Keeping tabs on old White Sox friends: Vol. 2
Carlos Rodón is having himself a season so far with New York, and James McCann is the perfect catch in Baltimore
Hey there, fellow White Sox fans! Welcome to this season's new feature. It's a bimonthly update on how some of our beloved former players are faring with their current teams. Additionally, I'll cover some of our lesser-known old favorites, some mid-level players, and even a few former prospects.
Fan favorite
Carlos Rodón — LHP
Last week marked the third anniversary of Rodón's monumental no-hitter. It's a significant milestone in White Sox history, and it's hard to believe it's already been three years. It feels like just yesterday, yet at the same time, so long ago.
The White Sox selected Rodón in Round 1 (No. 3 overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft. Los quickly catapulted through the minors, ending his very first season in Charlotte. He made his big league debut in 2015 and never looked back. Unfortunately, Rodón's early tenure with the South Siders was riddled with numerous injury stints, including Tommy John surgery in May 2019, which put him out of action for the rest of that season and most of the pandemic-shortened 2020.
However, once he fully recovered from TJS, he became the pitcher fans had anxiously awaited. In 2021, the southpaw went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. In addition, he was an All-Star and finished fifth in Cy Young voting. Then, of course, Rick Hahn let him walk away without even a qualifying offer. It's the White Sox way: Cultivate some homegrown talent, stick with them through the worst, and save money by letting them leave when they get good.
So off Rodón went to the San Francisco Giants on a two-year, $44 million deal. Carlos continued to shove and went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 31 starts. He again made the All-Star team, and ranked second in the National League with 237 strikeouts. Rather than activate his player option on his contract for 2023, he chose to elect free agency in search of a multiyear deal. And boy, he found one with the New York Yankees for six years, $162 million.
Unfortunately for Los, the injury bug bit him to start his tenure in the Bronx, and he missed the first three months of the 2023 season. When the lefty finally did return, he stunk, going 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 14 starts. The Yanks and their fans were staring down on what looked to be another awful long-term contract to add to their list, a la Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson.
And then comes 2024. Queue the Rocky theme song. The big man is having what looks to be a bounce-back campaign. He's 1-1 in four starts with a 3.66 ERA and 22 punchouts while opposing batters are also only hitting .232 against him. He's seemingly healthy and finding his footing in the Bronx Bombers starting rotation. You love to see it, despite him being with the Yankees. I still can’t get used to him without the beard, though. Keep on keeping on, Los.
Mid-dude
James McCann — C
Who could forget 2019 All-Star and 2020 hero James McCann? The Sox signed the backstop to a one-year, $2.5 million free-agent contract in December 2018. McCann started 2019 with a bang and earned that All-Star selection with a slash line of .316/.371/.502 in the first half of the season. He fell off after the break but still finished in the top three of several categories for qualified catchers, including batting average (.273), extra-base hits (45), on-base percentage (.328), slugging percentage (.460), and total bases (202). Additionally, he earned accolades from his teammates and coaches for his game-calling and handling of the pitching staff.
The following offseason, the Sox front office signed Yasmani Grandal to the largest contract in franchise history at the time. Many anticipated that Hahn and Co. would non-tender McCann, but, surprise — the catcher agreed to a one-year, $5.4 million deal, avoiding arbitration. Nevertheless, the Grandal deal would force McCann into a backseat role behind the dish for 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and McCann’s continually impressive offensive performance, he split time with Grandal and had his best season ever, hitting .289/.360/.536 with a .896 OPS.
After the 2020 season, the South Siders did not offer McCann a contract, and he became a free agent. He hit the jackpot with a four-year, $40.6 million deal with the New York Mets. Unfortunately, his time with the Metropolitans was a bust, and he could never match his White Sox success, hitting a woeful .220/.282/.328 with a .610 OPS. Disappointed with his performance and, in an effort to dump salary, New York traded McCann to the Baltimore Orioles in December 2022 for Luis De La Cruz.
McCann has become a perfect role player for the O’s, backing up Adley Rutschman. He still has yet to return to the offensive player he was in Chicago, but his leadership now has proven to be his greatest asset. Manager Brandon Hyde had this to say about McCann: “Super important to Adley, but also our whole team. He really brings a great leadership presence. He is unbelievably professional, holds guys accountable. It’s important to him. It’s important to him that we have a great environment, that we have a winning environment. He was wonderful to Adley last year, really helps during the game, helps in meetings, but also he speaks up when we have team stuff going on.”
It kind of sounds like a guy the White Sox could use in the clubhouse, huh? And McCann still occasionally flashes that power we saw when he was in the silver-and-black.
Who did you say again?
Nick Williams — OF
The Texas Rangers selected Billy Nicholas Williams out of high school in Round 2 (No. 93) of the 2012 MLB Draft. After a few years in the Rangers minor league system, they traded the outfielder with four other players to the Phillies for Jake Diekman, Cole Hamels, and cash. In 2017, Williams made his big league debut for Philadelphia and slashed an impressive .288/.338/.473 with a .811 OPS in 83 games.
Williams couldn’t duplicate the success the following season and went back and forth between the major and minor leagues until he was DFA’d by the Phillies in August 2020. The Cincinnati Reds promptly claimed him, but he elected free agency at the end of the season. In January 2021, the Sox signed him to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. After being assigned to the Alternate Training Site in Schaumburg, Chicago called him up to the majors on April 8. He played four games and didn’t get a hit in 10 at-bats. The Sox DFA’d him after that; he cleared waivers and went to play in Charlotte, never to be back in the bigs again. Nicky Dubs is currently playing for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League.
What could have been
Matt Thompson — RHP
The South Siders selected high schooler Matt Thompson in Round 2 (No. 45) of the 2019 MLB Draft. Once a top-ranked Sox prospect — No. 15 in 2023 — the 23-year-old was traded to the Chicago Cubs in February 2024 for southpaw Bailey Horn. The Cubs assigned the righty to start the season in Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs, where he was promptly rocked in his only appearance. He surrendered two runs on two hits in only 2⁄3 of an inning. The club demoted Thompson to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, where he’s been significantly better. He is 0-0 in two starts with a 1.13 ERA and 10 strikeouts over eight innings. He’s still young, especially with his age relative to the level at -1.6, and has a chance to eventually contribute to the big league pitching situation for the Cubs.