Minnesota Twins Sign Pitcher

The Minnesota Twins have signed Dereck Rodriguez to a minor league contract. 

Interestingly, Rodriguez actually spent six seasons with the Twins organization. However, he never would end up making the major league roster and then signed with the San Francisco Giants in 2017. Now, in 2022, he will be looking to finally make the Twins' major-league roster. 

Rodriguez is an interesting signing, and that's not just because he's Ivan Rodriguez's son. During the 2018 season with the Giants as a rookie, he looked like a starter who could have a strong major-league career. In 21 appearances that campaign, he had a 6-4 record, 2.81 ERA, and 89 strikeouts. Yet, after his impressive rookie season, he quickly fell off. During the 2019 season, he had a 6-11 record and 5.64 ERA. Then, his time with the Giants would end in 2020 after he had a 13.50 ERA in two appearances - which led to him being released. He has not been played at the MLB level since.

With Triple-A Albuquerque last season, he had a 4-6 record, 6.72 ERA, 87 strikeouts. It's fair to say that it was a disappointing campaign for him, but perhaps going back to a familiar environment with Minnesota could help him regroup. When looking at how well he pitched in 2018, there may be hope for a bounce-back. 

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