White Sox: Rodon Looking to Finish 2016 with a Win
By Matt Manetti
Carlos Rodon will take the hill in his final start of 2016 for the White Sox. The lefty threw a two-hit shutout in his last start against the Cleveland Indians.
The Chicago White Sox will send Carlos Rodon to the hill in Friday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins. It will be the lefty’s last start of 2016 and he’s looking to go out with a bang. Coming off his best performance of the season, the 23 year old, has shown flashes of greatness in his second season on the South Side.
Things weren’t always easy for the third overall pick of the 2014 draft. He struggled early this season and saw his ERA balloon to 4.67. His record at the time was 2-8. Since August, he is 6-2 and has lowered his ERA to 4.08. A good performance against the Twins, and he has the chance to finish this season 9-10 and even get his ERA below 4.00.
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If the White Sox chose to rebuild, and they part ways with lefties Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, he will suddenly become the team’s only ace. From the way he’s pitched lately, he has shown he could easily handle the role. It’s important he just continue to develop as a pitcher. He easily could be just as dominant as Sale.
One thing I would like to see improvement from Rodon is his control. At times, he gets extremely wild and that can throw off his rhythm. One game he struggled with the strike zone and got visibly frustrated. He was unable to calm down and started walking hitters. Then, he started leaving pitches over the heart of the plate. Needless to say, he didn’t make it long and had to be taken out.
With more experience, he will be able to brush things like that off and not be effected as much. There’s no reason he can’t be a dominate pitcher and an eventual 20-game winner. He definitely has a lot of upside and he was a phenomenal pick by the White Sox. Not that I would go out of my way to give Ken Williams and Rick Hahn much credit for this pick because in all honesty, it was a no brainer.
The White Sox have done a great job developing pitchers like Sale and Quintana. Let’s hope Rodon can follow that same path. The best thing for this organization is for Rodon to become an elite pitcher. He’s the reason the White Sox can discuss trading guys like Sale and Quintana. It’s important he continue to make strides over the next couple season. If he can, then there’s no doubt we’ll have a top pitcher for years to come.