LAKELAND, FLA. - Emmanuel Rodriguez was the youngest player in Twins camp and hasn't played a game above Class A-Advanced, so there was no expectation he would break camp with the major league roster.
Rodriguez, a 21-year-old outfielder, was one of the four position players cut from camp Tuesday, along with Austin Martin, Jair Camargo and Yunior Severino, but the consensus top-100 prospect made an impression in his first extended time with the big-league coaching staff.
"He hits the ball as hard as anyone," Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He walks at a rate that is almost unheard of. He works hard defensively. He can help you in the middle of the field. I think he's going to end up playing a corner as well as some center field. I think he can help a team doing both. His legs, even though they are the size of Emmett Smith's thighs, he can really run and move."
Rodriguez, a left-handed hitter, batted .240 with 16 homers, 13 doubles, nine triples and 55 RBI in 99 games at Class A-Advanced Cedar Rapids last year while posting a .400 on-base percentage. He drew a walk in 20.2% of his plate appearances, a staggering number, though he had a high strikeout rate (29.5%).
He looked his age at times during spring training, striking out in 13 of his 24 Grapefruit League plate appearances, but he crushed a homer off Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel last week.
Rodriguez is expected to begin the upcoming season at Class AA Wichita where the Twins will challenge him to cut down on his strikeouts. If he does that, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound outfielder has big-time offensive potential.
"He's a tank and he's a good athlete," Baldelli said. "He's a good character guy too, and he works very hard. He's got tremendous traits. He's got tremendous strengths. He's got areas where he can improve too, which is great because you want direction."
