RailCats C Rich Rodrigues Contract Sold to Seattle Mariners
August 17, 2004 - Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
GARY â The Gary SouthShore RailCats (Northern League) will sell the contract of catcher Rich Rodrigues to the Seattle Mariners organization, the team announced today. The move will become effective after tonight's RailCats game against the Winnipeg Goldeyes at U. S. Steel Yard.
Rodrigues, 28, is the second RailCats player to have his contract sold to a major league organization this season. Rodrigues will report to the Angels' Texas League (AA) affiliate in San Antonio. The RailCats have now sold seven player contracts to major league organizations since 2001.
Rodrigues is batting .284 â 4 HR â 26 RBI in 69 games for the RailCats this season. Rodrigues was hitting .312 before an 8-for-46 stretch in his last 13 games dropped his batting average 28 points. Rodrigues has been hit by pitches a team-leading 14 times, including a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch that forced across the tying run in an eventual 6-3 win over Schaumburg June 15. On July 24th, Rodrigues' RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the RailCats a 2-1 walk-off win over St. Paul, and his two-run single in the 6th inning tied Sunday's game with Lincoln at 2-2, in an eventual 5-4 RailCats' win. Rodrigues has thrown out 11 of 45 runners attempting to steal this season (24%), and has delivered 11 of his 24 RBI with two outs in an inning.
Rodrigues batted .234 â 6 HR â 29 RBIs in 69 games for Sioux Falls in 2003, and threw out 38 percent of runners who attempted to steal against him (18-of-48). The seven-year veteran has spent his entire professional career in the Northern League, with Sioux Falls (1998-99, 2003), Duluth-Superior (2000), Sioux City (2001-02), and the RailCats (2004). Rodrigues was a member of Duluth âSuperior's Northern League Central pennant winning club in 2000.
Rodrigues has played in the Northern League All-Star Game three times, including getting the starting call at catcher in each of the last two seasons for the respective West (2003) and South (2004) Divisions.
Rodrigues was a 50th round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1996 draft out of De Anza College (Cupertino, Calif.), but did not sign. He also participated in spring training with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2001, but was not assigned to a team.
The RailCats continue a ten-game homestand tonight at U. S. Steel yard with a 7 p.m. game against Winnipeg.
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The Gary SouthShore RailCats are the professional minor league baseball team serving Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs. The RailCats' Northern League schedule includes 14 August home games at U. S. Steel Yard. For information about tickets, season ticket plans, group outings, and creative sponsorship packages, call the RailCats at (219) 882-BALL, or visit the RailCats web site at www.railcatsbaseball.com.
Northern League Stories from August 17, 2004
- T-Bones Fall to Fargo-Moorhead, 5-4 - Kansas City Monarchs
- Canaries defeat JackHammers, and you could have watched it on-line! - Joliet JackHammers
- Nagasaka Shuts Out Explorers; Patton Goes Deep Twice - Lincoln Saltdogs
- RailCats C Rich Rodrigues Contract Sold to Seattle Mariners - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Northern League news and notes - NL
- Pennant Race Heats Up for T-Bones - Kansas City Monarchs
- Canaries Can't Hold Off âHammers - Sioux Falls Canaries
- McCay's Magic; JackHammers defeat Canaries - Joliet JackHammers
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