First All-Star in Royals history Ellie Rodriguez passes away at 79
Ellie Rodriguez, a superb defensive catcher who was the first All-Star in Royals franchise history, has passed away, the team announced Saturday. He was 79 years old.
Rodriguez was born in Puerto Rico, but he grew up in Bronx, N.Y. Appropriately, he made his MLB debut with the Yankees on May 26, 1968, two days after his 22nd birthday. However, after playing in nine games with New York, Rodriguez was left unprotected for that year’s Expansion Draft and was selected by the Royals with the 13th pick.
One of the first Puerto Rican catchers in the big leagues, Rodriguez immediately stood out behind the plate in Kansas City. He threw out 45.3% of basestealers during the Royals’ inaugural 1969 season and was their lone All-Star representative at that summer’s All-Star Game, a recognition received largely because of his defense.
Rodriguez played two seasons with Kansas City before he was traded to Milwaukee in 1971. He threw out 41 runners that year to lead the American League. The following season, he became an All-Star for a second time and had the best offensive season of his nine-year career. Rodriguez batted .285 and had a 123 OPS+ over 116 games.
He finished his career with three seasons in Southern California -- first with the Angels (1974-75) and then with the Dodgers (1976). In ‘74, he led the Majors by catching 56 runners trying to steal. In '75, he was behind the plate to catch Nolan Ryan’s fourth career no-hitter.
Rodriguez’s big league career ended with 16 homers, a .245 average and a .664 OPS. He owned an impressive 41.3% caught stealing percentage.
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