by Anthony DeMatteo
Staff Writer
This season, the Jacksonville Suns will field a handful of prospects likely ticketed for the 25-man roster of their parent club, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As the end of big league Spring Training camp in Vero Beach nears, Suns officials wonder if highly regarded left-hander Scott Elbert will toe the Baseball Grounds rubber, and wait on the arrival – likely in 2008 – of super prospect Clayton Kershaw and his 97 MPH fastball.
But one up-and-comer assured of a spot with the club is Brad Rodriguez, the Double-A team’s 24-year-old assistant general manager.
After switching his major from math to accounting at Harvard University, where he graduated in 2004, Rodriguez decided he wanted to work in the game he loved.
“Math wasn’t what I wanted to do and I just decided ‘You know what? I want to work in baseball,’ because I love baseball,” said Rodriguez, who is entering his second season as the Suns assistant general manager.
The life of a minor league executive differs from that in the majors. While big league assistant general managers scout players and work on trades, Rodriguez oversees promotions, stadium operations and occasionally helps roll out the tarp on the Suns 5-year-old field.
“I knew it was going to be different,” he said. “I knew the organizational structure was different, that there was going to be nothing with players. But I didn’t know how broad everybody’s job description ended up becoming.”
Part of a military family, Rodriguez spent his childhood in a lot of cities, but stayed in Jacksonville long enough to finish middle school and graduate from Stanton College Preparatory School. Born in the Keys, his favorite team was the Florida Marlins, who he saw win the World Series in 1997 and 2003. In Jacksonville, he attended games at the Suns old Wolfson Park home.
“We would come when they had military nights,” he said.
His brother, Matt, was a catcher for the University of North Florida.
“I always played baseball,” he said. “It’s in the family a little bit.”
As he helps prepare Jacksonville for the 2007 baseball season, Rodriguez keeps a goal of life as a major league executive.
“I’d like to do that,” he said. “It’s kind of one of my long term goals. But it’s a matter of getting your foot in the door somewhere. I took the job here because at least I’m working in baseball. I get to say my office is a ballpark. Down the road, I’d love to be a part of a major league team.”
He’s met former Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda, current General Manager Ned Colletti, and Terry Collins, the former Dodgers executive and Angels skipper who will manage this season in Japan.
He said despite the distance between two coasts, Dodger tradition is palpable in the River City.
“You get a feel for that, even though we’re across the country from them,” he said. “They still exude that class of dealing with people and running a business – even from that far away.”
Suns General Manager Kirk Goodman said Rodriguez realizing his big-league dreams is a good bet.
“We’re expecting to lose him,” said Goodman. “He wants to get into Major League Baseball in player development. We would never hold him up, but we hope to have him as long as we can.”
Goodman said Rodriguez has been an asset to the organization personally and professionally.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone work for me who is as detail oriented and who gets things done so often the right way,” he said. “He never flaunts his education. In fact, he’s kind of embarrassed about it when someone asks.”
Rodriguez said though he stayed too busy to watch nine consecutive innings his first year on the job, he enjoyed getting glimpses of players including Andy LaRoche and Matt Kemp, two of the organization’s top prospects likely to spend at least part of 2007 with the Dodgers.
“We had a good, solid club,” he said. “It wasn’t quite the same team as the ‘05 team that was the minor league team of the year and had just phenomenal talent up and down the roster.”
Rodriguez rattles off promotion dates with just an occasional glance at a schedule on a wall in the office he shares with four other people.
He said not knowing who will take the field in Jacksonville is not a big issue around the Baseball Grounds.
“I wouldn’t say it doesn’t matter who comes in, but that’s not our focus,” he said. “We don’t really focus so much, at least in the front office, on the game itself. We try to plan our season promotions and things for fan entertainment.”
Rodriguez said he gets the occasional raised eyebrow when he mentions his alma mater.
“I usually tell them I went to school up in Boston,” he said. “Some of them will just let it go, but some other people ask where, and then you’re kind of stuck and you have to tell them. It’s still a college. People are 18 and 19 years old trying to figure out what they want to do in life.”
For now, his life is with his team.
“I love being in Jacksonville,” he said. “Being military, it’s nice to have a place to actually call home. It’s great to be a part of a nice new ballpark and help entertain fans who are delighted every time they come here.”