Name (Japanese): アデルリン・ロドリゲス
Date of Birth: November 18, 1991
Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
High School: Centro Educativo Los Palmares (Santo Domingo)
Family Status: Married, two daughters, one son
Position: First Base
Height: 192 cm (6’3″)
Weight: 95 kg (209 lbs)
Threw/Batted: Right/Right
Wore #: 91
Originally signed by: New York Mets (Free agent, 2008)
Previously Played for: Orix Buffaloes (2020)
NPB Debut on: June 19, 2020 vs. Eagles (0-3, BB)
Tigers Top Squad Debut: July 22, 2022 vs. Baystars (1-1, 2B, 2 RBI)
Final Tigers Appearance: October 13, 2022 @ Swallows (0-1, K)
Cheer Song:
| Romaji | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Sa- toki hanate | さぁ解き放て | Unleash your |
| Yume tsukamu pawa- | 夢つかむパワー | dream-giving power |
| Teki wo kudake tobase | 敵を砕け飛ばせ | Break down your enemy pound the ball |
| Karibu no taiho- | カリブの大砲 | Caribbean cannon |
| Rettsu go- rettsu go- | レッツゴー レッツゴー | Let's go let's go |
| Ho-muran ho-muran Rodorigesu | ホームラン ホームラン ロドリゲス | Home run home run Rodriguez |
Career Awards/Achievements: PL Walk-off of the Month (July 2020)
Career Stats:
| YR | Team | AVG | GP | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | RBI | R | K | BB | HBP | S | SF | SB | CS | GIDP | OBP | SLG | OPS | RISP | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Buffaloes | .218 | 59 | 211 | 193 | 42 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 70 | 25 | 11 | 55 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .280 | .363 | .642 | .260 | 8 |
| 2022 | Tigers | .154 | 24 | 70 | 65 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .200 | .277 | .477 | .333 | 1 |
| NPB Career | .202 | 83 | 281 | 258 | 52 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 88 | 34 | 16 | 72 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .260 | .341 | .601 | .274 | 9 |
Brief Biography
Aderlin Rodriguez signed a minor-league deal with the New York Mets at age 16, and made his debut with their Gulf Coast League affiliate the next season (2009). He made it as high as double-A in 2015, but was released by the Mets that season. That same year, he signed with the Seattle Mariners and played some double-A ball with them, but bounced from them to the Baltimore Orioles, then the San Diego Padres (all minor-league) before ultimately electing to become a free agent at the end of the 2019 season.
Rodriguez signed with the Orix Buffaloes at the end of 2019, joining the team for the 2020 season. That season was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but Rodriguez was in the starting lineup on Opening Day (June 19), going 0-3 with a walk (the team managed just one hit). On July 10, he hit a massive three-run walk-off home run against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, earning himself the PL Walkoff of the Month Award. Unfortunately, Rodriguez took a pitch to the wrist later that same month against the Fighters, ending his season (and time with Orix) after just 59 games.
Rodriguez returned to North America and played for the Toledo Mudhens (the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate team) in 2021. He won league MVP after recording 29 home runs and 94 RBIs to go along with a .290 average in 116 games. He signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres at the start of the 2022 season. He played 45 games with the El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A) and batted .272 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, but was granted his release on June 15. A week later, it was discovered that he had reached an agreement to join the Hanshin Tigers for the second half of the season, as first baseman Jefry Marte worked his way back from injury and Mel Rojas Jr struggled to stay in the starting lineup.
Arriving on July 8, Rodriguez was believed to not need extensive workouts to be ready for the top squad. He made his debut on the top squad on July 22, in fact, and hit a clutch pinch-hit double late in a game against the Yokohama DeNA Baystars at Koshien Stadium. He became the first import hitter since Jerry Sands (2020) to reach the hero’s podium in his first game. (Sands’ podium was also after a win against the Baystars.) Rodriguez would perform reasonably well for the next two weeks, even recording two home runs (July 29 and August 7). However, he started to struggle to hit offspeed pitches, striking out more than management could tolerate. He was sent down to the farm on August 28 and did not return to the top squad until the very end of the season. Despite being on the postseason roster, he did not impact any of the games in which he appeared, and he was released at season’s end.
Rodriguez is currently playing for the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League.
Related Articles:
New 1B Rodriguez Meets the Press (July 13, 2022)
1B Rodriguez Inbound, LHP Chen Outbound (June 22, 2022)