If Carlos Rodón has thrown his final pitch for the San Francisco Giants, then what a season it was.
Rodón, initially scheduled to make his remaining begin Tuesday night time in opposition to the Padres, was scratched in favor of Alex Cobb, who was slotted to begin the season finale Wednesday however pitched on three days’ relaxation as an alternative. Rodón was positioned on the injured record with no designation, ending his season, coming after Rodón’s agent, Scott Boras, informed the San Francisco Chronicle that his shopper had reached his innings restrict.
The Giants end their season Wednesday afternoon. Their starter is listed as TBA.
All the best way again in spring coaching, on Rodón’s first day after signing, he stated his objective was to “simply to have a very good yr and perhaps take a look at the market.” He had shoulder surgical procedure in 2017 and elbow reconstruction in 2019. His shoulder fatigued on the finish of his 130-inning marketing campaign final season, which was his largest workload since 2016. “That’s positively a spot I can construct off of and hopefully throw much more innings than that this yr,” he stated on that first day of spring.
Rodón did that and extra.
He surpassed earlier profession highs in innings and video games began three begins in the past and has run his season whole as much as 178, almost 50 greater than final season, a determine Boras cited as the rationale to close him down. If neither he nor Corbin Burnes pitch once more this yr, then Rodón will end one shy of Milwaukee’s ace for the Nationwide League strikeout crown.
In between Alice In Chains’ “Rooster” blaring for the primary and remaining instances over Oracle Park’s loudspeakers, Rodón punched out 237 batters, the seventh-most by a Giants pitcher — and second-most by a left-hander — because the membership moved to San Francisco. (Supervisor Gabe Kapler was a selected fan of Rodón’s intimidating anthem.)
He led the majors in FIP, a metric that measures the components inside a pitcher’s management — strikeouts, walks and residential runs — so it’s no shock that it preferred Rodón finest. His 12.0 strikeouts per 9 innings additionally led the majors, and solely 5 certified starters allowed fewer house runs per 9 innings (amongst them: Logan Webb).
However what Kapler steadily cited as probably the most spectacular facet of all of it was merely the truth that Rodón was doing it each fifth day. Besides, presumably, for his final one, Rodón didn’t miss a begin all season. The primary pitch he threw clocked 97 mph on Oracle Park’s radar gun; his final pitch was 97.7.
By exceeding 110 innings, which he did in his first begin after the All-Star break, Rodón earned the power to choose out and take a look at the market, the place he's broadly believed to be in line for a nine-figure payday.
The query looming for the Giants is whether or not or to not pay up.
Whereas Rodón is bound to attract widespread curiosity, he has stated the Bay Space has grown on him, and he moved his household right into a home within the East Bay. The Giants had been the second group Rodón has performed for; he spent the primary seven years of his skilled profession with the White Sox and retains an offseason house in rural Indiana.
The Giants had been in an analogous place final season with Kevin Gausman and let him stroll when the Blue Jays supplied him a five-year, $110 million contract. That led them to Rodón. (The pitcher straight behind Rodón in FIP: Gausman.)
On the time, San Francisco had 4 open rotation spots behind Webb. They’re in a greater place this offseason, with a possible five-man rotation of Webb, Cobb, Alex Wooden, Anthony DeSclafani and Jakob Junis already below contract for subsequent season. Prime prospect Kyle Harrison may additionally debut subsequent yr, and 25-year-old Sean Hjelle has proven promise over the ultimate month of this season.
As he proved time and time once more this season, although, Rodón is a singular breed.