Wilking Rodriguez, struck out more than 40% of the batters he faced in Mexico, though he has not been in the majors since 2014. Also: Ads on Cards jerseys?
www.stltoday.com
Derrick Goold
SAN DIEGO — In the traditional ending to the winter meetings, the Cardinals snagged a “nontraditional” pick in the Rule 5 draft, though one with some classic Rule 5 traits.
A few months after trying to acquire right-hander Wilking Rodriguez from his Mexican team, the Cardinals plucked his rights from the Yankees’ minor-league system with the 25th pick in Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft. At 32, Rodriguez is one of the oldest Rule 5 selections in memory, and he has not played for a major-league team or an affiliate team since 2015. What he did do was overwhelm hitters this past season with something rather appealing to the Cardinals.
He throws strikes — often at 100 mph.