Wandy Rodriguez

Wandy Fulton Rodriguez
also played as Eny Cabreja

• Bats Both, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 195 lb.

• Debut May 23, 2005
• Final Game July 28, 2015
• Born January 18, 1979 in Santiago Rodriguez, D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Wandy Rodriguez used the name Eny Cabreja before visa problems in 2003 made it impossible to hide his true identity any longer.

He was the last player remaining on the Houston Astros roster from the 2005 World Series when he was claimed on waivers by the Colorado Rockies on August 23, 2011. He was having an excellent season for the Astros, with a 9-9 record and a 3.31 ERA, but was owed some $36 million in salary over the next few years, making Houston willing to part with their ace. The move was a bit surprising on the Rockies' part, as only three weeks earlier, they had been on the other end of a similar deal, sending their own ace, Ubaldo Jimenez, to the Cleveland Indians in return for prospects. However, the two teams were unable to work out a deal and the Astros withdrew their waivers on Rodriguez, leaving him an Astro for the time being. He finished the season at 11-11, 3.49 in 30 starts, with 166 strikeouts.

Rodriguez was back with Houston to start the 2012 season, and continued to be a workhorse for the team. He was leading the National League with 21 starts, resulting in a 7-9 record and a 3.79 ERA, when the Astros traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 24th, in return for three minor leaguers - Rudy Owens, Colton Cain and Robbie Grossman. He was the fourth veteran pitcher to be traded by the Astros in less than a week, following J.A. Happ, Brandon Lyon and Brett Myers. He had to wait until his sixth start for the Pirates to record a winning one, doing so by pitching 6 scoreless innings in a 5-0 shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29th; it was not his first win for Pittsburgh though, as he had been the winning pitcher in a relief appearance on August 19th when the Pirates beat the Cards in a 20-inning game. He went 5-4, 3.72, in 13 games for the Bucs, to bring his season's record to 12-13, 3.76. His 33 starts in 34 appearances were tied for the NL lead and his 205 2/3 innings tied a career best.

He pitched for the Dominican Republic national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, helping his team to the title, with a 1-0, 0.96 record. He had a no-decision against Puerto Rico (3 1/3 IP, 1 R) then beat eventual runner-up Puerto Rico with a two-hit, two-walk, six-inning shutout in his other outing. He finished sixth in the event in ERA among pitchers with 9+ IP, after Chien-Ming Wang, Danny Betancourt, Kenta Maeda, Hiram Burgos and Sam Deduno. He did not accompany the Dominicans to the finals, though; unable to pitch due to limitation usage rules, he joined the Pirates for the remainder of spring training. In his first appearance of the 2013 season for the Pirates on April 3rd, he pitched a two-hit shutout over 6 2/3 innings to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 3-0. He had to depart his next start because of tightness in his hamstring, then skipped a turn to allow the injury to heal fully, but he was again masterful upon his return on April 19th. Facing the Atlanta Braves, who had the best record in the major leagues at that point, he allowed only one hit and no runs in seven innings to lead the Bucs to a 6-0 win. After a strong start, he went on the disabled list on June 11th with tightness in his forearm, opening the way for top prospect Gerrit Cole to make his debut. He did not pitch again that season, ending up at 6-4. 3.59 in 12 starts.

Wandy was back with the Pirates at the start of the 2014 season, starting the third game of the year against the Chicago Cubs on April 3rd. He struggled early, falling behind 3-0 before retiring 11 of the last 12 batters he faced, showing some of his old form; unfortunately, his teammates were unable to erase the early deficit and he was saddled with a 3-2 loss. he only made 6 starts for Pittsburgh, going 0-2, 6.75, then was released on May 30th. It took him some time to find his footing again in organized baseball. he signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves the following January, butr was released at the end of spring training in 2015. The Texas Rangers immediately picked him up and put him in the starting rotation at the end of April. He made 15 starts in 17 appearances, going 6-4, 4.90. His best statistic was his K/W ratio of 72/36 in 86 1/3 innings, giving an indication that he still had pretty good stuff. However, he was released again at the start of August when the Rangers found themselves unexpectedly in the hunt for a postseason slot and made some trading deadline acquisitions to strengthen their rotation. He was picked up by the Kansas City Royals to serve as insurance in case one of their major league starters went down with an injury, and was sent to bide his time with the Omaha Storm Chasers of the PCL. He made only 5 appearances there, all in relief, putting up a solid 1.12 ERA in 8 innings. He was not called up by the big league team, however.

On January 26, 2016, he re-joined his original organization, the Astros, as a minor league free agent, albeit one with considerable upside given he had pitched pretty well in 2015 in spite of being shuffled around. He failed to return to the majors, however.

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (2009 & 2012)

Related Sites

• Wandy Rodriguez on mlb.com