GLENDALE, Ariz. — Carlos Rodon played catch behind the scenes on Friday morning in what could be a preview of much of his spring camp.
Even though it will require a slight adjustment for his competitive spirit, the White Sox hurler said he’s on board with the slower, methodical throwing plan the team has put in place in order to combat a longer spring schedule.
Rodon made 30 tosses when he played catch early Friday before the rest of his teammates took the field, his first throws of the week. While most White Sox pitchers have now completed two bullpen sessions, Rodon doesn’t expect to throw off the mound for another week. But Rodon — who went 9-10 with a 4.04 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 165 innings — and the White Sox maintain that the left-hander is healthy and will be ready for the regular season.
“Just getting it back going again,” Rodon said. “Staying on the plan. I’ll be there.
“Everything feels good. Everything feels great.
“I think we’ve got about a week or so (until a bullpen). We’re just going to take it slow and we’ll be there.”
The White Sox said they’ve opted for a measured approach with Rodon this spring because of the extra days on the calendar and bigger expected workload in season.
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Similar to how they handled Chris Sale last year, Rodon is very limited early. He hasn’t played catch with his teammates in their morning workouts and isn’t throwing the ball in pitcher’s fielding practice. The left-hander also expects that many of his spring starting assignments would occur on the back fields, whether in minor league contests or simulated games.
Those events can sometimes test a pitcher because the lack of a crowd and absence of major league hitters mean less adrenaline. Rodon doesn’t seem worried about those elements, however, because he knows it will lead to more focused work than he’d get in an exhibition game.
“(In games) you’re working on stuff, but you still want to get guys out and be competitive,” Rodon said. “It’s a great thing, but it’s backwards. I’m still competitive, but (now) I really get to focus on working on the changeup, working on new things, not making a fool of myself I guess.”
Rodon said he began his offseason throwing program the day after Christmas when the team asked him to slow down. He didn’t question the plan because he knows what it did for Sale, who pitched a career high 226 2/3 innings last season. So even though he’ll probably ache to get into game action earlier than he will, Rodon is trusting the process.
“I thought it was a good idea when they came up with the plan,” Rodon said. “How many innings did (Sale) throw last year? Is that a career high? There you go. It worked, right? That’s what I’m hoping to do.”