Ellie Rodríguez, former Dodgers catcher, dies at age 79

Ellie Rodríguez, the Puerto Rican catcher who played nine major league seasons died on Thursday at age 79.

Rodríguez only played the one season for the Dodgers, but he held a notable place in local baseball lore. The Dodgers acquired Rodríguez at the end of spring training in 1976 from the Angels for backup outfielder Orlando Álvarez. That was the only trade involving multiple major league players between the Dodgers and Angels from 1976 for nearly four decades, a streak that was only snapped at the 2014 winter meetings when intermittent Dodger Andrew Heaney was sent to Anaheim for Howie Kendrick.

In his one season for the Dodgers, Rodríguez played 33 games behind the plate, with 21 starts, batted a total of 90 times and had no extra-base hits. But he walked 19 times and was hit by three pitches, giving him the wonderful .212/.400/.212 batting line. The .400 on-base percentage was rare among Dodgers catchers in franchise history.

Dodgers catchers with a .400+ OBP in 90+ PA

Ellie Rodríguez (1976) .400
Mike Scioscia (1985) .407

Rodríguez played nine years in the majors, and hit .245/.356/.308 with 76 doubles and 16 home runs in 775 games with the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Angels, and Dodgers. He was the first All-Star in Royals history, in 1969, and also was an All-Star with the Brewers in 1972. Rodríguez caught Nolan Ryan’s fourth no-hitter with the Angels in 1975.

For 15 years (1998-2012), Rodríguez was the Latin American coordinator and player development consultant for the Atlantic League and also managed in the league.

“Ellie was an integral part of the foundation and growth of the Atlantic League with his ties to baseball throughout the world,” Atlantic League president Rick White said in a statement. “He was a dear friend who helped create many opportunities for players throughout Latin America, both in the Atlantic League and in Major League baseball. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his outstanding work in helping the league grow both in the U.S. and internationally.”