Wilking Rodríguez

Wilking Jose Rodriguez Rios

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut June 3, 2014

• Born March 2, 1990 in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Wilking Rodriguez was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals from the New York Yankees in the 2022 Rule V Draft. He was an unusual selection, being 32 years old at the time and having already played in the majors - albeit eight years earlier when he pitched two innings for the Kansas City Royals in 2014.

He had last pitched in the affiliated minors in 2015 and his career appeared to be just about over, being limited after that to some appearances in winter ball in the Venezuelan League. However, in 2021, he pitched 25 games in relief in the Mexican League, with decent results, then appeared in the 2022 Caribbean Series with the Navegantes del Magallanes, representing Venezuela. he followed that up with an excellent season in la Liga, when he went 6-2, 2.01 with 17 saves in 46 games for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos. That caught the attention of the Yankees, who had been in last major league organization back in 2015, and they signed him as a free agent on August 30th. They failed to add him to their major league roster, however, and that left him ripe for the picking for the Cardinals, who took him in the Rule V draft a little over three months later.

Related Sites

• Wilking Rodriguez on mlb.com