Yet another former Los Angeles Angels prospect who now wears the Old English D, Elvin Rodriguez arrived in the deal that sent Justin Upton out west. While the other prospect in the deal — RHP Grayson Long — was considered the better player at the time of the deal, he has since undergone surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and missed the whole of 2018. That opened up a place in the spotlight for Rodriguez, who took the opportunity and ran with it.
Rodriguez took a distinct step forward with both his fastball and his consistency, making himself into a top-20 prospect in the Tigers’ system.