Did The Atlanta Braves Get A Good Deal When Signing Sean Rodriguez?

Digging Deep Into Who Braves New Utility Player Sean Rodriguez Is

After the initial reaction to the Seattle/Braves trade that sent Rob Whalen and Max Povse to the Mariners for prospect Alex Jackson, the thoughts about the 40-man roster arose. Whalen was a part of the Braves 40-man roster and once he was sent west, it opened up one spot.

That one spot was needed for Braves free agent acquisition, Sean Rodriguez. Though the Braves haven’t officially added Rodriguez to the 40-man roster, Whalen’s former spot is for him.

Rodriguez will be 32-years-old in 2017, making it his 10th year in the MLB. He’s a career .234 hitter, but over the past two seasons he’s really started to put his game together at the plate.

Year	Tm	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	LAA	59	167	18	34	8	1	3	10	3	1	14	55	.204	.276	.317	.593
2009	LAA	12	25	4	5	0	0	2	4	0	0	3	7	.200	.276	.440	.716
2010	TBR	118	343	53	86	19	2	9	40	13	3	21	97	.251	.308	.397	.705
2011	TBR	131	373	45	83	20	3	8	36	11	7	38	87	.223	.323	.357	.679
2012	TBR	112	301	36	64	14	1	6	32	5	0	27	75	.213	.281	.326	.607
2013	TBR	96	195	21	48	10	1	5	23	1	3	17	59	.246	.320	.385	.704
2014	TBR	96	237	30	50	13	3	12	41	2	1	10	66	.211	.258	.443	.701
2015	PIT	139	224	25	55	12	1	4	17	2	2	5	63	.246	.281	.362	.642
2016	PIT	140	300	49	81	16	1	18	56	2	1	33	102	.270	.349	.510	.859
9 Yrs	903	2165	281	506	112	13	67	259	39	18	168	611	.234	.303	.390	.693

Rodriguez isn’t known for his bat, but you’ll see in the chart above the success he’s had the past two seasons with the Pirates. He is however known for his versatility on the diamond. Last year, he played at every position except pitcher and catcher.

Everyone knows how much the Braves love their utility guys.

To figure out exactly what the Braves are getting, I reached out to the fellas at Rum Bunter (Fansided’s Pittsburg Pirates site) to get their thoughts.

Tomahawk Take: The Braves recently signed Sean Rodriguez to a two-year deal worth $11.5 million. Do you think the Braves got a good deal here?

Rum Bunter: I go back and forth on this. Sean’s career offensive numbers are not good at all. His lifetime .305 wOBA, wRC+ of 92, and .303 on-base percentage are all well below league average. His 2017 Steamer Projections (.291 OBP, 84 wRC+, .301 wOBA) are not encouraging. I love what Sean brings defensively and in the clubhouse, but if he reverts to his career norms offensively this season he may not be worth 5.5 million dollars a season.

TT: Explain to our readers who exactly Sean Rodriguez is on the field

RB: On the field Sean Rod is a guy that does it all. Literally, he does it all. During his time in Pittsburgh he played every position except catcher. Yes, he even pitcher in a blowout this season.

He is a good fielder at first base and second base. He is an average fielder at third base and in the outfield. As for shortstop, well, let’s just say you better hope you do not need him at shortstop.

As for his offense, he is a pretty below average hitter. Despite his fantastic numbers in 2016, his entire career he has been a below average hitter. And I do not see that changing at age 31. Most likely, 2015 was an aberration and not a sign of things to come.

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TT: Explain to our readers who exactly Sean Rodriguez is off the field

RB: Off the field, Sean Rodriguez is the best teammate you could ever ask for. He was beloved by the guys in the clubhouse in Pittsburgh and that played a large role in the Pirates re-signing him after the 2015 season.

He’s a fiery, passionate player. As I’m sure everyone can guess due to the infamous Gatorade cooler incident in the 2015 Wild Card Game. Due to this attitude, he is a great teammate and one who always has his guy’s backs.

TT: A lot of talk has already been about how Rodriguez played every position but catcher and pitcher last year. The Braves love super utility guys…if you had to rank, what’s his top two position and why?

RB: I would go first base and second base. These are his two strongest positions in terms of defensive runs saved. Additionally, his tool set fits best at these two positions. He does not have the strongest arm in the world and is not the fastest guy ever, but neither of these factor in at first base or second base.

Editor’s Note: Over the years, we’ve seen clips of Rodriguez be pretty angry on the ball field. He’s had a number of run ins with the Chicago Cubs, he challenged Phillies pitcher Kevin Slowey to a fight after quick pitching him in a Spring Training game, he was ejected after benches cleared against the Nationals, and of course the famous Gatorade cooler incident.

After hearing about the news that the Braves have signed him, Rodriguez joked about the Gatorade boxing match on twitter. Note to Braves assistants that fill up the coolers…don’t fill them with fruit punch!!

Not if they put out to much "fruit punch" flavor to drink. https://t.co/XjowuoTU8a
— Sean John Rodriguez (@SeanJRodriguez1) November 25, 2016

TT: Rodriguez seems to play with a lot of emotion…and the Gatorade cooler can attest to this…does he bring something additional to the field other than just his play? Has there been another Gatorade cooler moment throughout his career?

RB: He’s a lead by example guy and you can never have too many players like that. If the benches clear, you can bet on Sean either leading the charge or being at the heart of whatever started the incident. If a teammate makes a great play or gets a big hit, he’ll be the first one to congratulate them and celebrate.

Next: Braves Could Look Into Signing Catcher Brayan Pena

TT: He’ll be 32-years-old in 2017…how much more do you think Rodriguez has left?

RB: It’s tough to say. Obviously, his 2016 season was extremely encouraging. But, as I said above, odds are it was an aberration and not a sign of things to come. I wanted the Pirates to re-sign Rodriguez, but that was due to his defensive abilities and clubhouse presence. I certainly will not miss his pre-2016 bat, or all the strikeouts that come with Rodriguez

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