SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Dereck Rodriguez caught the Giants and the National League by surprise last summer, running with an opportunity and locking down a rotation job. He also surprised his glove supplier.
Wilson sent Rodriguez gloves last spring but he wasn't quite at the level yet where you get custom-made equipment. Coming off a season in which he posted a 2.81 ERA in 21 appearances, Rodriguez got a special delivery from Wilson this spring.
In games, he'll wear an orange glove with black lacing that has his full name stitched along the side. "It pops," he said, smiling. So does his other glove, for a completely different reason.
The second glove Wilson sent is all-black with dark logos and a different name stitched on the side: "Dark Knight."
Getting that version was a dream come true for the huge Batman fan.
"I've always been a fan of Batman," Rodriguez said. "There's the mystery, and he really has no powers -- he just has money and he makes stuff and saves people."
Sports
The black glove might not make it into games, but Rodriguez will still represent his favorite superhero on the field. It was impossible to miss the sleeve of Batman tattoos on his left arm last season.
The first one, a video game illustration of Batman, went on five years ago. Two years later he got Heath Ledger as the joker. Before he came to camp last season, Rodriguez went to an artist and added Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.
Getting established as a big leaguer has allowed Rodriguez to fully embrace a character he has liked his whole life. He plays the Batman video games and watches all the movies, and recently he got into the DC animated ones when they were added to Netflix.
He has a favorite version, of course.
[RELATED: Dereck Rodriguez focuses on making adjustments with Giants spot secure]
"I like the story of the Christian Bale Batman," Rodriguez said. "I like that Dark Knight series because you see it from before he's Batman to all the way through the end. I also really liked the old-school ones with Michael Keaton."
Rodriguez collects memorabilia, too, and as his stature grew last year, fans sent some his way. That helped him build his Batman collection, and this spring Wilson helped in a very unique way.
