NPB: Yariel Rodriguez is Cuba’s next great hope on the mound

Cuban right handed pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is making an excellent first impression with the Chunichi Dragons.

Cuban righty Yariel Rodriguez, who was signed this off-season by the Chunichi Dragons has gotten off to a dominant start with the Japanese ball club.

In two appearances with the team this season, in the minors of the NPB, the hard throwing Cuban has yet to give up a run, struck out five, and has a WHIP of 0.33. In six innings of work he also has an SO9 of 7.5 and a SO/W of 2.5.

Many experts on the island view him as the next great pitching prospect to come out of Cuba. Chunichi has inserted him in the same development program that Ariel and Raidel Martínez went through, this program saw the two Cubans develop into budding stars.

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Rodríguez has plenty of international experience with the Cuban National Team, the righthander was part of the 2019 Premier 12, Pan-Am Games and Caribbean World Series teams. He also has seen action with the team in their incursions in Can-Am League and the friendship series with the US National Collegiate Team.

During the 2019’s Canada incursion we saw a glimpse of how dominant Rodríguez can be, in three starts in a league littered with ex-big leaguers and prospects the native of Camagüey, Cuba posted a record of 1-0, ERA of 2.84 and K’d 19.

Last season in the Serie Nacional with the Camagüey Toros he had a record of 7-6, a 3.61 ERA, and led the Cuban circuit with 93 punchouts in 99.2 innings. Opponents only hit .245 against Rodríguez.

Right now he projects as a reliever or possibly a closer due to the fact his repertoire is quite limited, aside from his blazing 95 mph heater he’s also equipped with a sharp slider and a below average changeup.

During the matchup with the US National Team last season, an MLB scout confessed to me that he’s likely a reliever if signed, because he needs to develop his third pitch a little more and possibly add a fourth decent pitch to his arsenal.

Although he has these limitations the future is bright for this young phenom, especially if Chunichi can develop him like they’ve done with the prior prospects signed off the island.