First and foremost, Endy Rodriguez sees himself as a catcher. He drove that point home today and Derek Shelton explained yesterday that the organization still sees him as a catcher, that much is clear.

However, that doesn't mean that Rodriguez, who was the organization's consensus top prospect before blowing out his elbow in 2023, can't help the Pirates in other ways. He's an athlete who can and has played multiple positions in the past, including first base, second base and right field. 

So, after making the opening day roster late last week, Shelton and his staff approached Rodriguez about starting to work at first base. After playing at first base in a minor league game yesterday, Rodriguez made his first start of the spring there Monday afternoon during the Pirates' 5-1 loss to the Twins at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla.

"I'm a catcher. I'm a catcher with an ability to play other positions," Rodriguez said about starting to work at first base. "I know that, I feel that, so I'm good with that."

Rodriguez's latest venture is just one part of his story this spring. He missed most of the 2024 season while recovering from elbow surgery but returned toward the end of the year to play in six games with Class AA Altoona and another four at Class AAA Indianapolis. In 39 at-bats between the two levels, he recorded 10 hits, two doubles, one home run and five RBIs. Then he arrived at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. in an even better spot. He looked strong and athletic. It was clear that he was ready to go.

The 24-year-old showcased that over the past two months as the Pirates inched toward opening day in Miami and he had one goal in mind: Prove that he was prepared for this opportunity. Over his next 15 appearances, Rodriguez tallied 31 at-bats and hit for a .290 average while building up a .966 OPS to go along with nine hits, one home run and six RBIs.

"I think it's a credit to him. I know he came back and played a little bit down here, Altoona and Indy last year, but I think it's a credit to how he dominated his offseason," Shelton said yesterday after revealing Rodriguez would work at first base. "His body looks completely different. He's added strength. But really, just the quality and patience within his at-bats is what has really stood out." 

Among his at-bats this spring, Rodriguez walked nine times and heading into today's Grapefruit League finale, he had only struck out five times. But, even when he has struck out, he's shown that patience that Shelton alluded to. Two of his three strikeouts today lasted eight pitches while his final at-bat went four before he swung over a 97.7 mph fastball low in the zone.

Players often lean on others for advice on how to improve their approaches or tweak their mechanics. When I asked Rodriguez about his approach this afternoon he said he listened to a Juan Soto interview.

"He said he has to be patient for every pitch because if he swings at good pitches, he's going to have good results," Rodriguez said. "I just try to maintain my [swing] plane. I don't want to go outside of my plane, so that's all."

All of Rodriguez's hard work concluded late last week when Shelton shared the news that he had made the opening day roster and while Rodriguez has spent time with the major-league club and learned how it felt to be in that situation, this felt different. Throughout his rehab over the last year and change, he said he never looked back to how he felt when he first went down. He stayed in the present and continued to work toward his goal of getting back into shape and putting himself in the best possible position. So, when that call eventually came for him, he felt that sense of relief.

"It's not the same when you make it halfway through the season. It's different," Rodriguez said. "Being out a year because of a tough injury and then the first year back, it's [special]."