2010 Sean Rodriguez

Last week, I speculated about Hank Blalock and his potential role with the Rays. Davey wanted to know how Sean Rodriguez fits in.

There certainly was an opportunity for Rodriguez at some point in Tampa Bay. However, if that door hasn't closed already, it's almost entirely shut.

Rodriguez is barely above a 600 OPS. The real problem, though, is that he's a whiff machine. His 41.9% K rate is dreadful; prorate that over 500 AB and he'd have 191 strikeouts. That's fine if you're Mark Reynolds, but Rodriguez isn't.

I was a little taken aback at the number of pundits that fell over themselves this spring when Rodriguez put up such a gaudy line. Twenty-five isn't ancient for a rookie, but Rodriguez's K rates in the minors were a huge warning flag. Nothing I had heard this spring indicated a change in Rodriguez's approach, a shortening of his swing, more patience, etc.

While it certainly isn't impossible for Rodriguez to turn it around, I doubt he will. Triple-A is probably in his future, particularly if Tampa stays in contention and starts looking for upgrades that aren't currently residing in-house.