Grayson Rodriguez

Grayson Greer Rodriguez (born November 16, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Orioles selected Rodriguez in the first round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Amateur career
Rodriguez attended Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. As a junior, he had a 14–1 win–loss record with a 0.38 earned run average (ERA), leading Central Heights to the 3A state title. He signed to play college baseball at Texas A&M University.

Professional career
The Baltimore Orioles selected Rodriguez in the first round, with the 11th overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. On June 12, 2018, Rodriguez signed with the Orioles for $4.3 million. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Orioles and spent the whole season there, going 0–2 with a 1.40 ERA in nine games (eight starts).

Rodriguez spent 2019 with the Delmarva Shorebirds, earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors. That July, Rodriguez represented the Orioles at the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. Over twenty starts with Delmarva, he went 10–4 with a 2.68 ERA, striking out 129 batters over 94 innings. Rodriguez did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To begin 2021, he was assigned to the Aberdeen IronBirds. He was promoted to the Bowie Baysox during the season. Over 23 starts between the two teams, he went 9–1 with a 2.36 ERA and 161 strikeouts over 103 innings.

Rodriguez was assigned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides to begin the 2022 season. On June 2, 2022, it was announced that Rodriguez would miss time with a right lat muscle strain. He had compiled a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts with Norfolk at the time of his injury. On November 15, the Orioles added Rodriguez to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

On March 27, 2023, the Orioles announced that Rodriguez would not be part of the Opening Day rotation and would begin the year in Norfolk. On April 4, it was announced that Rodriguez would be starting on April 5 against the Texas Rangers. In his debut, he pitched five innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits, while striking out five, resulting in a no decision. He went eight innings without a walk in an 8–0 home win over the Tampa Bay Rays on September 16. For the season, he was 7-4, with a 4.35 ERA.