Feb. 26--GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Top prospects Kris Bryant and Carlos Rodon are in the same boat on opposite sides of the valley.
One of the biggest questions facing the Cubs in Mesa this spring is whether Bryant will get a chance to start the season at third at Wrigley Field, while the White Sox are pondering whether the young left-hander should start the season in the rotation, the bullpen or the minors.
The wild card in all of this is their agent Scott Boras, whose reputation for taking his players to the free-agent market forces Cubs president Theo Epstein and Sox general manager Rick Hahn to think twice before starting their major league clock early.
Business-wise, it makes more sense to start Bryant at Triple-A Iowa and Rodon at Triple-A Charlotte. But since both teams are talking playoffs, they might want to give their potential rookie of the year candidates a shot right off the bat.
The 23-year-old Bryant, the Minor League Player of the Year in 2014, is rated No. 1 on Baseball America's list of the Top 100 prospects, while Rodon, 22, is ranked 15th. Obviously, neither Epstein nor Hahn is showing his cards, but both players will get an opportunity to prove they belong in Cactus League play.
"Kris would be a nice long-term solution," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "Is he ready right now? I don't know. I've never seen the guy on the field. There's other really good candidates who can play there, probably not to the level he can.
"At the conclusion of this camp, what's the right thing to do then? That's what we have to decide."
Bryant is saying all the right things about waiting for his chance. He's basically following in the footsteps of Anthony Rizzo, who was probably ready to start the 2012 season with the Cubs but didn't get called up until June 26.
Now Rizzo is helping to mentor Bryant.
"Three years ago I was in his shoes with everything that's going to go on with the stuff that's going to be written about him, whether he makes the team or not," Rizzo said. "Just tunnel-vision, and play baseball."
Unlike the more polished Bryant, Rodon, the third pick of last year's draft, has only nine games of minor league experience, including only six starts. But he went from Class-A to Triple-A in weeks, an accelerated pace that suggests he's ready
"I like it," Rodon said. "Just brief little stops everywhere. It's kind of fun. I got to experience (Winston-Salem) and came down here to (Glendale) in the summer. It was blazing hot, but it was fun. Got to meet some of the younger guys that were drafted with me, and then went up to Triple-A, a beautiful town in Charlotte. So it's been fun making these little pit stops and being able to play at different levels. It's always good when you move fast."
Rodon will be used as a starter in spring training, but the Sox brought Mark Buehrle and Chris Sale up as relievers to get their feet wet, and could do likewise with the new kid. That's fine with him, though he admits to having little experience in the pen.
"Actually, my first appearance anywhere in college (at North Carolina State) was a relief appearance, and that was the only time I got to relieve," he said. "I'm up for anything."
Obviously that route worked fine for Sale, who is available for counseling. But Rodon said he hasn't spoken to Sale about his quick ascension to the majors.
"No, I don't talk much," he said with a grin.
At 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, Rodon has the size, repertoire and talent to make the jump. Sox starter Jeff Samardzija said he didn't even have to see Rodon throw to come to the conclusion he'll succeed in the majors.
"I look at their bodies," Samardzija said. "I'm a cattle herder. I'm old school. I see how he is built -- his chest, his legs -- he's built together nice. If you look at big-league pitchers that are throwing 200-220 innings, there's a reason they're doing it. And you look at (Tim) Lincecum, he's one of the few guys with a small stature that went out and threw that much. If you're not 6-foot, good luck."
Samardzija started out his minor league career in 2006 as a starter before being called up to the Cubs in '08 to pitch out of the bullpen.The Cubs continued to start him in the minors, then he came up for good in 2011 and made 75 relief appearances.
Samardzija wasn't sure where he would wind up, before finally asking Epstein for a shot at starting when Epstein took over after the 2011 season. He thinks Rodon will be fine as long as the Sox are honest with him.
"Just be vocal with the guy," Samardijza said. "Let him know what your plan is. If you plan on him starting in Triple-A and being a reliever in the big leagues, let him know that so he can prepare and mentally know what adjustments he needs when he goes to the bullpen.
"You have less time to prep and you probably don't need to throw all four of five pitches. As long as he has an idea of what he's getting himself into, and it's not just the day of (pitching) and 'Oh, hey, we're putting you in the bullpen.' That's tough, especially on a young kid that doesn't have any reps in the big leagues."
Samardzija said bouncing back and forth hindered his growth for a year or two, but the struggles helped him become the pitcher he is today.
"If I had stayed in Triple-A and just been a starter and thrown 150-160 innings, I think I would've learned a little quicker," he said. "But the other aspect to consider is the needs of the team. In '08 we were in a playoff hunt and (manager Lou Piniella) thought he needed another power arm out of the pen. That's what you get -- ready or not. You need to be ready. You kind of put away your own personal needs and put the team first and figure it out.
"I don't think I would've made a lot of adjustments that I did if it hadn't been for those '09 and '10 struggles where I was sent to Triple-A to figure out what I needed to do to get better. So it can be a good thing."
Samardzija and Rizzo both managed to get over some bumps in the road, leading to All-Star berths in 2014.
Rodon and Bryant will watch and learn this spring, knowing that sooner or later, their day will come.
psullivan@tribpub.com
