Ivan Rodriguez
Ivan Rodriguez was the Rangers' starting catcher at the age of 19 in 1991, and within a few years he had established himself as the best player at that position in all of baseball. He won ten Gold Glove Awards and was named to ten straight All-Star Games, and in 1999 he was the American League's Most Valuable Player. He became a tremendous fan favorite in Texas, but left the team via free agency following a third straight injury-plagued season in 2002, signing with the Florida Marlins. In 2003, his 17 RBI in 17 post-season games and gritty determiniation behind the plate, led the underdog Marlins to the World Series title.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 2267 |
8645 |
2605 |
1253 |
295 |
1217 |
124 |
.301 |
.475 |
.339 |
.814 |
106.8 |
|
Quotes About Ivan Rodriguez
"The squatty build that inspired Rodriguez's nickname became outdated a couple of years ago, replaced by a slimmer, faster frame." — MLB.com reporter Jason Beck, Jan. 2007
Where does Ivan Rodriguez rank among baseball greats?
Ivan Rodriguez ranks #6 among the Top 50 all-time at C. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1999
Pudge won the AL MVP Award with his usual stellar defense and a huge season with the lumber. He batted .332 (seventh in the league), with a .558 slugging percentage, 199 hits, 335 total bases, 35 homers, 113 RBI, 116 runs scored and 25 stolen bases.
Factoids
Ivan Rodriguez and Johnny Bench are the only catchers to win as many as ten Gold Glove Awards.
When Rodriguez won the 1999 American League Most Valuable Player Award, he was voted runner-up for Ranger's team MVP. Rafael Palmeiro won the honor.
Batting Leaders, AL (1995-2002) min. 2,000 AB
Nomar Garciaparra... .328
Edgar Martinez... .325
Bernie Williams... 321
Manny Ramirez... .321
Derek Jeter... .317
Ivan Rodriguez ... .316
The Promise of 2004, The Discontent of 2005
Everything seemed to go right for Pudge Rodriguez in his first season with the Tigers. At the All-Star break, he was among league leaders in batting and the Tigers were a surpise success on the field. He cooled a bit in the second-half, but the Tigers imrpved their win total from 2003 by 29 games. The future looked promising.
But when Pudge arrived at spring training 30 pounds lighter, rumors swirled that he had gotten off the "juice." When he started the season poorly and missed time due to nagging injuries, critics took aim. He gave them ample ammunition in August when he left the team for four days during a suspension and was late returning. After Alan Trammell refused to give Pudge permission to leave the team during his four-game suspension, Rodriguez went upstairs to owner Mike Ilitch and got approval. The rift between the two was born. When Pudge returned a day late, his teammates took notice. A closed door meeting left Pudge brooding. He was never the same after that meeting.
Later, as the Tigers racked up loss after loss in late August and early September, Pudge vented to the media.
"I hate losing, I'm tired of losing," Rodriguez said in September, as the Tigers' season spiraled out of control. "I'm not used to playing like this. I don't like to play like this. I've been here two years and I don't see any changes. It's hard to be on a ballclub like that, because I'm not used to that."
Where He Played
Catcher
Born
Ivan (Torres) Rodriguez was born on November 27, 1971, in Manati
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
6 20,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1991
Jeff Bagwell
Bernie Williams
Ivan Rodriguez
Eric Karros
Jim Thome
Kenny Lofton
Royce Clayton
Rod Beck
Darryl Kile
Nicknames
Pudge,I-Rod
As a youth, Rodriguez earned the nickname "Pudge" not due to comparisons with catching great Carlton Fisk, but in reference to his heavy build. During the 2004 off-season, Rodriguez lost 30 pounds, reporting to training camp weighing 185.
Uniform Numbers
#7 (1991-)
Similar Players
Johnny Bench defensively, and Mickey Cochrane offensively.
Related Players
Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro
Post-Season Appearances
1996 American League Divisional Series
1998 American League Divisional Series
1999 American League Divisional Series
2003 National League Championship Series
2003 National League Divisional Series
2003 World Series
Post-Season Notes
The Rangers won the first post-season game they ever played in: Game One of the 1996 ALDS against New York in Yankee Stadium, and have lost nine straight since. Rodriguez played well in the '96 ALDS, hitting .375 with six hits in four games, but in his next six playoff games he batted .182 (4-for-22) with no homers and one RBI... Rodriguez drove in 10 runs in the 2003 NLCS against the Cubs.
Awards and Honors
1992 AL Gold Glove
1993 AL Gold Glove
1994 AL Gold Glove
1995 AL Gold Glove
1996 AL Gold Glove
1997 AL Gold Glove
1998 AL Gold Glove
1999 AL Gold Glove
1999 AL MVP
2000 AL Gold Glove
2001 AL Gold Glove
2003 NL NLCS MVP
2004 AL Gold Glove
Feats
In 1996, Rodriguez set records for a catcher with his 47 doubles and 639 at-bats. His 116 runs scored tied Yogi Berra's mark for backstops... In six of his first eight seasons (1992-1999), Rodriguez led AL catchers with the lowest stolen base percentage allowed. In 1997 he allowed just 37 stolen bases in 150 games behind the plate... On April 13, 1999, Rodriguez drove in nine runs in the first three innings against the Mariners. He hit a three-run blast in the first, a two-run single in the second, and a grand slam in the third frame... In 2006, Pudge became just the third catcher age 34 or older to bat .300, joining Al Todd (1937 Pirates) and Elston Howard (1964 Yanks).
Batting Feats
- September 11, 1997: 3 HR...
Notes
On April 5, 2006, in the Tigers second game of the season, against the Royals in Kansas City, Rodriguez went 5-for-5 with three doubles, a home run, five RBI, and 11 total bases. The Tigers won 14-2.
Hitting Streaks
20 games (1999)
19 games (1996)
Transactions
Signed as a non-drafted free agent by Texas Rangers (July 27, 1988)
Signed as a free agent by the Florida Marlins (2002)
Signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers (January 2004).
All-Star Selections
1992 AL
1993 AL
1994 AL
1995 AL
1996 AL
1997 AL
1998 AL
1999 AL
2000 AL
2001 AL
2004 AL
2005 AL
Replaced
The affable Geno Petralli, who remained with the Rangers through 1993 as Rodriguez's backup.
Best Strength as a Player
Defensive ability, both in blocking balls and throwing out runners. In 2006, no opposing runners tried to steal off him for nearly two months.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Patience at the plate. Rodriguez's career-high in base on balls is 55.
Learn More about Ivan Rodriguez
Search Amazon.com for Books about Ivan Rodriguez ⇒
Search for Ivan Rodriguez at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒