MACK - Top 28 Prospects - #12- C - Yovanny Rodriguez

 

The excitement about the Mets' prospect pipeline has been building year over year as the team improves their domestic and international scouting.  Many of the Mets' picks are being discussed throughout baseball, so Mack has boiled it down to the top 28 to give the readers a glimpse into the team's future.  This series will run for 28 days, counting down from #28 to #1.  The entire list can be viewed by clicking "2026 Top 28 Prospects" on the top menu bar.

12.    Yovanny Rodriguez

2025:                DSL TEAMS – 168-PA, 39-K, 2-HR, 26-RBI, .331/.446/.493/.939

GROK -

Yovanny Rodriguez is an 18-year-old catching prospect (born November 7, 2006, in Guarenas, Venezuela) in the New York Mets organization.

He stands 6'0" and weighs 175 pounds, batting and throwing right-handed.

Signed as an international free agent on January 15, 2024, for a franchise-record $2.85 million bonus, Rodriguez was ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall international prospect in the 2024 class and the top catcher available.

Scouts praised his advanced skills for his age, with early buzz comparing his arm strength to elite MLB catchers like J.T. Realmuto—pop times on throws to second base already at big-league levels.

 The Mets saw him as a potential two-way star: strong defensively with offensive upside. He drew interest from multiple teams but committed to New York, where officials were immediately impressed by his bat control, contact skills, and projectable power as he adds strength.

moved stateside to the Florida Complex League (FCL) for the "bridge league" (extended instructional play).

Hit: 55 – Advanced bat-to-ball skills, consistent contact, and plate discipline. 47.8% pull rate.

Power: 50 – Present gap power; projects for more as he matures physically.

Run: 55 – Above-average speed for a catcher, shown in 4 SB.

Field: 40 – Raw

Arm: 60 – Elite strength, 70-grade by some scouts

Overall, he's a high-floor catcher with All-Star potential on both sides of the ball, often compared to Francisco Alvarez in his early Mets days (advanced for age, power/arm combo).

ETA: 2028-2029.

    

10-28-2025  -  MACK

Yovanny Rodriguez – okay, let’s get to my #1 Mets catching prospects. Signed in 2024 for a record breaking $2.85mil, Y-Rod played 2025 as an FCL-Metman, and stat lined at the rate of 136-AB, .331, 2-HR, 26-RBI, .939-OPS. Is this good? Normally, only 136 at-bats would warrant a come-back, but this uber-prospect is not going to wait until summer to play his first game. This is your RK-St. Lucie starter on opening day and could easily end the season in Kings County. Every team wants this guy in a package, but he’s not going anywhere. Could someday make Mets fans forget that other Francisco guy.

 

11-4-2025

Tom Brennan/MM

23. Yovanny Rodriguez

“Yo Rod” at age 18 hit better than Elian Pena in the DSL:

 .331/.446/.493. 

The catcher, like Elian, also got a huge bonus.  Not just quite as huge.

I want to see him crush stateside ball in 2026 as a 19 year old.

Yo, Yo.

 

11-7-2025

Just Baseball

https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/new-york-mets-top-15-prospects/

Yovanny Rodriguez – C – (DSL): A $2.85 million pay day and rave reviews from scouts created plenty of hype for the Venezuelan catcher, but he stumbled out of the gate in his pro debut. His impressive defensive skill set did not immediately translate while posting a .715 OPS at the DSL in 2024.

This had the Mets keep the 18-year-old in the DSL for another year before bring him stateside, and he produced much better results in 2025. Rodriguez hit .331/.446/.493, with a .939 OPS. Rodriguez has the defensive tools to be a big league catcher, and the improvements with the bat were encouraging.

 

12-6-2025

Angry Mike/MM

YOVANNY RODRIGUEZ -> He might not be as closely watched as the others listed above, but I have spent way too much time tracking his progress to quit now. I need to know if he is going to live up to his $2.8M signing bonus or not.

-> Can he accelerate his development to nullify requiring 2 years in the DSL? Will he be able to handle a full-season assignment like Pena? Can he continue improving his defense which initially was supposed to be an asset?

 

1-15-2026

Angry Mike/MM

Yovanny Rodriguez holds the distinction of being the I.F.A. acquisition with the third highest signing bonus ($2.8 Million) ever awarded and prior to Elian Pena and soon to be signed Wandy Asigen, Rodriguez was the highest ranked I.F.A prospect (#7 MLB Pipeline) the Mets had ever signed. Rodriguez produced mixed results during his first season in the D.S.L., but he finished last summer hitting for both power and average, providing a glimpse as to why he was such a highly ranked prospect in his class. Rodriguez was sent back to the D.S.L. in 2025, and looked like a completely different player entirely on both sides of the ball.

Rodriguez is expected to make his stateside debut this season with the Florida Complex League squad, and depending on how quickly he adapts to the higher level of competition, he has an outside chance to finish his season with Port St. Lucie. The Mets will be much more conservative with Rodriguez compared to their other young phenom Elian Pena who will also be making his stateside debut this season. Rodriguez remains an exciting young talent, who represents the next wave of impact prospects playing in the lower levels of the minor leagues.