Padres Fernando Rodney Continues to Have a Stellar Season

One of brightest spots for the Padres this season has been the play of veteran closer Fernando Rodney.

In 19 games, Rodney is 0-1 with 10 saves and a 0.00 ERA. He did allow one run, which was unearned. In 19 innings, he has allowed only eight hits and has 17 strikeouts.

Rodney signed a one-year/$1.5 million deal with the Padres this past offseason and shown to be a huge bargain for them.

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Earlier this month, bullpen coach Doug Bochtler praised Rodney’s change-up.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s fun to watch,” Bochtler said. “He has a conventional grip … but he’s learned how to kill the ball in his hand and yet maintain the same arm action, hand speed. There’s something about that slot he throws from; he does have a very high (arm) slot. You think back: Trevor had a very high slot, and Johan Santana had a very high slot. Josh Collmenter, very high slot.

“When you throw a changeup, there’s a point where your hand has to do something to take the energy and not transfer it into the baseball, and (Rodney) has really learned how to do it. He just doesn’t allow the energy to get through his fingers, so it sucks the velocity off it.” (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

For his career, the 39-year old has 246 career saves and a 3.62 ERA in 719 games. He has a record of 37-56. Prior to joining the Padres, Rodney pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs. He is a two-time All-Star (2012 & 2014) and led the league in saves in 2014 with 48.

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Rodney signed with Detroit as an amateur free agent in 1997. He made his major league debut in 2002 and played in Detroit until 2009 before playing with LAA during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

The Padres bullpen has struggled this season. They are 25^th in the majors with a 4.40 ERA. At 20-31 (last in the NL West), it’s hard to imagine how much worse things would be without Rodney. He has been a joy to watch this season, but you have to also wonder if the Padres could trade him to a contender before the trading deadline.