John Axford vs. Richard Rodriguez — Career Comparison

The numbers give Richard Rodriguez a clear advantage over John Axford across the core pitching metrics. Richard Rodriguez led in walk avoidance (BB%+ 171 vs 81), run prevention (ERA+ 144 vs 89), and skill-based run prevention (DICE+ 118 vs 93). John Axford held the edge in strikeout rate (K%+ 110 vs 99). Richard Rodriguez was the better reliever — the numbers make that case clearly.