Rodney Darien Theophile Cuthbert (born September 16, 1999) is a
Nicaraguan professional baseball
pitcher in the
Washington Nationals organization.
Career
Theophile grew up on the
Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, in the town of
Pearl Lagoon.
He began playing baseball at age 12. Originally a
first baseman, Theophile was discovered by professional baseball scout Alex Mongrío, who recognized his potential as a pitcher.
In 2015, Theophile traveled to the
Dominican Republic to train at the MVP Rivera Sport Academy. He participated in an international showcase for
Major League Baseball organizations in early 2016 in the Dominican Republic—the only Nicaraguan prospect at that showcase, ''
El Nuevo Diario'' reported at the time. While training in the Dominican Republic, Theophile sharpened his
curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...
and improved the velocity of his
fastball to top out above .
The
San Francisco Giants expressed interest in Theophile, reportedly signing him as an international amateur free agent in 2017, shortly after Theophile's 18th birthday.
However, the deal was never finalized and ultimately fell through. Theophile, an admirer of
Washington Nationals pitcher
Max Scherzer, subsequently signed with Washington for a $20,000 bonus.
At the time he signed with the Nationals, Theophile was listed at and topped out at a reported on his fastball, with a Nationals scout telling ''
La Prensa'' he expected Theophile to further increase his velocity during the course of his development.
Theophile made his professional debut with the Nationals'
Gulf Coast League affiliate
Affiliation or affiliate may refer to:
* Affiliate (commerce), a legal form of entity relationship used in Business Law
* Affiliation (family law), a legal form of family relationship
* Affiliate marketing
* Affiliate network or affiliation pla ...
in July 2018. Theophile underwent
Tommy John surgery
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
and missed the 2019 season, and the 2020 season was canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Theophile was assigned to begin the season with the Low-A
Fredericksburg Nationals. In 2022, he pitched for Fredericksburg and the High-A
Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Personal life
Theophile is a cousin of infielder
Cheslor Cuthbert
Cheslor Jesly Cuthbert (; born November 16, 1992) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball third baseman for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Wh ...
on his mother's side.
His parents separated when he was 8 years old. His father instilled in him an interest in baseball, taking him to games when he was a boy, while his mother, a former member of the
Nicaragua women's national basketball team
The Nicaragua women's national basketball team is the women's national basketball team of Nicaragua. It is managed by the ''Federación Nicaraguense de Baloncesto'' (FENIBALON).
The team participated at the 2015 FIBA COCABA Championship for Wome ...
, preferred that he take up
basketball instead.
Theophile's father died of a heart attack in 2016, at age 39, while Theophile was abroad for training in
Panama and the Dominican Republic.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theophile, Rodney
Living people
1999 births
Nicaraguan baseball players
Gulf Coast Nationals players
Fredericksburg Nationals players
Wilmington Blue Rocks players
2023 World Baseball Classic players