In last night's game thread, reader bgh got a discussion going re: John Rodriguez/J-Rod with this comment: "Of course, isn't it fairly obvious at this point that Rodriguez needs to be penciled into the LF slot every day for the next month to see what exactly we have with him?"

I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with this (unless people would rather just promote John Gall instead).  I've made no secret on this site of my desire to see Rodriguez get a real shot at some extended, everyday playing time.  Bernie Miklasz is on board, too.  But perhaps a few doubters remain (including Tony LaRussa).  So I thought it would be worthwhile to lay out the comprehensive "Case for J-Rod" to be our everyday left-fielder (until he proves he can't handle it, anyway).

First, let's review the raw numbers.  In 2004, at the Yankees' AAA affiliate in Columbus, Rodriguez posted these very solid numbers in 112 games:
378 abs 16 hr 68 rbi .294/.382/.542/.924.  We all remember J-Rod's insane line at Memphis last year:  In 34 games, he hit 17 hrs and put up .342/.419/.808/1.227.  This hot streak earned him his first ticket to The Show when Reggie Sanders got hurt, and he produced this in 149 major-league abs last year: 5 hr, 24 rbi, .295/.382/.436/.818.  Granted, this came mostly against RH pitching, but his platoon split wasn't bad at all -- his power dropped but his average and OBP remained high:

vs. Left-- 27 abs, .296/.441/.296/.737
vs. Right -- 122 abs, .295/.367/.467/.834

Rodriguez continued to mash in winter ball - at one point near the end of the winter league season, through 65 abs, his line was: 6 hr 23 rbi .354/.443/.708/1.151.  And this year, despite his bouts with a balky shoulder and bad shrimp, he's put up a .368/.435/.526/.961 line in 19 abs.

Enough numbers.  I concede these are all limited sample sizes . . .  but taken together, they draw a portrait of a guy who (whatever his shortcomings in the field or on the base paths) has become a good professional hitter.  J-Rod takes mature, patient at-bats -- and unlike the "Skipguchi" combo (as DanUp likes to say), he gets on base and actually has some pop in his bat - which is kind of important in a corner outfielder, no?

To me, the first sign that J-Rod was for real was the patient quality of his at-bats in last year's NLCS.  Game 2: He pinch-hit in the 7th inning and drew a walk from Roy Oswalt.  Game 3: Pinch-hitting again, he drew a walk from Brad Lidge and later scored a run. Game 4: After Jim Edmond's meltdown and ejection, J-Rod comes in cold to finish the at-bat against Dan Wheeler, on a 3-2 count. Keep in mind, the guy had had maybe 5 live at-bats in the previous month. He comes in, fouls off two pitches, then hits a 425-foot bomb to that stupid CF "berm" in Minute Maid Park -- a shot that in just about any other park would have tied that critical game, but in this case was caught for out number 3. Game 6: Pinch-hitting again, he hits a sac fly against Oswalt to plate the Cards' only run of the game.  In the pressure-cooker of the playoffs, this 27-year-old rookie demonstrated a lot more nerve and plate discipline than many of his more seasoned teammates.

In his mlb.com diary during the NLCS, here's how Rodriguez described his mental process during the Game 4 pinch-hit for Edmonds:

"I knew I had to get on one way or the other. The difference this time was that I only had one pitch to work with because it was a full count. Pressure situations are what pinch-hitters are for. The majority of the time, it's going to be that way.  I had a 3-2 count, and I knew he didn't want to walk me because he had Albert Pujols behind me. It was either going to be: miss a pitch, walk me and face Pujols or have Brad Lidge face Pujols, or pitch to me -- a rookie. So that's what I put in my head. I knew they didn't want to walk me. I was just looking for a strike, something to drive. The first pitch I fouled off was a good pitch, a fastball down. I fouled it back. The next pitch was a slider down the middle, and I fouled that one back.  I just tried to not think so much. Just go out there and try to put the bat on the ball the best I could. I just hit it to the wrong part of the park. Not too many fields, probably only this one, is it 436 feet. So I can't be too mad about my swing."

Situational awareness: What a beautiful thing!  Unlike some other players currently starting regularly for the Cardinals, J-Rod seems to understand the importance of seeing pitches and getting on base in front of Albert.

For more examples of J-Rod's smart approach, look at the last series with the Cubs. In last Friday's game, he hit in the #2 hole.  First inning: one out, Rodriguez singles - thus giving Albert a runner on base when he hits his HR.  Second inning: sacks loaded, none out - J-Rod avoids the two absolute no-no's in this situation (strikeout or double play). He takes two balls, fouls one off, takes another ball, and then hits a sac fly to score the runner on 3rd. Not as good as a hit or a walk, but he avoids the worst-case situation and leaves runners on base for Pujols. Sixth inning: one on, one out - takes a strike, then four straight balls, thus getting on base once again in front of Albert.

Then in Saturday's game, J-Rod pinch-hit for Ponson in the 5th. One on, two out, score tied.  He takes a ball, fouls one off, takes a called strike. Then he takes two more balls, fouls off a pitch, and then takes ball four, putting two men on base in front of the team's other hot-hitter at the moment, Eckstein - who promptly singles to start a 3-run rally that proves to be the difference in the game.

"OK, OK," you say. "The guy can hit, but he's a liability in the field and on the bases, so let's platoon him with Taguchi. Gooch did finally show some signs of life last night, after all. And can J-Rod hit lefties on a regular basis?"  On this last point, see his platoon split last year, above.  Or go back to the Cubs series again, when LaRussa finally gave Rodriguez his first AB of the year against a lefty, Cubs reliever Will Ohman.  Rodriguez hit a laser to the CF warning track - an out, but a hard out.  The only way we'll know if he can hit lefties consistently is to give him the playing time to prove it.

I'm not saying that John Rodriguez is the answer to all our offensive woes this season.  But what more does the guy have to do to get an extended audition in LF (as opposed to just platooning)? Now is the perfect time. Bigbie is rehabbing in Memphis - and who knows what, if anything, he'll bring to the table when he's called up. Our offense is desperate for more production from the outfield. The #2 hole is begging for someone with several qualities: 1) a lefty, to give us the R-L-R-L-R balance in the order that LaRussa craves; 2) a batter with some pop to provide TLR his beloved "damage" from that spot; 3) someone who isn't Edmonds (TLR made clear after last night's game that Jed would not be a regular in the #2 spot); and 4) someone who (unlike indiscriminate hackers like Encarnacion) understands the importance of seeing pitches and getting on base -- especially in front of a guy who's currently putting on one of the greatest hitting displays we're ever likely to see.  If Taguchi and Schumaker must play, let them spell Edmonds or Encarnacion as needed -- but put J-Rod in left field and the #2 spot every day and see what he can do!

Thoughts, criticisms? Fire away, everyone.

[UPDATE:  As I post this I see that reader farley503 has made a similar case for J-Rod in this morning's thread.]