

. In his first season with the Padres, Rodríguez hit a career high .287 in 64 games. The following season, Rodríguez set a career high in walks with 37 despite hitting a career low .202 for the Padres.

Cleveland Indians

On December 2, 2009, Rodriguez, signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

with an invite to Spring Training.

Chicago White Sox

On April 29, 2010, Rodriguez signed with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and was assigned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. Rodríguez spent the entire season in AAA.

Seattle Mariners

He became a free agent on November 2, 2011, after declaring free agency. On November 23, he re-signed a minor league contract with Seattle. He was also given an invitation to spring training.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Rodríguez spent the 2013 season in the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...

organization, the Angels AAA minor league affiliate.

Bridgeport Bluefish

Rodriguez signed with the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

for the 2015 season.

External links

Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Luis 1980 births Living people Bridgeport Bluefish players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Caribes de Oriente players Charlotte Knights players Everett AquaSox players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Lake Elsinore Storm players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball shortstops Minnesota Twins players Minor league baseball coaches Navegantes del Magallanes players New Britain Rock Cats players People from Cojedes (state) Portland Beavers players Quad Cities River Bandits players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Tiburones de La Guaira players Tigres de Aragua players Venezuelan baseball coaches Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States