Reds Alfredo Rodriguez is hitting well in Chattanooga

In early 2016 rumors began swirling that the Cincinnati Reds were going to sign Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez to a $6M bonus. He wound up signing for $7M with the Reds later that year when the new signing period began in July. The reports on him were that he had very strong defense, but the consensus was that his bat was quite poor. While he had won the Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year award in 2014-2015, it was for his glove, not hit bat. As a 20-year-old he had hit just .265/.301/.284 in 304 plate appearances.

It had been over a year since he had last played, so the Reds sent him to their Dominican Summer League affiliate where he faced off against mostly teenagers as a…