Carlos Rodón followed Dylan Cease's three scoreless innings with three zeroes of his own in the White Sox's 4-3 victory over the Padres on Tuesday. It doesn't warrant a full analysis because Rodón isn't necessarily trying for a different look. The challenge for him has always been staying healthy enough to be seen, and writing about him feels trite when everything ends with "... now let's just hope he doesn't get hurt."
That said, it's still worth going back and watching his start on MLB.tv if you have the chance. You'll see a guy who pushed around a decent San Diego lineup with his fastball, the main ingredient in his four strikeouts. He didn't walk anybody, and the only hit he allowed was a bleeder through the right side.
Rodón's up to five scoreless innings, and while it's always possible that he's merely a pitcher who's ahead of hitters in spring training, he can point to a reason for any sustained improvement:
First-year pitching coach Ethan Katz is tweaking Rodon’s delivery, primarily with his lower half, and utilizing a core velocity belt, which Rodon said has improved the spin rate on his fastball. His sessions on the back fields and in the two games have built confidence.
“With the velo belt, it’s easier to hone in the command of the four-seamer,” Rodon said. “And it seems like the spin’s getting better, getting a little more carry, having that cleaner delivery.”
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Rodón once again outpaced his main competition for the fifth starting job, as Reynaldo López entered in relief of Rodón and promptly gave up a couple runs. In López's defense, he probably should've gotten out of the fourth unscathed, but neither Adam Eaton nor Tim Anderson could convert difficult-but-makeable plays with two outs. He also settled in to throw two scoreless innings of his own afterward, so his line -- 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K -- doesn't quite reflect the quality of his effort.
It creates less of a headache for Tony La Russa if he his starting pitching candidates decide a clear top five amongst themselves. It just could create issues later on if and when a sixth or seventh starter needs to join the fray.
The White Sox announced a second round of cuts after Tuesday's game, and while the first round captured most of the players furthest away from the majors, this batch of reassignments captures some guys who might've been expected to put up more of a fight.
PITCHERS
- Jonathan Stiever
- Zack Burdi
- Tyler Johnson
- Jimmy Lambert
- Bernardo Flores Jr.
- Félix Paulino
- Mike Wright
- Kodi Medeiros
POSITION PLAYERS
- Gavin Sheets
- Blake Rutherford
- Seby Zavala
- Micker Adolfo
- Jake Burger
Lambert was the only one who impressed among the group of arms, and even then, he merely retired the three batters he faced. Stiever managed to rebound from a rough inning that could have really sunk his spring, but he's not quite a credible candidate for extra starts. Below him, Burdi, Johnson, Flores and Medeiros all walked more batters than they struck out.
Nobody should make too much of spring training performances by themselves, but in this case, the weaknesses all reinforced what we last saw from each pitcher the last time they pitched competitively. In particular, Burdi threw some GIFable pitches, but also got smoked on mistakes, Johnson struggled to find the zone, and Stiever's fastball didn't get past bats.
Specific to COVID times, they all spent last summer at an alternate training site, and it'll be a month and a half before any of them have the option of competitive minor-league play. None of these pitchers will be needed immediately, but it makes all the pitchers currently ticketed for the 26-man roster feel a little more necessary than preferable.
On the position player side, Sheets, Rutherford and Adolfo combined to go 5-for-39 with only one extra-base hit (a double) and 14 strikeouts. None of them were expected to compete for outfield time during the first half of the season, but the Sox would've welcomed a surprise if one presented itself.
Instead, the Sox signed Billy Hamilton to a minor league deal to join Nick Williams as the first line of defense against an outfield injury, because while Hamilton can't hit, his glove and baserunning can offer something to the cause. The hope is the timing of Luis Robert's mild abdominal strain is only a coincidence.
(Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)
