SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez wears the No. 57 out of admiration for his childhood hero, Johan Santana, the two-time Cy Young winner and fellow Venezuelan southpaw.
That’s one of the many reasons why participating in the World Baseball Classic was a thrill for Rodriguez, as Santana served as Venezuela’s pitching coach who was able to work with Rodriguez throughout tournament.
“It was funny because I had to wear a different number because he was in the WBC with us,” Rodriguez told Arizona Sports on Saturday. “So that’s why I wore 52. With him was just special. I learned a lot from him. How to deal with some things during the game, how to change your mentality and all that. So it was an opportunity that I really appreciate to have in my career.”
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Rodriguez was 13 years old when Santana won his second Cy Young award for the Minnesota Twins in 2006, using his unhittable changeup to lead the league in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. Santana started his final game in 2012, when Rodriguez was 19 and starting his career in the minor leagues.
With Santana watching from the dugout on Tuesday in Miami, Rodriguez delivered 4.1 scoreless innings in the championship game against the U.S. helping Venezuela win its first WBC title and looking like the pitcher Arizona envisioned acquiring when it signed him two offseasons ago.
The days since Venezuela’s triumph have been surreal for Rodriguez with the support he’s received from back home. Rodriguez said he could not even describe the emotions of that ballgame, how big it felt in scale and importance.
But the WBC comes with a quick turnaround. The regular season is now here. Opening Day is on Thursday, and Rodriguez will take the hill at Dodger Stadium next Saturday for a Diamondbacks team in need of improved starting pitching this season.
Rodriguez threw in the 2023 WBC and was excellent for the Detroit Tigers upon his return, pitching to a 2.64 ERA in the first half of the season. He only made one start for Venezuela in that tournament, but the earlier ramp up had him feeling physically ahead and sharp going into the campaign.
“(Santana) taught me a lot. Victor Martinez was there, too. Gerardo Parra was there, too. It was great to be part of that with those big guys,” Rodriguez said. “I learned a lot from those two games that I pitched over there. I hope to use it in the regular season this year. In ’23, it was just one year that I feel good and I hope to feel good this year.”
The Diamondbacks are counting on the veteran find that gear again after a pair of disappointing seasons since he signed an $80 million contract with the team.
Getting into camp in better shape and honing his curveball to draw more whiffs were focuses of Rodriguez that he is optimistic will make a difference.
Ryne Nelson deals in final spring start
Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson made his final appearance of Cactus League on Saturday against the Texas Rangers and plowed through five shutout innings.
His fastball was regularly over 97 mph (96.4 mph average), while the slider capped three of his seven strikeouts and drew seven whiffs.
After the game, Nelson was encouraged by his slider and his stamina, having thrown 71 pitches and feeling like he could have kept going.
“I feel like that’s one of the main question marks, how you’re going to feel later into the games. But today felt good, felt like I could keep going if that was the plan,” Nelson said. “Happy with the slider action today. Slider felt really good. Still a couple mistakes, but that’ll happen. Just overall felt like the adjustments have been pretty good on that.”
On maintaining his fastball velocity:
“I think that’s just been my focus this year is to make sure I don’t let off the gas pedal. My offseason work trying to get stronger, get leaner and I feel like that kind of contributes to being able to push the velo deeper into games.”
Nelson’s next start will be Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the second game of the regular season.
When will the Diamondbacks finalize their roster?
Typically, the Diamondbacks make their final roster decisions on the Sunday before Opening Day, but manager Torey Lovullo said some discussions could last until Monday, before the team faces Cleveland in an exhibition game at Chase Field.
“You’re looking at throwing accuracy from infielders across the diamond,” Lovullo said. “You’re looking for high baseball IQ. What do the at-bats look like? … And then for a pitcher, filling up the zone. If you’re not throwing strikes, we’re going to make some adjustments. So that’s our number one pillar. Fill up the zone, swing-and-miss and then weak contact. Those are the things that we’re all looking for and that’s how we’re going to evaluate these guys.”
Camp notes
Alek Thomas hit a ball 432 feet halfway up the lawn in left-center field on Saturday. He did so off a lefty, Austin Gomber. Corbin Carroll received four at-bats on the backfields, while Gabriel Moreno took three. Carroll is scheduled to play the outfield on Monday at Chase Field. The plan is for Moreno to catch on Sunday, the Cactus League finale. Adrian Del Castillo is “slowly resuming all baseball activities,” Lovullo said, which includes light running. The D-backs played their Spring Breakout game to showcase prospects on Saturday afternoon against the Rockies. Jose Fernandez was the standout with three hits, including a triples, and a stolen base. LuJames Groover hit an RBI single and walked twice in a 10-7 Diamondbacks win.Follow @alexjweiner
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