Rodon switches things up to increase velocity

Carlos Rodon has pretty much been lights out over the past month, but he took a step back on Saturday, losing to the Tigers 6-3.

You can chalk it up to being just a bad game, or you can blame it on Rodon’s new extended pregame routine. The former NC State star has been tinkering with his pre-game prep in order to get his velocity up earlier in games according to the Chicago Tribune.

“It usually sort of kicks in after the 2nd inning.” said Rodon.

The thought is that his early game struggles are coming because his velocity doesn’t ramp up right away when he gets out there. After the 2nd Rodon has been on cruise control, which is why he decided to make the change. While it didn’t result in a win this time out, head coach Rick Renteria is hoping he sticks with it.

“Hopefully the routine he goes through in his next start will put him in a better place and we’ll be able to see that spike in velocity and crispness that he shows after about three innings,” White Sox head coach Renteria said.

We’re keeping close tabs on Rodon because we believe he is on the cusp of becoming one of MLB’s elite pitchers. We’ll be bringing you start by start updates on NC State great, so stay tuned.