The first thing you notice about Dereck Rodriguez is his flowing locks. They are Tim Lincecum-level iconic. The first thing you’ll probably HEAR about Dereck is that he’s Ivan (better known as “Pudge”) Rodriguez’s son. When you have a father who is in the Hall of Fame, I imagine that type of thing follows you around wherever you go.
Dereck got the call up to the big leagues on Sunday evening, presumably reporting to Coors Field to help an overworked Giants pitching staff. I visited Dereck the day before in Sacramento to chat with him about what he’s done in his first season with the Rivercats so far.