Former Lopez ace Rodriguez signs with Diamondbacks

All his life, Pira Rodriguez has wanted a chance to play professional baseball.

The former Lopez standout pitcher and shortstop realized that goal on Sunday when he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"It’s pretty exciting," said Rodriguez, a key player for the Lobos in all four of his varsity seasons, who led Lopez to the playoffs every year. "I’m not going to let it (opportunity) go by. I’m going to do the best I can."

Contacted by phone on Tuesday, a Diamondbacks team official in Phoenix confirmed the signing.

The right-handed Rodriguez, 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, last attended Lopez in 2007. As a senior, he was hampered by a tricep in-jury but still managed to post a 5-2 mound record with a 1.27 earned-run aver-age. At the plate, he batted .412 with four homers and 22 RBIs.

The Lobos won District 32-5A last spring and finished with a 21-9 record. They were back-to-back Dis-trict 32-4A champions in 2005-06.

As a junior, Rodriguez finished with a 9-2 mark and a 0.91 ERA. He struck out 133 batters in 77 innings and threw a pair of no-hitters. As a sophomore, he went 10-1 with a 1.19 ERA.

Overall, Rodriguez was a three-time district MVP and The Herald’s 2006 All-Metro MVP.

Rodriguez said he was playing in Veracruz, Mexico, for a Tamaulipas select team earlier this month when he attracted the atten-tion of a Diamondbacks scout. Rodriguez, whose fastball has been clocked at 94 mph, said he was signed as a pitcher.

He said the Diamondbacks told him he will play winter ball in the Dominican Republic beginning in November and will attend the Diamondbacks’ spring training camp in February 2008.

When asked about the signing, Rodriguez said it was a standard baseball contract with a signing bonus, but declined to comment on the financial aspects of the deal.

"I’m good - that’s all (I’m going to say)," he said.

Alberto Leal, Rodriguez’s coach at Lopez, was ecstatic about the signing.

"People need to know that this is not only great for our Lopez program but great for the city as a whole," Leal said. "I think it’s awesome, and it’s something all of Brownsville can be proud of.

"Now Pira knows that all the hard work he put in has paid off," Leal added. "His father and all those people who have helped him know that, too. Â… I think it’s great. The sky’s the limit for him because the work ethic is there."