SURPRISE, Ariz. _ It's going to be a goosebump kind of year for former Texas Rangers great Pudge Rodriguez.
He got them again recently while touring the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He's the first of the 2017 class of three to get the ritualistic visit and tour ahead of his induction on July 30.
He was shown where his Hall of Fame plaque will sit for all eternity.
"I saw the spot," said Rodriguez, who was visiting spring training for a day, throwing out the first pitch of Sunday's Rangers-Cubs game, before flying off to California and then Mexico for more engagements of his whirlwind year.
Like those before him, Rodriguez signed the wall where his plaque will be hung. It was another surreal moment for the 45-year-old who became the 53rd player and only second catcher to be elected in his first year of eligibility.
"When I signed that wall, finally, I said, 'Wow, I'm here.' I got goosebumps," he said. "Imagine when I have the plaque in my hands, it'll probably be twice as emotional."
Rodriguez, along with his wife, and a small group toured the Hall and museum, even getting a peek behind closed museum doors at baseball artifacts not even on display.
"They showed me a lot of stuff from way, way back in the day," he said. "The glove they used to use, the bats they used to use. You see some things from the 1800s there and you see things we haven't seen before. It's pretty amazing to see all that memorabilia in there. The way they keep it in good shape is amazing."
Rodriguez's Hall classmates Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines will soon make their visits and get their private tours.
For Rodriguez, three plaques already hanging in Cooperstown stand above the others. He made a point to take pictures of them. Roberto Clemente, a fellow Puerto Rican, Nolan Ryan, his Rangers teammate, and Johnny Bench, his catching hero.
"I can't wait to be on that stage and when I look behind I'll see so many Hall of Famers behind me," he said. "That's going to be an unbelievable moment to me. It's going to be a great day. Knowing I came from Puerto Rico a long time ago and established myself in this beautiful game that we play called major league baseball."
Having Rodriguez, a player who came up through the Rangers' system, walking around the backfields talking and helping young players is invaluable, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said.
"Any time you can have a homegrown guy who are players can see as a beacon of what the possibilities are, it's big," Daniels said. "Even the little things, how they carry themselves and how approachable they are."
Rodriguez is already working on his speech and he joked that the whole of Puerto Rico (3.5 million people) is planning to attend the induction.
"Only eight minutes, no more than that," he said of the speech. "Very short, go right to the point."
The day in late July still seems hard to fathom for the 13-time All-Star.
"I'm so humbled and happy to be part of that group," he said. "It's going to be there forever. Even myself, my commitment is to go every year and support the Hall of Famers that are coming in. If the Hall of Famers are there supporting me I'm going to be there too. Especially after this year. I can go there and play golf."
