Hitting woes turn Pudge's son from outfielder into pitcher

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Dereck Rodriguez doesn't consider himself to be behind the curve as he attempts to move forward from the low minors and gain greater status as a Twins prospect.

"I see myself more in the same category as someone who played for three years in college and is now early in his pro career as a pitcher,'' Rodriguez said. "My first three years I learned how tough it is to hit against good pitching. And now I'm trying to take advantage of that.''

Rodriguez was a high school outfielder in the Miami area and was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round in 2011. This received some attention, since Dereck is the son of Ivan "Pudge'' Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame catcher of the near future.

Dereck played 29 games for the rookie team in Fort Myers, the Gulf Coast League Twins. He batted .156 with no home runs and five RBI in 90 at-bats.

"It was bad,'' he said. "The second year in the GCL, I was better, but it was still hit-and-miss at the plate.''

Rodriguez was using hit-and-miss in the come-and-go sense, although he did have 31 strikeouts in 99 at-bats in the GCL in 2012. He batted .263 with three home runs and 12 RBI.

He stayed in extended spring training in 2013 and then was assigned to Elizabethton, Tenn., the higher level of rookie ball. He batted .222 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 153 at-bats, numbers that can get a player released after three pro seasons.

"I was in winter ball in Puerto Rico after the 2013 season,'' Rodriguez said. "They follow everything in baseball there. People kept saying to me, 'Dereck, you're going to be a pitcher now …'

"I didn't know what they were talking about. It was an hour and half drive from where I was staying to where my team played. On the drive, I called Joel Lepel and asked, 'Why do I keep hearing I'm going to be a pitcher?' "

Lepel is the Twins' minor league field coordinator. He admitted the Twins were getting ready to ask Rodriguez if he wanted to use his powerful arm to take a shot as a pitcher.

"I didn't pitch until my senior year in high school, and that was seven innings,'' Rodriguez said. "There were some scouts at those games, and a couple decided I should be a pitcher. The Astros were one. When I worked out for them, they said, 'Only bring your pitcher's glove.'

"I wasn't ready to be a pitcher. I wanted to hit.''

Rodriguez paused and said: "It's not easy to hit. I keep that in mind now when I'm pitching. 'Throw strikes. It's not easy to hit.' "

Dereck had that conversation with Lepel as he made the lengthy drive to play for his Puerto Rican team in the winter of 2013-14.

"When I got to the stadium and said to my manager, 'This is what the Twins want me to do,' " Rodriguez said. "He already had heard the Twins wanted me to be a pitcher. Everyone in Puerto Rico knew except me.''

Rodriguez's winter league team put him on the inactive list for a couple of weeks to work on the mechanics of pitching. Then he started to get in occasional games as a reliever. He made one start.

He gives credit to a pair of pitching coaches in Puerto Rico, Rafe Chavez and Alex Cruz, for their assistance.

"In high school, I just took the ball and threw as hard as I could,'' Rodriguez said. "And I hadn't pitched since then, until two years ago in Puerto Rico.''

No one will ever use "Pudge'' as a nickname for Dereck Rodriguez. He's 6-foot-1 and lean. His father was 5-foot-9 and thick, until later in his career.

Dereck's mother, Maribel, and Pudge Rodriguez were divorced in 2006. Dereck moved to Plantation, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale, with his mother and two sisters. Lately, he's been spending his winters in Puerto Rico, the home country of both of his parents.

Rodriguez throws his fastball in the low 90s and spins a good curveball, according to Brad Steil, Twins minor league director. He also has added a straight change — taught to him by his father.

Last summer, Dereck was back in Elizabethton and became the Pitcher of the Year in the Appalachian League. He had just turned 23, well above the league average.

Rodriguez was 6-3 with 2.85 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 66⅓ innings at Elizabethton. And, he issued only 11 walks.

That's because Dereck learned something in his first three pro seasons. He learned it's not easy to hit.

Patrick Reusse can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on AM-1500. • preusse@startribune.com