Richard Rodriguez, Pittsburgh Pirates

Orioles’ fans barely took notice when the then-27-year-old Rodriguez had a cup of coffee with the club last September, then was jettisoned before the season even ended. He figured to be just another journeyman, Quadruple-A kind of player, the type who spend their careers stuck on the fringes of the majors without being effective enough to succeed.

Then Rodriguez landed with the Pirates this season and had a breakthrough, proving he wasn’t just minor league filler. Called up in mid-April, he quickly established himself as a force out of the Pirates’ bullpen. In his first 16 games, he had an ERA of 1.40 while collecting 31 strikeouts (and just three walks) in 19 1/3 innings. That included a pair of six-strikeout performances. He caught national attention from FanGraphs, who wrote that the Pirates had “won the lottery” in picking up Rodriguez as a minor league free agent.

Rodriguez hit a hiccup when he went on the DL with shoulder pain in early June, but he returned later that month and has continued to pitch well. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 34 games, striking out 11.4 batters per nine.

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