(670 The Score) After witnessing White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon’s dominant no-hit performance Wednesday, first-year Chicago pitching coach Ethan Katz had high praise for his pupil a day later.
“He can be one of the best pitchers in the American League,” Katz said Thursday. “I think he can be one of the best pitchers in baseball. He showed that last night and in all of his work since spring training. He has worked his butt off to this point. I think he will continue to work hard and stay healthy too.”
Rodon struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in Chicago’s 8-0 win against Cleveland. His only blemish was a hit batsman with one out in the ninth inning.
“He felt really good in the pen before the game,” Katz said. “I tried not to get too caught up in what was going on until about the seventh inning, where it actually hit home for me and this could happen.”
The White Sox hired Katz away from the Giants this past offseason, so he first began working with the 28-year-old Rodon in spring training. They worked on a few mechanical tweaks for Rodon, who has dealt with a spate of injuries in recent years, including Tommy John surgery in 2019.
“He has made a lot of delivery changes,” Katz said, specifically citing Rodon’s improved north-south balance in his delivery. “The main thing for him is that he is feeling good all the time. He had been battling a lot of things for a long time. So it's a lot easier to go out and perform when you are healthy. He is feeling good right now, and his stuff is showing that.
“Watching the video of him over the last couple of years, he was really getting quad dominant in his delivery. That meant he was getting up on his toe making his arm action cross-fire.”
Rodon has thrown 14 scoreless innings in his first two starts of this season. He has struck out 16 while allowing just two hits and three walks in that span.
“He is now keeping on his back leg better and keeping a vertical shin on the mound in his direction to home plate,” Katz said. “He now has more ability to be in the strike zone consistently. Carlos can now shape his secondary stuff in and out of the strike zone too.”
Katz doesn’t try to reinvent the pitchers whom he oversees, but he has strong opinions on how they can improve after he studies them.
“If there is room for improvement with mechanics, I will try to assist that way,” Katz said. "When the timing is right, I will present an idea to a player and let him know where we might make a change. At the end of the day, it's on the player and the work they put in. I am just here to assist.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.