Fernando Rodney is the relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is known for his hard throwing which his fastball has reached in the high 90′s. Rodney made his Major League Baseball debut in 2002 with the Detroit Tigers and in 2005 became the closer for the team. He lost that job in 2006 to Todd Jones but won it back in 2008. Rodney was up for arbitration in 2009 and turned down a multi year deal with the Tigers. Later on that winter in December, Rodney signed with the Angels for which he is currently playing.
The Angels accquired Rodney as a setup man to their closer Brian Fuentes. Early in the season, Fuentes went down with a strained back and Rodney was inserted as the new closer. Fuentes returned to the lineup but it was Rodney that remained in the closing role. The big highlight so far for Rodney is that he has been able to keep a superb 4-0 record. He started off hot with 5 saves during the month of April but Rodney’s prone for injuries came back and now he has been regulated back to his setup role but he is always certain to throw an inning each game.
Fernando Rodney made a big splash on the international stage when he was a star pitcher on the Dominican Republic entry in the inaugural World Basebal Classic. Still, Rodney is one of the most intimidating pitchers in the Major Leagues today and looks to be for a long time to come.
