Remember When? Former Blue Wahoos Players Rojas, Graterol Now Part Of Marquee World Series
Miguel Rojas has distinction of being part of the Blue Wahoos’ player introductions on April 5, 2012 when Pensacola had its historic, inaugural opening night at the bayfront ballpark. Twelve years later, now in the twilight of his career, Rojas is trying to attain the rarest feat as part of
Miguel Rojas has distinction of being part of the Blue Wahoos’ player introductions on April 5, 2012 when Pensacola had its historic, inaugural opening night at the bayfront ballpark.
Twelve years later, now in the twilight of his career, Rojas is trying to attain the rarest feat as part of a World Series championship team.
As the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night entered Game 3 of the World Series, having won the first two games against the New York Yankees, Rojas and teammate, reliever Brusdar Graterol gave the Blue Wahoos two connections in one of the biggest marquee matchups in recent World Series history.
The 36-year-old Rojas was the Dodgers starting shortstop in their 4-2 win Saturday, going hitless in three at-bats. Graterol pitched a scoreless seventh inning in LA’s dramatic Game 1 win on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam.
Both were last-minute roster additions prior to the start of the World Series. Both had battled through late season injuries. Both are Venezuela natives.
The Blue Wahoos don’t have a connection on the Yankees roster.
“I just want to make sure that I’m doing anything that I can to be on the field and to play with this,” said Rojas, speaking to media prior to Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. He has played with a strained adductor muscle for the past few weeks that will require off-season surgery.
“I know I have to have it,” Rojas said to media members at the World Series. “As soon as possible is better because I’m going to have a normal off-season, and I’m looking forward to play a couple more years.”
Graterol was a starting pitcher in 2019 for the Blue Wahoos, while a rising Minnesota Twins prospect. He made nine starts, appeared in 12 games with a 1.71 earned run average while in Pensacola that season.
After appearing in an MLB career-high 68 games for the Dodgers in 2023 as a set-up reliever, Graterol made just seven appearances in the 2024 regular season due to a reoccurring shoulder issue. But he looked strong in the seventh inning of Game 1 in a clean inning against the Yankees.
This is Graterol’s second World Series with the Dodgers. In 2020, the season shortened by Covid, Graterol earned a World Series ring with the Dodgers series win against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Twins traded Graterol to the Dodgers in February 2020, following his MLB debut with Minnesota in the later part of 2019.
For Rojas, his career has taken a circuitous path. Following his 2012 season with the Blue Wahoos as a Cincinnati Reds prospect, the Dodgers acquired him as a minor league free agent. Rojas played in 58 games for the Blue Wahoos
His career took off from that point. He raised his batting average by nearly 100 points while playing for the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate. That led to the Miami Marlins getting him in a trade in 2014.
He became a fixture with the Marlins organization the next seven year, winning the Marlins’ Jeff Conine Award in 2018 and 2021, which is awarded to the player, “whose commitment to the game is embodied in his integrity and unselfish play,” according to the award definition.
The Marlins traded him back to Los Angeles before the 2023 season. This is his 11th MLB season. Prior to his late season injury, Rojas played in 103 games for the Dodgers, batting .283 with six homers and 36 RBI.
Rojas told media members he will have surgery in Philadelphia following the season and it will involve a month away from baseball activities and workouts, but still plenty of time before spring training 2025.