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Carlos Rodon, a first-round pick in 2013, debuted with the White Sox in 2015 and registered a pedestrian 4.14 ERA through 2020. In December of that year, he was non-tendered before re-signing with the White Sox for $3 million.
Rodon then made the All-Star Game the next two seasons, first with the White Sox and then with the Giants, largely because of advanced pitching technology that enabled him to discover what made him unique.
It was not until 2018 or ’19 when technology such as TrackMan began proliferating around the game, that he learned about his arsenal.
The more over-the-top he released his fastball, the less hittable it became. In his terrific 2022 with San Francisco, the big lefty, on average, spun his four-seamer from 6 feet, 6 inches from the ground, far higher than most.
With a pitch that is released high and stays high, Rodon’s fastball buzzes at the top of the zone and misses bat after bat. The revelation led to a refreshed pitch mix. Last year, he threw his fastball more than 60 percent of the time.
It was the second-most thrown pitch in all of baseball, trailing only the cutter of Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes. And it was the 13th-most valuable pitch in all of baseball, according to Statcast’s “Run Value” statistic, which essentially measures how effective a pitch is.
Rodon’s fastball was a bit better than Max Scherzer’s slider, which ranked 15th. In the past two seasons — in which he has posted a 2.67 ERA over 55 starts — Rodon has basically abandoned a third pitch, continually pounding fastballs and nasty sliders past hitters. He started mixing in a curveball toward the end of last season for a bit more variety, a trend that will continue this season.
“I feel like I have to throw more curveballs this year, for sure,” Rodon said. He has learned what makes him good and is trying to tinker with what can make him better.
Rodon’s success can be attributed to his late discovery of his arsenal, which he learned through advanced technology, and his ability to refresh his pitch mix.
By throwing his fastball more often and at a higher release point, he has made it a valuable pitch in all of baseball. Rodon’s continued experimentation with other pitches will help him improve even more.
»Carlos Rodon’s success story«
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