Chicago White Sox: One key can help Carlos Rodon’s game
The Chicago White Sox have awesome pitching depth. Their bullpen is great and they have a few really good (Cy Young level) starters. The fact that they have all of this depth has allowed them to take a chance on Carlos Rodon. They non-tendered him earlier in the winter which made total sense based on his resume. He was a talented pitcher that could just never stay healthy enough to develop more. Now, they have brought him back to give him a chance to finally find his way in Major League Baseball.
The Chicago White Sox are hoping that Ethan Katz can help Carlos Rodon reach his potential.
The Chicago White Sox made a pitching coach change for the first time in a very long time this winter. Don Cooper did a lot of good things and helped a lot of good pitchers in his day. However, after so long it will be nice to have a fresh set of eyes, ears, and opinions in that clubhouse. They hired Ethan Katz who was formerly working with the San Francisco Giants organization. Katz has helped so many guys become stars at the Major League level.
By now, you have heard about how he has helped Lucas Giolito. He was statistically the worst starting pitcher in the world once the 2018 season ended. He went to Katz in the offseason and together they got things turned around. Giolito went from one of the worst to one of the best. Headed into 2021, he now has back to back seasons with top-seven Cy Young finishes.
The White Sox have a few other pitchers that could use the help of Katz. Reynaldo Lopez, Michael Kopech, and Carlos Rodon all need that type of turnaround. That could be why the White Sox are giving Rodon one chance to prove himself this year. If he stays healthy, Katz might be able to get out of him what made him a third overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.
Hot. There are three more cheap starters for the White Sox to consider. light
Now, we can’t expect Ethan Katz to turn every pitcher he coaches into a superstar like Giolito. That is just unrealistic. It may happen with Rodon or one of the other guys but it shouldn’t be an expectation. What would be nice is if he can help Rodon become a serviceable spot starter and bullpen arm. If that happens, it will improve Chicago’s depth even more. After all these years, it would be great to see Rodon get to live out this White Sox successful rebuild.