Edwin Rodriguez
Encyclopedia
Edwin Rodríguez Morales (born August 14, 1960 in Ponce, Puerto Rico
) is the former manager
of the Florida Marlins
of Major League Baseball
's National League
. He also played Major League Baseball briefly in the early 1980s as an infielder
.
and San Diego Padres
. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees in . Rodriguez played his first professional season with their Rookie league Gulf Coast Yankees
in 1980, and his last with the Triple-A affiliate of the Padres (Las Vegas Stars
) and Minnesota Twins
(Portland Beavers
) in .
with an Accounting degree.
Rodríguez spent the two previous seasons (2007–08) as the manager of the Class A Greensboro Grasshoppers
in the South Atlantic League
. He had a 66–72 record with the Hoppers in 2008 and was 71–69 in 2007. He previously spent two seasons as manager of the Florida Marlins
' Gulf Coast League
affiliate from 2005–06 and served as hitting coach for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats
in 2004. Before joining the Marlins organization, he was manager of the Princeton Devil Rays
of the Class A (Short-Season) Appalachian League
from 2000–02, and was skipper for the Hudson Valley Renegades
of the New York-Penn League in 1999. In 1997 he joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
as their hitting coach for the GCL Rookie club. Rodriguez was named the manager
of the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs
on December 30, 2008, becoming the 11th manager in the team's history.
On June 23, 2010, Rodríguez became the interim manager for the Florida Marlins
replacing Fredi González
and won his first game against the Baltimore Orioles
on the same day. On June 29, before a Marlins game in San Juan, Puerto Rico
, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria
announced that Rodríguez would remain as manager through the 2010 season. He resigned as manager on June 19, 2011. The team was 32–39 and in last place in the NL East when he resigned.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
) is the former manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. He also played Major League Baseball briefly in the early 1980s as an infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
.
Playing career
Rodríguez played three seasons for the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees in . Rodriguez played his first professional season with their Rookie league Gulf Coast Yankees
Gulf Coast Yankees
The Gulf Coast League Yankees are the Rookie League affiliate of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. The GCL Yankees play in Tampa, Florida at the Yankee Complex...
in 1980, and his last with the Triple-A affiliate of the Padres (Las Vegas Stars
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
) and Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
) in .
Post-playing career
The same year that his playing career was over (1989 in the Puerto Rican Winter League) he became a full time scout for the Minnesota Twins. He scouted for the Twins from 1989 to 1996. While working as a Scout he earned his BBA (1993) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto RicoPontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico is a Roman Catholic university located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses in the areas of education, business administration, arts and human studies and science, leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate Degrees. Its campus is also home...
with an Accounting degree.
Rodríguez spent the two previous seasons (2007–08) as the manager of the Class A Greensboro Grasshoppers
Greensboro Grasshoppers
The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a minor league baseball team in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA...
in the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
. He had a 66–72 record with the Hoppers in 2008 and was 71–69 in 2007. He previously spent two seasons as manager of the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
' Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
affiliate from 2005–06 and served as hitting coach for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats
Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a minor league baseball team based in the eastern suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the Carolina League, are the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians major-league club beginning in 2012.-History:...
in 2004. Before joining the Marlins organization, he was manager of the Princeton Devil Rays
Princeton Devil Rays
The Princeton Rays are a minor league baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, USA. They are an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and have been an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays since September 27, 1996...
of the Class A (Short-Season) Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
from 2000–02, and was skipper for the Hudson Valley Renegades
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, a Class A Short Season league. The Renegades play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY....
of the New York-Penn League in 1999. In 1997 he joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
as their hitting coach for the GCL Rookie club. Rodriguez was named the manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
on December 30, 2008, becoming the 11th manager in the team's history.
On June 23, 2010, Rodríguez became the interim manager for the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
replacing Fredi González
Fredi González
Fredi Jesus González is the current manager of the Atlanta Braves in Major League Baseball. Gonzalez is also the former manager of the Florida Marlins 2007–2010. For the four years prior to 2007, he was third base coach for the Atlanta Braves.-Biography:Gonzalez grew up in Miami, Florida, where he...
and won his first game against the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
on the same day. On June 29, before a Marlins game in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria
Jeffrey Loria
Jeffrey H. Loria is an art dealer and is the owner of the Miami Marlins. Raised in Manhattan, Loria took an early interest in baseball, attending his first New York Yankees game in the late 1940s. Loria attended New York City's Stuyvesant High School and Yale University, where he initially took...
announced that Rodríguez would remain as manager through the 2010 season. He resigned as manager on June 19, 2011. The team was 32–39 and in last place in the NL East when he resigned.