The White Sox have added a former first-round pick to their pitching staff. On Friday, the club announced it had claimed left-handed reliever Ryan Rolison off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
Rolison was originally selected by the Rockies with the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 Draft. The Ole Miss left-hander posted a strong 3.45 ERA over 159 innings across two seasons in Oxford, averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine.
However his MLB career got off to a rough start. Rolison made his MLB debut with the Rockieson May 13th. Across 31 games, he posted a 7.02 ERA while striking out 13% of opponents against a 10.4% walk rate in 42.1 innings.
Opponents also hit Rolison hard, producing a .324 batting average against him. However, his ability to miss bats paired with a solid 47% ground ball rate makes him an intriguing flier for a White Sox bullpen that needs more left-handers. After the season, the Braves bought his contract from the Rockies in November.
While Rolison gave up his fair share of hits, he didn’t allow a ton of hard contact. Opponents' average exit velocity off of him was just 87 mph, which would have ranked near the top of the MLB if he had enough innings to qualify.
His four-pitch repertoire features a 93 mph fastball, an 87 mph changeup, an 85 mph slider, and an 80 mph curveball. His slider stands out with exceptional vertical drop, averaging nearly 3.4 inches more than comparable pitches across the league.
However, it was his changeup that was his most effective pitch last season, despite the fact that he only threw it 23 times. It was his only pitch that had a positive run value and held opponents to a .167 batting average.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz has identified the bullpen as one of his top priorities this offseason. While Rolison’s limited major league track record isn’t especially impressive, he represents a low-risk, low-cost option for Chicago. He still has a minor league option available, giving the White Sox flexibility to start him in the minors and let him fine-tune his repertoire if he can’t secure an Opening Day spot.
If the flier pays off, the White Sox stand to benefit even more, since Rolison has four years of club control and just 2.5 years of service time.
