The Curious Case of Cris Rodriguez

At just 17 years old, Tigers outfielder Cris Rodriguez is already flashing grown-man power. With a 90th percentile exit velocity of 107 mph and a 113 mph max that rivals big leaguers, his raw juice is undeniable. The question is whether he can rein in the swing-and-miss enough to let that power translate stateside — if so, he could be one of the system’s fastest-rising prospects.

Cris Rodriguez: Power, Projection, and What Comes Next

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, Rodriguez already looks the part of a physical presence in the box despite not turning 18 for another six months.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez spent this season in the DSL, where limited video still managed to generate plenty of buzz. The reason is simple: His power metrics at such a young age are extraordinary, putting him on the radar as a potential fast-riser in a system thin on impact bats.

The Case for Helium

Rodriguez’s exit velocities jump off the page. His 90th percentile EV of 107 mph would rank among the best marks in the major leagues, and his max EV of 113 mph matches Roman Anthony’s rookie-season best. That’s elite company for a teenager still maturing physically.

Combine that with a swing path geared for loft, and it’s easy to see why scouts are intrigued. With this kind of raw juice, Rodriguez doesn’t have to square the ball perfectly to drive it out of the yard. As he continues to grow into his frame, his offensive ceiling only looks louder, fueling his case to be one of the DSL’s true helium candidates.

Red Flags To Watch

Of course, there are risks. Rodriguez’s 68% contact rate and 57% swing rate raise concerns about how his approach will translate once he faces more advanced pitching. While he’s running a 120 wRC+ in the DSL, that production is built on an aggressive approach that could get exposed against sharper secondaries and sequencing stateside.

Defensively, he’s likely limited to a corner, which means the bat has to carry the profile. Given the present swing-and-miss, it’s hard to project even average contact skills, making Rodriguez’s path to impact dependent on whether he can refine his approach enough to let the power shine.

The positive: At just 17, he has the time and developmental runway to make those adjustments.

Outlook and Shades Of

For all the justified concerns, Rodriguez’s level of raw power is a rarity. As both his body and approach mature, he could quickly establish himself as one of the more captivating prospects in the Tigers’ system — and beyond.

His exit velocities alone should earn him an opportunity stateside in the near future, where better competition will provide a clearer test of his ceiling. If he can rein in the chase and make enough contact, Rodriguez has a pathway to become a borderline top-100 prospect by 2026.

Shades of: a right-handed Lazaro Montes — immense slugging potential with a profile that may ultimately hinge on whether the hit tool can support the prodigious raw power.