The Chicago White Sox traded for starter Jeff Samardzija earlier in the offseason, but little did they know their first-round draft pick from 2014 would give them the best performance of the spring.
Carlos Rodon took the hill yesterday against the Kansas City Royals and struck out nine batters over four innings and surrendered only four singles. He threw 47 of his 67 pitches for strikes and improved his spring training numbers to 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in five games (four starts), totaling 12 1/3 innings.
With ace Chris Sale on the shelf until mid-April because of a broken foot, there's still an outside chance Rodon starts the season in the White Sox' starting rotation. General manager Rick Hahn said earlier in the offseason that the 22-year-old has "a real shot to start the year in the big leagues," via CBS Chicago. Hahn didn't call up Rodon at the end of last season after the prospect rocketed from the rookie league to Triple-A, but that could very well change in 2015.
"This kid has a world of talent," Hahn added. "This kid is farther along from the command of the changeup, to having a three-plus-pitch repertoire and very likely will contribute to us at some point in the not-so-distant future."
Right now, the White Sox' depth chart has Sale, Samardzija, Jose Quintana, John Danks, Hector Noesi and Rodon listed in the starting rotation, which would have many assume Rodon would slip into the No. 5 spot until Sale's return.
However, his promotion is no guarantee, just like a number of other top prospects around the league who could make an impact with their clubs in 2015. Here are some others we think have the possibility to be with their teams on Opening Day or later and make an impact at some point in the season:
Chicago Cubs 3B Kris Bryant
Los Angeles Dodgers OF Joc Pederson
New York Mets SPs Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz
Los Angeles Angels SP Nick Tropeano
Seattle Mariners SP Taijuan Walker
Texas Rangers 3B Joey Gallo
Minnesota Twins OF Byron Buxton
Who do you think is the most likely to make an impact in 2015?
