Rainiel Rodriguez is one of four teenagers getting at-bats at Double-A right now. He looks like he belongs.
The 19-year-old blasted a two-run homer in the 12th inning of Double-A Springfield's 7-4 win over Tulsa at ONEOK Field on Friday. It was Rodriguez's first home run since being promoted to Double-A on May 12.
The Cardinals' No. 2 prospect and No. 25 in MLB, Rodriguez is a catcher by trade, but this was his first game at first base at Double-A. That means he wasn't behind the plate to catch left-hander Liam Doyle, the Cardinals' top prospect, as he struck out seven batters over 4 1/3 innings.
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Long after Doyle had left the game, Rodriguez launched a pitch to the opposite field to give the Springfield Cardinals a couple of insurance runs. He has five home runs in 32 games this year and is slashing .306/.423/.508 between High-A and Double-A. He has five hits and three walks in his first four games for Springfield.
Not too bad for someone who is the second-youngest player at the level, behind only baseball's No. 1 prospect, Brewers shortstop Jesús Made.