Pudge Breaks Thru
By Adrian Burgos
The Rangers’ front office thought he was ready to make the jump from their Class AA farm team in the Texas League to the majors. They called up the teenage catcher from Puerto Rico in late June 1991. Iván Rodríguez would be handed the bulk of the catching responsibilities for the Rangers for the rest of the campaign. He was the future behind the plate and part of the ongoing Latinization of the Rangers.
In the mid-1980s the Texas Rangers had developed a pipeline from Puerto Rico thanks in part to the work of area scout Luis Rosa. The Rangers’ scouting on the island quickly showed it could produce major league talent. Outfielders Ruben “El Indio” Sierra and Juan “Igor” González provided the initial proof of the concept with their 1986 and 1989 debuts, respectively.
Rodríguez’s arrival to the Rangers on June 20, 1991, served as further proof that Puerto Rico was going to provide Texas with All-Star caliber players. Rodríguez had signed with the Rangers as a 16-year-old on July 27, 1988. The young catcher was suiting up for the major league team less than three years later.
The Latino Rangers
Calling up Rodríguez was not a desperation move. Rather, the Rangers recognized that the future behind home plate was likely the teenage catching prospect from Puerto Rico. Thus, with just over 100 games left in the 1991 campaign, the Rangers made the call to their Class AA team in Tulsa for Rodríguez.
Rodríguez joined the Rangers in Chicago for their series versus the White Sox. Although he was scheduled to be married on the field in Tulsa that same weekend, he decided to postpone the wedding until the following spring. This was his first call to the big leagues.
The Rangers were 33-27 going into the game versus Chicago. The team featured a number of notable Latino players sprinkled throughout their lineup, including fellow Puerto Ricans Sierra and González. That Rodríguez and González both came out of Vega Baja in Puerto Rico definitely gave the younger Rodríguez some comfort and familiarity in making the jump to the majors.
Penciled In
Well before analytics influenced how managers wrote their batting order, Rangers manager Bobby Valentine was already changing the game. His leadoff batter was Brian Downing, the designated hitter better known for power and for having a good on-base percentage with little speed. Power-hitting first baseman Rafael Palmeiro batted second. The Cuba native would be a second-time All-Star that season, batting .322 with a .932 OPS. Julio Franco, the team’s top base stealer, was often slotted into the clean-up spot. Supplying additional power were Sierra in the third slot and González in the sixth.
With big bats scattered throughout the lineup, Valentine penciled his teenage catcher into the ninth spot. There was no added pressure for the catcher to produce on offense. After all, it was his work behind the plate and his powerful throwing arm the Rangers were anticipating the most.
The rookie catcher did not disappoint. Rodríguez threw out both White Sox who attempted to steal, Joey Cora and Warren Newson. That performance set a tone. He threw out 49 percent of would-be base stealers for the 1991 campaign.
Rodríguez’s performance also signaled a changing of the guard in the American League. Carlton Fisk was the White Sox’s starting catcher for Rodríguez debut.
Fisk made his last All-Star team in 1991 at 43 years old. Equally impressive, Fisk threw out 41 percent of attempted base-stealers that campaign. The following season Rodríguez would make the first of 10 straight All-Star teams in the American League.
Batter Up
Rodríguez didn’t get to take his first swings until the third inning versus Jack McDowell, flying out to deep right-center field. Unsuccessful in his first three turns at the plate, it wasn’t until the dramatic ninth inning that Rodríguez broke through.
The Rangers entered the ninth trailing 3-2. The White Sox called in their closer Bobby Thigpen to secure the win. Thigpen was an All-Star in 1990 and had led the American League with 57 saves that season. But this June night was not his time to shine.
After walking Palmeiro to start the ninth, Thigpen gave up back-to-back home runs to Sierra and Franco that put the Rangers ahead 5-3. With the lead blown, Thigpen got pulled for Melido Pérez.
Rodríguez came up later in the ninth with two runners on base. He lined a drive just beyond the second baseman’s reach for a single that drove in two insurance runs. His first major league hit gave the Rangers the winning score of 7-3.
While Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI in his debut, Valentine kept penciling in Rodríguez. He played 88 games with the Rangers in 1991, batting .264 and hitting just three home runs while driving in 27. His offensive game would continue to improve with his stellar defensive work behind the plate.
In 1992 the future Hall of Famer made his first All-Star team. In his first 12 seasons with the Rangers, he batted .305 and won 10 Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger awards. The teenager from Vega Baja proved he was indeed the Rangers’ future behind the plate, and that Puerto Rico would produce great players for the Rangers.
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