Draft 14 - A Quick Look At - LHP - Carlos Rodon - NC State

       Carlos Rodon 

1-7-13 - Behold, Carlos Rodon, ace of the North Carolina State pitching staff. 

Rodon, a 6-foot-2 left hander, took the college baseball world by storm as a true freshman in 2012 with his 9-0 record, 1.57 ERA, 135/41 strikeout to walk ratio and 71 hits allowed in 114 2/3 innings. The unfortunately-not-a-draft-eligible sophomore was a 16th round pick of the Brewers in 2011. At that time, he was around 30 pounds lighter, weighing around 200, and threw between 88-92 MPH with his fastball. He was coveted for his projectability and potential plus slider, but decided to attend college and it is clear now that he made the right call. http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/1/7/3846162/carlos-rodon-prize-of-the-2014-draft

5-23-13 - Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State - The 6’-3”, 235-pound southpaw, who is about a clear-cut number-one overall pick as there is, didn’t start the season on a high note. In the season opener against Appalachian State, he gave up five runs over six innings in a 6-3 loss. He did, however, strikeout eight to just one walk, so it wasn’t all that bad. His last two starts have been something out of a video game. Over 14 innings, he has allowed one run on just two hits, including seven no-hit innings against LaSalle in which Karl Keglovits finished off the no-no with two hitless frames. Over those 14 innings, Rodon has struck out an incredible 30 batters to just three walks, pushing his season totals to 38 K/ 5 BB over 20 innings (17.1 K/9). He has a five- pitch arsenal that includes a mid-90s heater, a power slider, a lethal cutter, an above-average curveball and a change-up with nice fade. He commands all of them and is comfortable throwing any of them in any situation LINK

6-2-13 - Carlos Rodon has spent much of his sophomore year searching for the form that made him one of the best pitchers in the nation as a freshman. He’s found it when it matters most. Rodon pitched on Saturday like the country has come to expect, firing a two-hit shutout Saturday against William & Mary in the winners’ bracket game at the Raleigh Regional. North Carolina State needed every bit of Rodon’s dominance too, emerging with a 1-0 win against a tough Tribe squad as Rodon and his opposite number, John Farrell, traded zeroes deep into the night. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/rodon/

6-9-13  -  1.Carlos Rodon, LHP (NC State): You could have make an argument for Rodon going 1:1 this year. His stuff, K rate, polish, and mechanics all point to him being a strong 1 or 2 starter. http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2013/06/09/2014-mlb-draft-top-30-prospects/

6-10-13 -  Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State - Rodon begins the summer as the favorite to go first overall in the 2014 draft.  When he is on, he is the most dominant pitcher in college baseball.  His fastball sits 92-95 and his slider is a plus plus pitch.  His curve, change, and cutter are also quality pitches. http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/06/10/2014-mlb-draft-early-college-names-to-know/

6-11-13 - 1. Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State: The Wolfpack are headed to the College World Series and Rodon is a big reason why. Even after starting slowly, the big lefty has gone 9-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 118 1/3 innings. There is almost universal consensus that he's the early choice to be No. 1 in 2014. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130611&content_id=50293726&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_50293726

6-13-13  -  2. Houston Astros — Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State - Rodon has pretty much everything you want in an ace. At 6’-2” and 230 pounds, the southpaw definitely has the size to carry the workload and his legs look like tree trunks. He has a five-pitch arsenal that includes a mid-90s heater, a power slider, a lethal cutter, an above-average curveball and a change-up with nice fade. He commands all of them well and is comfortable throwing any of them in any situation. Over 16 starts so far this year, he has a 3.19 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 161 K/40 BB over 110 innings. Opponents are hitting just .190 against him. His junior season should be full of ridiculousness. The only knock I have heard on him is his size and if he will be able to maintain that kind of velocity for the long haul. He also tends to get into control issues at times. http://beforeitsnews.com/sports/2013/06/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present-2513748.html?currentSplittedPage=2

6-17-13  -  Carlos Rodon, LHP, N.C. State - Last year Rodon (6-foot-3, 234) became the first Division I freshman to be finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as college baseball's best player. This year, he is the ace of a Wolfpack team that has advanced to the College World Series. He is a coveted power lefty whose fastball sits in the mid-90s and can reach the upper 90s. He has two obviously plus pitches "His fastball can be overwhelming and dominant," Simpson said, "and he has a wipeout slider." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130610/draft-prospects-carlos-rodon/#ixzz2WWk0FqzU

6-18-13  -  Jordan Sams ‏@astrosjordan  - Carlos Rodon is going be so good. I can't believe he's coming out the year the Astros won't have 1-1.

6-19-13  -  from Don Olson on 6/18/2013 - Stout wide frame, impressive present strength and build, think maturation and power potential TORL. FB was 90-94 mph (95), cruising speed is never an issue.  4S was solid 92-95 mph, nice backspin with arm slot tails away from RHH.  Works both sides of the plate, attacks the inside, and changes eye levels constantly with the offering, all natural late subtle movement.  Command is average, think it can improve with his ability, losses it a little too much low, point of improvement. He hides the ball well and can get hitters to stretch the zone.  2S 90-91 mph (92) with a good amount of hand side tail that is hard, showed good command, hits it consistently L/O.  Cutter/Baby Slider was tight with good bite, more horizontal than vertical tilt at 89-91, safe plus grade with room to grow, effective action to both sides hitters, shows action that forces swings. Curve has good shape, a lot of spin with late drop action, but not a heavy rotation offering at any view this spring.  He shows a projectable change, showed good arm action and potentially highly deceptive, but it is a work in progress, point to monitor in the future.

6-28-13 - Carlos Rodon, LHP, N.C. State - Not only is there no better player in the 2014 draft than Carlos Rodon, he'll be the best pitching prospect drafted since Stephen Strasburg was picked in 2008. A 6'2'' lefty, Rodon sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and throws a sinker that's already a plus pitch. He also throws a low 90s cutter and a few more pitches, ranging from a curve, changeup and splitter. They're all behind the others, and he'll most likely choose one and scrap the others when he reaches pro ball. He has an easy throwing motion from the left side that generates easy velocity, and scouts really like his mechanics. Though a team like the Marlins could opt to take one of the elite high school bats if they get the #1 pick next year, there's no reason at this point why Rodon is not deserving of the #1 overall pick http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/6/28/4450674/the-way-too-early-2014-tcb-astros-draft-board

7-6-13 - Ben Badler ‏@BenBadler  - Carlos Rodon looks like he would dominate a Double-A lineup today. And that's being conservative.

7-23-13 - John Manuel ‏@johnmanuelba  - Standing O for Carlos Rodon well deserved. He finishes the night with 11 SO in 6.2 IP, 0 BB, 21 SO in 17 IP for the summer with Team USA vs. Cuba

8-5-14  -  Who are the top five lefthanded pitching prospects in baseball, with ceiling as the primary consideration? (question from Jim Kubinski) – answer from Jim Callis - The best lefty prospect in baseball isn’t a professional yet. North Carolina State’s Carlos Rodon is the favorite to go No. 1 overall draft, and he looked spectacular in his final Team USA outing of the summer. http://ht.ly/nEhSu

8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 1. Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State - The prize of the draft, the 6’-3” southpaw continued to demonstrate his silly array of abilities against the rest of the world after posting a 2.99 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 184 K/45 BB over 132.1 innings for the Wolfpack this year. Pitching for The Collegiate National Team, he went 3-0 with 21 K/4 BB over 17 shutout innings, allowing just five hits. He has a five-pitch arsenal that includes a mid-90s heater, a power slider, a lethal cutter, an above-average curveball and a change-up with nice fade. He commands all of them well and is comfortable throwing any of them in any situation. There may not be much projection left but what more do you want? http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99

8-30-13 – Top 5 MLB Draft Prospects - #1. Carlos Rodon, LHP (NC State): You may possibly have prepared a plight for Rodon going 1:1 this year. His junk, K rate, refinement, and mechanics all point to him being a durable 1 or 2 starter. Rodon, a 6-foot-3, 234-pound sophomore, maintains an 18-2 record and a 2.39 ERA as a N.C. State pitcher. His 9-2 record displays the potential of certain Major League aptitude. Trusting on a mix of mid-90s fastballs, power sliders, cutters, curveballs and changeups, Rodon is so prevailing that he could be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft. http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/08/30/top-5-mlb-draft-prospects/

8-27-13 - 1. Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State (Draft eligible: 2014)  -  The exceptional 6-foot-3, 234-pound, junior left-handed pitcher has had quite a whirlwind past few months. Rodon entered his sophomore campaign with the Wolfpack with high hopes in the spring, but it took him a while to get going, as evidenced by some early command issues. Rodon only got better as the spring progressed, pitching exceptionally well down the stretch and in the College World Series with a fastball anywhere from 93-97 in Omaha.   Well, Rodon only continued his impressive ways this summer while pitching for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Rodon didn’t allow a run in four starts and 17 innings of work, while also striking out 21 and walking four. From a prospect standpoint, Rodon is the clear-cut favorite to be the top pick in the 2014 MLB draft. In addition to having a durable frame, Rodon possesses a hard-nosed, come at you type of attitude, along with elite stuff. He pitched off his fastball quite a bit this summer, a pitch that has some late, exploding life on it at times. Rodon also utilized an 85-87 slider with two-plane break, while that pitch also was up to 89 at times. Last but not least, Rodon used a low-80s changeup, a pitch that many would like him to use more in the latter innings come spring. Overall, Rodon’s near impeccable fastball command reminded some close to USA Baseball to former Vanderbilt start left-handed pitcher David Price, while he showed much more confidence in his slider as the summer progressed.   Rodon’s freshman campaign in 2012 convinced many of us that he was clearly the top prospect in the 2014 MLB draft college class. Then, we had a second thought when he started slow out of the gate for the Wolfpack in the spring. But now, after such a dominance performance with Team USA, the gritty and durable lefty is right back where he started his collegiate career. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=8927

9-1-13 - Jim Callis – 1. Carlos Rodon, lhp, North Carolina State - Spectacular summer with Team USA cements him as clear top prospect for now.

9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 –  1 – Houston – LHSP Carlos Rodon – North Carolina State – This might be the last year that the Astros gets the first pick in the draft, though it is the third in the row. It’s close to impossible… no, I take that back… it’s literally impossible for them to pass on picking Rodon, who is so far more taleted than anyone in this draft. He has a five- pitch arsenal that includes a mid-90s fastball, a wipeout slider, a lethal cutter, an above-average curveball and a change-up with nice fade. He could be in the majors by late 2015.

9-27-13 - Carlos Rodon is the clear favorite to go No. 1 overall next June. He claimed that status during his 2012 freshman season with North Carolina State. He solidified it last spring, when he led NCAA Division I with 184 strikeouts in 132 1/3 innings and carried the Wolfpack to its first College World Series berth since 1968, and strengthened his case during a banner summer with Team USA. If Rodon already were an Astro, he'd face some stiff competition in what I consider baseball's best farm system (more on that in a second). Nevertheless, he'd fit somewhere between the last two No. 1 overall picks at the top of our Houston list, behind shortstop Carlos Correa and ahead of right-hander Mark Appel. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130927&content_id=61864804&c_id=

9-29-13 – XMLBScout – 1.) LHP, Carlos Rodon, N C State, 6'3 230, L/L, everyone can't stop talking about him since his days in Apex and he should have never got the chance to go to college in my opinion and next spring if not this late summer, he would have made his ML Debut, but that's just me I reckon, Carlos has steadily added velo since his soph year in Apex going from 84-88 then to 93-98 now from upper 3/4 to 3/4 slot, most are 93-94 early and can sustain the velo and reach back for a lil extra on occ, hard slide piece is a 70 pitch, that's 84-88 and also will flash a show me straight change tease, he competes like a bulldog and he throws strikes, he will on occ rush himself, he will give you max effort and sustain his strength deep into games. Best lefty to come into the collegiate ranks in my opinion since Craig Swindell who pitched at Texas back in the day. This is your top 1-3 guy for the first round in 2014 people!  http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/

9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 1. Houston Astros — Carlos Rodon, LHP, North Carolina State - The “Lastros” have now secured the first-overall pick a record three years in a row. Barring an injury or signability issues, their prize this year will be Rodon, a 6’-3”, 240 pound southpaw with exceptional stuff. As a sophomore for the Wolfpack, he posted a 2.99 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 184 K/45 BB over 132.1 innings. He then went out and dominated for the Collegiate National Team, going 3-0 with 21 K/4 BB over 17 shutout innings, allowing just five hits. He has a five-pitch arsenal that includes a mid-90s heater, a power slider, a lethal cutter, an above-average curveball and a change-up with nice fade. He commands all of them well and is comfortable throwing any of them in any situation. After taking Mark Appel with the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, he and Rodon could form a devastating 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation for an organization loaded with talent. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99

10-6-13 – Kendall Rogers/PG – College Prospects - 1. Carlos Rodon, lhp, North Carolina State (Drafted: 2011, Brewers -- 16th round) - There are very few things negative that can be said about Rodon. Rodon is a stocky 6-foot-3, 234-pounder, who despite his dominant stuff, plays with a chip on his shoulder. Besides his bulldog-like attitude, Rodon has a 93-97 mph fastball, 85-87 slider with two-plane break and a low-80s changeup with potential. One college baseball legend recently told me he hadn’t seen a lefty like Rodon in at least 10 years. http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=9081

10-15-13 – Baseball America - 1. Carlos Rodon, lhp, N.C. State: Could have ranked No. 1 in previous two draft classes with a 93-95 mph fastball and premium slider. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/

10-18-13 – Matt Garroich – Carlos Rodon is the best lefty in the country and, as it stands, the clear-cut favorite to go first overall. He is the ace of the N.C. State Wolfpack and has been since he came to campus. He will likely be the same on any team he pitches as long as he is healthy. On the same squad is one of the top college hitters, Trea Turner. He is an impressive athlete with 80 speed and solid defense at short while swinging the bat well enough to impact in the batters box as well. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/10/18/4851030/2014-mlb-draft-atlantic-region-college-discussion

11-4-13 – MLB Draft Insider - Top 14 for ’14: College Pitchers - 1. Carlos Rodon / LHP / N.C. State — There isn’t much more to say about Rodon at this point, a left-handed ace with a mid 90′s fastballs and one of the best slider’s I’ve seen from an amateur. Rodon enters the year as the prohibitive favorite to be the first player selected in the 2014 draft. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/11/top-14-for-14-college-pitchers/