Detroit Tigers: Ronny Rodríguez continues to produce

Ronny Rodríguez is making his presence known on the field for the Detroit Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers offense came alive Wednesday night defeating the Los Angeles Angels 10-3 at Comerica Park. A large part of the Tigers win can be attributed to the play from Ronny Rodríguez.

Against the Angels yesterday, Rodríguez went 3-4 at the plate with 4 RBIs. This is the second time a player totaled 4 RBIs in a game this season, as the other occurrence came from Christian Stewart when he smacked a grand slam against Kansas City April 6th. Rodríguez also was a home run shy from hitting for a cycle. Carlos Guillen obtained the last cycle for Detroit in 2006 against Tampa Bay.

Rodríguez made his debut for the Detroit Tigers this season on April 14th, and since then he has been one of the most productive hitters in the lineup. In14 games, Rodríguez’s batting average is .340, and his RBI total is now 12, and he has recorded at least one hit in 11 of his 14 games thus far. Not only is Rodríguez getting hits, but he is also getting extra bases as well. 12 out of his 18 hits this year have been for extra bases. His hot start seems to be translating into May because this month he is hitting .417.

These numbers should make Detroit fans ecstatic since it seems the Dominican might be finding his footing in the majors. In 2011, he started playing for The Lake County Captains in The Midwest League at the young age of 19, and he began rising his way up the totem pole.

Six years later, he found himself on The Columbus Clippers hitting .291 with 17 home runs in 117 games. The following year he became a free agent, and The Tigers signed him to a minor league deal where he performed well enough to have his major league debut on May 31, 2018.

At age 26, Rodríguez’s first season in the big leagues was less than stellar. In 2018, he played in 62 games averaging .220 in the batter’s box with five home runs and 20 RBIs.

There were not high expectations for Rodríguez coming into the 2019 campaign. He started the season for The Toledo Mud Hens, but he was called up on April 14th after Jordy Mercer was placed on the 10-day injured list. Since that moment, Rodríguez hasn’t looked back.

Rodríguez’s play is without a doubt up there for the pleasant surprise of the year. With the Tigers’ struggles at the plate (3rd worst BA in the AL), Detroit fans hope to see Rodríguez’s bat continue to stay hot.