PEORIA, Ariz. – In many Latin American cultures, Christmas gifts don’t come from Santa Claus, but from El Niño Dios – the baby Jesus.
For Padres right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez, that tradition lives on through a bat and a ball he received when he was 2 years old in Petare, Venezuela. He eventually let go of the bat, but never the ball.
When asked why he started playing baseball, Rodriguez didn’t hesitate.
“It was all baby Jesus,” he said in Spanish.
Now the Padres’ No. 6 prospect, Rodriguez arrived at Spring Training with more than just electric stuff. The 22-year-old is looking to turn a brief but eye-opening 2025 Major League debut into a lasting role on a crowded pitching staff, with a chance to open the season as a middle reliever.
“It’s something where you have to believe in yourself. That’s my confidence,” Rodriguez said. “Every time I’m pitching, It’s not about ego, but in that moment I feel like the best. Just like the hitter feels like he’s the best, I do too. I’m not afraid to face anyone, I just go out there to attack and compete.”
Signed by San Diego in January 2021 out of Venezuela, Rodriguez worked his way through the lower levels, though right elbow issues threatened to slow his development. But 2024 became his breakout season, as he surged from Single-A to Double-A, striking out 75 batters in 61 1/3 innings of relief.
That momentum carried into 2025, when Rodriguez made his Major League debut on May 31. He returned to Triple-A El Paso before coming back up to San Diego in September — and made enough of an impression to earn a postseason nod.
“Honestly, that meant a lot to me,” Rodriguez said. “Like anyone, I felt I deserved to be on the roster. They took that into account and put me there.”
In seven appearances for the Padres last season, Rodriguez posted a 1.17 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP, flashing the kind of raw ability that first put him on the organization’s radar.
Now, the focus has shifted from arrival to staying.
Padres manager Craig Stammen has seen that mindset take shape this spring, particularly in how Rodriguez has handled moments that test his maturity.
“Bradgley's a great pitcher,” Stammen said. “He brings elite stuff out on the mound, throwing almost 100 miles an hour with a great changeup and a good slider. We're looking for big things for him this upcoming season.”
The “elite stuff” jumps off the page.
Rodriguez’s fastballs, both the four-seamer and sinker, can reach triple digits and typically sit between 96-99 mph. While neither pitch relies heavily on movement, the sheer velocity makes them difficult to square up. He leaned more on the four-seamer in the Majors, particularly against left-handers, while using the sinker to attack righties.
But it’s his changeup that separates him.
Thrown in the upper 80s with roughly 10 mph of separation from his fastball, the pitch features heavy armside run and has consistently generated swings and misses at every level. He complements it with a hard cut-slider against righties, giving him a full power arsenal.
The challenge, as with many young power arms, is command. Rodriguez’s high-effort delivery has led to stretches of giving up more walks than strikeouts, particularly during his time in Triple-A. But in his brief Major League stint, that balance began to shift in the right direction.
So far this spring, the results are backing it up.
In his second Major League camp, Rodriguez owns a 1.13 ERA across eight innings, with eight strikeouts and a 0.75 WHIP, numbers that reflect both his stuff and improving poise.
For Rodriguez, though, the numbers are secondary to the mindset that has carried him from Petare to Peoria.
Years after that first Christmas gift, he’s still holding onto the same tools, a ball in his hand and a conviction in his approach. Only now, they’ve brought him to the edge of something bigger.
A full-time place in the Major Leagues.