Josh Rodriguez
Joshua Joel Rodriguez (born December 18, 1984) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican Baseball League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Amateur career. Rodriguez attended Rice University. There, he played college baseball for the Rice Owls baseball team in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 2004 and the Third Team NCAA Division I All-American third baseman in 2006, the year after Rice joined  Conference USA. Professional career. Cleveland Indians. Rodriguez was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Rodriguez played for the Class AA Akron Aeros of the Eastern League (EL) in 2008, 2009, and the first part of 2010. On May 18, 2010, Rodriguez was promoted to the Class AAA Columbus Clippers of the International League (IL). He hit .293 in 86 games. Pittsburgh Pirates. In December 2010, the Pirates selected Rodriguez with the first overall pick of the 2010 Rule 5 draft. Under the rules regarding Rule 5 players, Rodriguez had to  stay on the team's major league roster for the entire 2011 season, or be offered back to the Indians. On March 27, 2011. the Pirates announced that Rodriguez would be on the team's Opening Day roster, after infielder Pedro Ciriaco was optioned to the AAA Indianapolis Indians. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington stated Rodriguez proved during spring training that he is adept enough defensively to hold his own in the big leagues. Huntington also added that "[Rodriguez] is not your typical Rule 5 guy. He's a little better-equipped to handle the major league environment than a  typical Rule 5 guy." The announcement of Rodriguez being named to the Pirates Opening Day roster came moments after he and Ciriaco helped the team defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in a spring training game by scoring on a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Pirates a 5-4 victory. He was designated for assignment on April 22 to make room for Brandon Wood on the roster. The Cleveland Indians reacquired him on April 29 and assigned him to AAA Columbus. However, he was traded back to Pittsburgh on June 21 for cash considerations . In the Pirates minor league system, he played for the Indianapolis Indians of the IL and the Altoona Curve of the EL. In the 2011 season he played for Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Altoona, and Columbus. New York Mets. On March 29, 2012, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Rodriguez began the year with the Binghamton Mets of the EL. He was named EL Player of the Week on April 23. Miami Marlins. On January 27, 2014, Rodriguez signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization and was assigned to the Triple-A New Orleans  Zephyrs to begin the season. Second Stint with Mets. On March 8, 2015, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. He was assigned to the AAA Las Vegas 51s. On April 2, 2015 he was demoted to the AA Binghamton Mets. Oakland Athletics. Rodriguez signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics on November 25, 2015. He began the 2016 season with the Double-A Midland RockHounds, but was promoted to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in late April. He became a free agent after the season, but was later re-signed to a minor  league contract with the A's for 2017. He was released during spring training. Third Stint with Mets. On April 3, 2017, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. He was assigned to the AAA Las Vegas 51s. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017. Toros de Tijuana. On March 20, 2018, Rodriguez signed with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League. Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos. On May 3, 2018, Rodriguez was traded to the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican Baseball League. Rodriguez did not play in a game  in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.