Maels Rodriguez

The only Cuban pitcher to come over to the majors this young was Livan Hernandez. The big three of El Duque, Rolando Arrojo, and Jose Contreras were considerably older, and have thus far, turned out to be very injury-prone. No matter the true age of the lot, Rodriguez, at a reported 24, comes with considerable hype and a 100-mph fastball. Unless you believe officials of the Cuban government, who maintain it was 85 mph last season. The problem of course, is the lack of evidence and truth coming out of that part of the world. Some are saying the young closer is vastly superior to Contreras, and we're likely to find out this season as both New York teams are interested, as are a handful of others. If there is any truth to the age, and reports of his skill are true, he could be tried as a starter, set-up man, or eventually a closer.