Rodon enters 2019 as one of the game’s biggest wild cards. His 2018 was delayed as he rehabbed from shoulder surgery performed the previous September, debuting in early June. He struggled a bit out of the gate, sporting a 4.55 ERA after five starts, albeit with a solid 1.18 WHIP. Rodon then got on a roll, posting a 1.84 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in nine starts, covering 63.2 frames. Unfortunately, Rodon fell apart in September, recording a 9.22 ERA and 2.12 WHIP in 27.1 stanzas. Rodon truthers will highlight the middle stretch, writing off the early struggles to rust and the late ones to running out of gas. But here’s the thing: a 20 K% and 11.1 BB% in the middle set is rather pedestrian. His xFIP in that span was 4.77. The success was driven by an unsustainable .175 BABIP. The early market is expressing optimism, assuming not only will Rodon avoid injury, but that he’ll return to previous strikeout levels while honing his spotty control. That’s a risky bet.

Planning on ramping up Rodon's workload last season, the White Sox took it slow in the spring. It turned out their concerns were warranted as Rodon left a March 28 spring game with a tight bicep, later diagnosed as left shoulder bursitis, keeping him out until June 28. Rodon's throwing shoulder started barking again down the stretch, shutting him down for the season on Sept. 2. In between, the lefty was typically inconsistent, largely a result of spotty control, walking 31 in 69.1 innings. Homers also contributed, as he served up a dozen long balls. The saving grace was 76 punchouts. Rodon's trend has been to finish with a flourish, but there's no telling if his 4.15 ERA and 1.37 WHIP would have improved with another month of starts. Rodon had arthroscopic surgery in late September, with a six-to-eight month timetable, putting Opening Day in jeopardy. Expect the White Sox to again treat their prized southpaw with kid gloves.

Rodon's 2016 wasn't too different from 2015: low-4.00 ERA through the first four months before a sprint of quality work to the finish line that featured the upside that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft. One major difference between the two seasons was a big improvement in his walk rate, but it came at the expense of his command as he allowed more hits and nearly twice as many home runs. The season still stands as a worthy building block for a 24-year-old lefty trying to fulfill his frontline upside. His elite slider was even better in 2016, and his changeup took a big step forward, but not enough to offset his fastball getting less effective. Velocity is great, but a good fastball requires much more (namely, command). His walk gains came via the fastball, but it was also responsible for the home run troubles. This is exactly the kind of profile you want to bet on, though: The cost doesn't require major gains to pay off, but the upside is massive.

Rodon’s transition to the majors was rocky, and while he struck out 64 through his first 60 innings as a starter, he also walked 37 over that same stretch. However, he learned on the job and was stellar in the season’s final two months - he posted a 1.81 ERA and .198 BAA over his final eight outings. Rodon entered the big leagues with a big league-ready slider, and the pitch was as good as advertised. Ninety-seven of his 139 strikeouts came off the slider, and his upper-90s fastball was also impressive. He could take the jump if he polishes a third pitch. Rodon should slot behind Chris Sale and Jose Quintana in the White Sox’s rotation.

Rodon entered his junior year at North Carolina State as the prohibitive No. 1 overall pick. However, concerns about his workload budged him from the top spot in the 2014 June draft, and he fell to the White Sox at No. 3. It took much of the summer for the two sides to agree on a contract, which may have worked out better for his overworked arm. His plus fastball and slider blew away college batters, and the White Sox want him to add a changeup to the mix. Even without a refined third pitch, he ranks as one of the top prospects in the system and could be in the mix for a rotation spot out of camp, though vice president of baseball operations Ken Williams said in December that a multi-innings bullpen role is more likely for Rodon in 2015.