The Chicago Cubs have, for the second straight year, drafted a Future Stars Series pitching alum.
With the 394th overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Cubs have picked Erian Rodriguez, who has extensive experience at FSS events.
Rodriguez first pitched at an FSS event at the 2020 National Combine, striking out three batters over the course of his impressive outing.
That earned him a trip to International Week as a member of the World Team, where he didn’t so much as allow a hit to any of the nine batters he faced.
And, most recently, he spun a scoreless inning at the 2021 Pre-Draft High School Combine, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
“(He’s not under the radar) for me, and I don’t quite understand that,” said Jeremy Booth, CEO and president of the Future Stars Series. “Good kid, came over from Panama, and that’s two plusses right there. Puts the work and the time in. Seemed to have lost a little bit of weight when we saw him at the Pre-Draft from the previous year, which means he’ll need to get back to eating properly and gain that strength, but he’s got a good foundation with where he’s coming from, the Georgia Premier Sox. He needs to go play, he needs to pitch. He’s another kind of ‘tweener guy who can be a starter at the back end, (but is) probably a reliever. He’s a guy who comes through the lineup once, finishes a game, but he’s going to be that versatile guy in the bullpen for you. Those type of guys tend to find themselves to the big leagues in a couple years.”
