Luis Rodriguez

Valuing the recent J-2 signees who have yet to make their pro debuts is always a challenge. We have to read the tea leaves and follow the momentum. For instance, there has been nothing but positive reports about every aspect of Hedbert Perez's game since he signed with the Brewers on July 2, 2019. Rodriguez, who signed with the Dodgers that same day, was more highly touted than Perez at the time they signed, and while he has a beautiful right-handed swing in batting practice videos, his stock has trended in the wrong direction. He remained in the Dominican Republic for 2020 and Baseball America reports that he fell in love with hitting for power and his hit tool has gone from a potential plus tool to a fringe-average one. As an average runner who has started filling out his 6-foot-2 frame, he needs to hit for a high average to meet expectations, and that's much more in question now than it was a year ago.