White Sox: Can Carlos Rodon Become Front-Of-Rotation Starter?
Can White Sox young left-handed hurler become top of rotation starter next season? Carlos Rodon has shown flashes of dominance the past two seasons.
The Chicago White Sox drafted Carlos Rodon with its first pick (3rd overall) in the 2014 MLB Draft. Rodon was selected with the hopes of becoming a top of the rotation starter someday. After two seasons in the major leagues, Rodon has yet to fulfill this promise. However, could he finally realize this potential next season?
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In two MLB seasons, Rodon is 18-16 with a 3.90 ERA. Although this isn’t a bad, Rodon could certainly improve heading into next season. According to Scott Merkin of whitesox.com, White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper believes Rodon has the chance to be a beast, but there are things he will need to work on in order to become that type of player.
Rodon has struggled at times with consistency, but he has shown flashes of dominance in two seasons with the White Sox. This past season, Rodon went 9-10 with a 4.04 ERA and 168 strikeouts. He pitched 165 innings, but gave up 23 home runs.
“We’ve seen him very, very consistent. And we’ve seen him not be. Carlos Rodon has got a chance to be a beast. There are things we continue to have to stay on top of for the progress to happen for him to turn into that player. ” Don Cooper
In order for Rodon to realize his potential as a top of the rotation starter, he will need to pitch close to 200 innings next season. Although he pitched a career high 165 innings this past season, he missed time due to an injury in July. After returning from injury however, Rodon finished the season with a 7-2 record. Rodon’s best start of the season came on Sept. 25 against the eventual American League Champion Cleveland Indians. In that game, Rodon pitched eight scoreless innings and recorded 11 strikeouts.
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Rodon will undoubtedly be a key member of the White Sox pitching rotation next season. If he develops more consistency on the mound, he can surely become a top of the rotation starter relatively soon. It would help the White Sox rebuilding efforts if Rodon excelled sooner rather than later.