The St. Louis Cardinals’ Architects of the Future
By Chris Gigley

Our Man in Latin America
Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports
Just in case there’s any question about the importance of Luis Rodriguez, the St. Louis Cardinals’ director of international operations, the big league club’s best starter, Carlos Martinez (above), was unearthed in the Dominican Republic under Rodriguez’ watch. So was the late Oscar Taveras.
Three (Alex Reyes, Magneuris Sierra and Edmundo Sosa) of the St. Louis Cardinals’ five best prospects are results of the work Rodriguez and his staff have done internationally. If the team wants any prayer of continuing to win, Rodriguez needs to keep doing what he’s been doing.
The Puerto Rico native has headed the St. Louis Cardinals’ global scouting efforts for nine years now. Before that, Rodriguez worked in the Major League Baseball offices for ten, lastly as MLB’s director of international baseball operations. This guy knows the turf like few others in his position do, knowledge that is necessary to unearth gems like Reyes, Sierra, Sosa, and others in Latin America these days.
Next: The Farm Director