Former Gator left-hander Steven Rodriguez
(Miami, Fla.) was called up to the Major Leagues by the Los Angeles Dodgers on
Wednesday. He becomes the second player in head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s
tenure at Florida to reach professional baseball’s highest level after Nick
Maronde (2009-11) was called up to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last
week.
Chosen in the second round of the Major
League Baseball Draft by the Dodgers at No. 82 overall in June, Rodriguez’s
final collegiate appearance in his junior season came on June 16 in the opening
round of the NCAA College World Series against South Carolina.
The southpaw had six scoreless outings for
the Class A Great Lakes (Mich.) Loons in the Midwest League, with a pair of
saves, 10 strikeouts and zero walks in six innings before being called up to
the Double A Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts of the Southern League. Over 15
appearances, Rodriguez was 1-0 with a 1.32 earned run average, totaled 22
strikeouts, permitted six walks and collected three saves in 13.2 innings.
Opponents batted just .149 against him. In 21 minor league appearances spanning
19.2 innings, he had a 32-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio and a 0.92 ERA.
