During the 2018 season, reliever Richard Rodriguez came out of nowhere to put together a breakout season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2019, however, Rodriguez fell off a cliff and saw himself spend time at the Triple-A level.
Rodriguez posted a 2.47 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 6.8% walk rate, and a 31.5% strikeout rate in 69.1 innings of work in 2018. This led to Rodriguez earning a high leverage role in the Pirate bullpen, with high expectations being heaped on him for 2019.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off for Rodriguez in 2019. In 65.