White Sox: Carlos Rodon can prove he belongs in the starting rotation
On Friday, all of us will see Carlos Rodon on the mound in a Chicago White Sox uniform for the very first time, as he is replacing Chris Sale for the start this spring.
Feb 28, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon poses for a portrait during photo day at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Rodon, the No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft, will make that start on Friday, March 6 against the San Diego Padres, so if he gets to face some of their new signings, it will be a good first test for the rookie left-hander.
Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune wrote on Monday evening:
"“Cooper said he thinks Rodon has a better shot to make the rotation out of spring training should Sale not be ready, though Ventura wouldn’t confirm that. Rodon hadn’t been scheduled for a Cactus League start before Sale’s injury.”"
Yes, it is a bad deal Sale injured his left ankle, as it seems like the left-handed ace is going to miss Opening Day, but maybe this is a way for Rodon to prove he belongs in the starting rotation.
In Triple-A last season, during his three starts with the Charlotte Knights, Rodon has a 3.00 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched. He held the Triple-A batters he faced to a .209 average with 18 strikeouts.
Maybe the most amazing stat for Rodon last summer wasn’t the fact he has a 1.34 WHIP at three levels of the minors, but that he didn’t allow a single home run in nine games.
When handed lemons (Sale’s injury), you have to make lemonade, right? All of us are going to have to learn to be “glass half full” type of thinkers when it comes to Sale’s injury possibly raising the stock of Rodon.
Rodon will take Sale's spot in Cactus rotation http://t.co/D2PTzRvBHM via @mlb
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) March 2, 2015
Even to an extent, with Rodon being the end product of a very terrible 2013 season, maybe we should be a little thankful that mess allowed the White Sox to have Rodon on the roster right now.
For a spring that seemed to have the starting rotation all but set (except for the No. 5 starting spot), this is just a bit of a road bump in the path the White Sox are taking to hopefully an AL Central championship or at the very least a Wild Card spot.