When left-hander Carlos Rodon toed the rubber for the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 17, he was the only NC State alumnus playing in the MLB.
Just four short days later, that was no longer the case. The Washington Nationals called up Rodon’s former teammate, shortstop Trea Turner, last Friday.
Leading up to his call-up, Turner had been ranked the No. 2 prospect in the Nationals’ system and the top-rated position player. He had raked at every level thrown at him, posted batting averages of .314 at Triple-A Syracuse, .359 in Double-A Harrisburg and .322 at Single-A San Antonio.
In the seventh inning of the Nationals game against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night, Washington inserted Turner into the game to a standing ovation on a double-switch. His MLB career had officially begun.
Turner went 0-2 in the ballgame and turned a double play in the Nationals’ 10-3 loss, not that Turner’s hitless game should worry anyone. The 6-foot-2 shortstop went hitless in his first five games with the Syracuse Chiefs before turning up the heat and crushing Triple-A pitching.
Turner became the highest drafted position player in NC State history when the San Diego Padres selected him 14th overall in the 2014 MLB Draft. He played the 2014 season and part of the 2015 season in the Padres minor league system despite his rights not actually being owned by the Padres organization.
On Dec. 18, Turner was traded to the Nationals as part of an 11-player deal that sent outfielder Wil Myers to the Padres. However, due to a weird and nonsensical MLB rule, Turner had to stay in the Padres organization until June before he was free to join the Nationals. The rules have since been changed, but Turner is proving to be worth the wait.
He joins a reeling Nationals squad that is 4.5 games back of the New York Mets in the race for the NL East crown. The team had a hold of the division lead for much of the season before the Mets brought in several stars at the trade deadline. The Nationals are hoping that the addition of Turner will give them a similar boost.
While Turner has been raking in the minor leagues, Rodon has quietly established himself in the White Sox rotation. The 6-foot-3 lefty is 5-5 with a 4.22 ERA in 21 appearances for the Sox this season — 18 of them starts.
The slider that tormented hitters at the college level continues to strike batters out at an impressive rate, as Rodon averages 9.62 Ks per game this season. The command issues that prevented him from pitching deep into games earlier in his career have improved, and he has pitched in at least seven innings in his last three starts.
That includes perhaps the best start of his career on Aug. 11, a seven-inning, four-hit shutout gem that the White Sox won 4-0 over the Angels.
The White Sox currently sit at 58-63 on the season, 16 games back of the Kansas City Royals for the AL Central Division lead and nine games back of the second Wild Card spot.
Playoff baseball almost certainly isn’t in Rodon’s future this season, but if Rodon can continue to develop his secondary pitches and also keep improving the command issues that have at times plagued him in his brief career with the White Sox, he will be on track to carve a spot in the White Sox’s rotation for many years to come.
It’s an exciting prospect for Wolfpack fans everywhere, who now can add Major League Baseball to the list of professional leagues inhabited by former Wolfpack stars.
Junior shortstop Trea Turner hits during the NC State 3-2 victory over East Carolina on April 2, 2014. The win improved the Wolfpack's record to 17-11. The team's next home appearance will occur on April 18 against Boston College.
