Levine: Rodon Could Be Key Addition To White Sox Rotation
(CBS) -- After all of the great additions to the White Sox in this off-season, a rookie starting pitcher may be the missing link to a World Series run this year.
The no. 1 draft pick from 2014, LHP Carlos Rodon, will get a serious look by the Sox brass this spring. Pitching coach Don Cooper will help determine where the 22-year-old fits in the 2015 plans.
Cooper spent some time with the pitcher at the University of Illinois-Chicago campus on Friday, before Sox Fest began at the Hilton Chicago.
"It was a really a fun morning getting to know Carlos and seeing him throw," Cooper says. "We talked on the phone a few times, and I was impressed how he handled himself. Now, today I saw him throw six pitches. Just six! At that point I said to myself, 'I really like this kid.' I said to myself, 'We have another good one.'"
Cooper is not a hype type when it comes to sizing up pitchers. In this case, he must be thinking about the lefties he has seen make the grade under his tutoring. Mark Buehrle, Chris Sale and Jose Quintana have paid off big dividends for the White Sox under Cooper's guidance.
"I had a great feeling about are brief time together," Cooper said. "Now let's let him go to his first spring training and start to watch. No one should have any doubts or fear. Carlos Rodon looks like a real good one to me."
Cooper was impressed with Rodon's stuff. The youngster threw only fastballs and change ups in the morning session. "It may take some time and I don't know when it will happen. I don't have that crystal ball. I do think at some point he will be in Chicago helping us win," he said.
The smart money may project Rodon starting the season at Triple A. This would be a direction of the front office in order to control an extra year of arbitration and free agency. GM Rick Hahn disagreed with that logic on Friday.
"Anyone's representation is irrelevant," Hahn said in reference to agent Scott Boras, who represents Rodon and never signs his star players early. "We are going to put the best 25 guys out there that give us a chance to win. Where Carlos starts the season will depend on his ability and the composition of our roster."
Rodon pitched briefly for the Triple A club last summer. He started three games with an innings and pitch limit. Rodon threw 12 innings, striking out 13 while carrying a 3.00 ERA. Pressure is not going to be an issue for Rodon, he says.
"I have pitched in front of 30,000 fans at the college World Series," he said. "I also pitched in Cuba with team USA. Those are a few things I can look back on as tough situations that I dealt with."
A rotation with four lefties would be out of the ordinary, if and when Rodon makes it to the big leagues. Now if you're talking about another ace, nobody will care which arm he pitches with.
"They have not told me anything about a role," Rodon said. "They just want me to think about pitching and getting better. I will be working on my change-up, and we will see where that leads me this spring training."
