2016 Chicago White Sox Starting Rotation Preview
By Erik Brown
Number three: Carlos Rodon
Rodon has seemed like a gift from above ever since he fell to the southsiders with the third pick in the 2014 draft, especially since he was the presumed top amateur baseball player in the country throughout his junior year at North Carolina State. The two teams ahead of the White Sox in that draft even went pitching and passed on Rodon, with the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins taking high school arms in Brady Aiken (who failed to sign) and Tyler Kolek respectively. The Marlins passing on Rodon was especially surprising given that Rodon, who is half-Cuban, could have been a marketing superstar in South Beach until Jeffery Loria shipped him for a Picasso or something.
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Regardless, one must assume the ‘Stros and Fish are kicking themselves over their picks, especially Houston since they could
following a questionable medical examination and a low-ball offer. The big lefty was heralded as being big-league ready coming out of the draft, with one scout marveling at his slider, naming it a top-ten offering in the majors, before even signing a rookie contract. To this point, nothing has fazed Rodon and he has proved these were not understatements. Rodon likely would have debuted in 2014 if the team that drafted him was fighting for a playoff spot in September. Since the White Sox were long out of the race, they saw no reason to place undue stress on the left arm of their top pick. Once he made his debut however in April of 2015, he has shown the only thing that can hold him back from stardom is his control. During his rookie campaign, the former Wolfpack ace walked nearly five batters per nine innings, but also struck out a tick under a batter per inning, finishing at 8.48 K/9 IP which ranked him ninth across the whole American League, not just rookies. Look for Rodon to flourish next season with a full winter as a big leaguer under his belt.
2016 predictions: 14-12, 3.54 ERA, 176 Ks, one nasty mustache.