Fansided

Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez is turning heads

By Josh Criswell

Mar 12, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (79) pitches during a spring training baseball game at McKechnie Field. The Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (79) pitches during a spring training baseball game at McKechnie Field. The Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Two starts into his Major League career, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez looks like an ace in the making. 

The Baltimore Orioles shipped a 21-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez off to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline last season in exchange for relief pitcher Andrew Miller. Almost one year later, Rodriguez has cracked the Red Sox starting rotation and is turning heads with the numbers from his first two career starts, forcing Baltimore to second-guess that decision.

In 14.2 innings pitched, Rodriguez has allowed just one run on five hits, picking up two wins and notching 14 strikeouts in the process, making the start to his promising young career in Boston one of the best in team history.

While he may have been a highly-rated prospect when the deal was made, nobody could have predicted him making such an impact less than a year later. The Red Sox nearly did not make the trade, but an impressive season by Miller made him a popular commodity for a struggling Orioles bullpen. Given that Boston was in last place in the division, they were pawning off anybody they could, and the 29-year-old reliever was the most sought after player left on the roster at the trade deadline.

Fortunately, the organization appears to have made the right move. They still may be at the bottom of the division, but at 24-30, they are only five games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Having a rising star like Rodriguez in the rotation should help improve that record during the remainder of the season, even if he does not keep up this incredible pace.

The Venezuelan native will be looking to become the next great pitcher to hail from his home country, following in the footsteps of Johan Santana, most notably, and Felix Hernandez, most recently. Equipped with a 95-MPH fastball, if Rodriguez can achieve anywhere close to the level of success of these two, he will undoubtedly become one of the most feared pitchers in baseball over the course of the next decade.

He may be entering the MLB a little bit later than Santana and Hernandez did, but he appears to be on the fast-track to making up for lost time. As for now, he has an opportunity to step onto the big stage and leave a lasting impact on baseball fans as we head into the postseason race.

Playing in Boston, Rodriguez will have a tough time avoiding the spotlight, and expectations will continue to rise as his star continues to grow. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to the pressure once the race to the postseason begins.

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