Former NC State pitcher Carlos Rodon called up to White Sox

Carlos Rodon didn’t have to wait long to get to the major leagues. The former N.C. State star didn’t have to wait long to find a familiar face in Chicago, either.

The Chicago White Sox called up Rodon, their top prospect and first-round pick in last June’s draft, on Monday.

On Sunday night, Rodon flew up from Charlotte, the White Sox’s Class AAA affiliate, to Chicago where he was met by Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent.

Avent was with the N.C. State team in Chicago, after a weekend series with Notre Dame. When Avent heard the news about Rodon’s promotion, via Twitter, he changed his plans.

“He was coming in by himself,” Avent said Monday. “I thought I should stay and spend some time with him. We’ve been together so many steps of the way, it just seemed like the right thing to do.”

Rodon, who’s from Holly Springs, won 25 games and struck out 436 batters in three years for Avent and the Wolfpack. He led N.C. State to the College World Series in 2013.

The White Sox took Rodon, a powerful left-hander with a phenomenal slider, with the third overall pick in last year’s draft. He’ll be in the bullpen Monday night against the Cleveland Indians. Rodon’s parents, Carlos Sr. and Julie, and Avent will be at the game in Chicago for his major league debut.

White Sox ready for Rodon

Rodon signed his contract, which included a $6.85 million bonus last July, right before the draft deadline. He started his pro career with the White Sox affiliate in the Arizona League, for two games before a four-game stint in Winston-Salem (Class A) and three starts with Charlotte in August.

After spending spring training with the White Sox, he started the 2015 season in Charlotte, but after two minor league starts, the White Sox had seen enough.

In all, Rodon threw 341/3 innings in the minors, with a 1-0 record and 3.15 ERA. He struck out 51, walked 17 and gave up 28 hits.

With a 4-7 record going into Monday’s home game with Cleveland, the White Sox decided they were ready for Rodon, who had a 1-0 record with a 3.60 ERA with Charlotte this season and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings.

Rodon’s the second player from his draft class to get called up to the majors. Kansas City called up former TCU lefty Brandon Finnegan for their playoff stretch run last September.

Goal is to be a starter

When Chicago took Rodon last year, he was immediately compared to Chris Sale, a star college pitcher taken in the first round by the White Sox in 2010.

Sale spent two seasons in the bullpen before moving into the rotation and is one of their top starters.

“The long-term goal is for him to be a starter,” Avent said. “I think part of the reason they called him up is they need some people in the bullpen to get people out and Carlos can do that.”

Chicago’s preliminary plan is to use Rodon out of the bullpen, where his slider will be an asset. Rodon throws his fastball in the mid- to low 90s and his slider in the high 80s, low 90s.

Avent said Rodon needs to develop his change-up to complement his slider and fastball. He also will have to work on his control.

“He’s going to need the change to keep right-handers off of his slider,” Avent said. “If you can’t sit on that slider, it’s almost impossible to hit.”

Rodon and Avent had a long talk Sunday night, the Wolfpack coach said, about everything, not just baseball. Rodon has a new German Shepherd puppy, aptly named “Lefty,” who’ll no doubt be on future fishing expeditions with Rodon.

Avent said he kept asking Rodon about how he was doing, but Rodon kept wanting to talk about the Wolfpack and the progress of his old teammates.

“We caught up on everything,” Avent said. “It was good for both of us. We are all so proud of him at N.C. State. It’s just great to see him live his dream.”

This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Former NC State pitcher Carlos Rodon called up to White Sox."