Rodon has potential to make big impact with Sox
GLENDALE, Ariz. - The first thing you notice about Carlos Rodon is the size.
At 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, he looks like a tight end or linebacker.
But the 22-year-old pitcher says he hasn't played football since middle school and, even though he is a hardcore Miami Dolphins fan, Rodon has never even seen an NFL game in person.
He also says he's a terrible golfer, and equally lousy at basketball.
The White Sox don't really care. They drafted Rodon No. 3 overall last June and signed him to a $6.582 million bonus some two months later because they believe he'll eventually be a top-end starter.
Rodon, who was limited to 24⅓ innings in the minor leagues in 2014 after joining the Sox, threw his first bullpen session Friday.
"You notice how strong and physical he is with the way he throws," manager Robin Ventura said. "That's what makes his slider so tough. It's a sharp one, and he throws it hard. It's weird when you say it about a pitcher, but he is a physical type pitcher when he throws."
If he is lights out when Cactus League play begins on March 4 with a game against the Dodgers, Rodon could break camp with the White Sox and open the season as the No. 5 starter.
More likely, he'll start the year with Class AAA Charlotte. That would give Rodon some needed experience and also delay his salary arbitration clock.
"You know, I really don't know what to expect," Rodon said. "But I'm up for anything. Whatever the team needs me to do, I'll do it. Everyone puts up these expectations. The way I look it is you have to have your own expectations and live up to those because everyone else's really don't matter. What we want to do here is win, so the way to do that is I need to develop and get better with my pitches."
Lighten up:
Sidelined for four months last season after injuring his left shoulder and having surgery, right fielder Avisail Garcia was noticeably bigger when he returned to the Sox' lineup in mid-August.
Garcia put himself on a diet heavy on fish and vegetables and dropped 10-15 pounds during the off-season.
"I've been running like 4.0 to first base," Garcia said. "I want to eat, but I want to do that so I'm happy."
Down time:
No. 4 starter John Danks allowed 25 home runs last season, tying him for the fifth highest total in the American League.
Keeping the ball down in the strike zone is his obvious goal, and Danks made an adjustment late last season to avoid the longball.
"We're just trying to make my motion … cut out a lot of the movement in it," Danks said. "The more movement I have the better chance I have to mess it up before I let go of the ball. We're trying to find a way to get more movement on the fastball, and by doing that help me keep it down in the zone, keep the ball in the ballpark."