JUPITER, Fla. — As the Cardinals took notice of his 100-mph fastball in Mexico this past summer and made a bid to bring Wilking Rodriguez back toward the majors, there was one thing keeping him from that opportunity.
That aforementioned 100-mph fastball.
The sizzle and the success that Rodriguez’s fastball brought to the ninth inning for Dos Laredos of the Mexican League was too valuable for the team to consider selling his contract, not with a chance to win their division, not for a team hungry for its first title contention in three decades.