White Sox select left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon with their first pick of the 2014 MLB Draft

CHICAGO - The Chicago White Sox selected left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon (row-DON) from North Carolina State University with their first pick (third overall) in tonight's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. 

Rodon, a 21-year-old junior, entered the draft as Baseball America's No.1 college prospect and the No. 3 prospect overall. MLB.com rated Rodon as the No. 2 overall prospect in their pre-draft rankings.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Rodon was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team this season after going 6-7 with a 2.01 ERA (22 ER/98.2 IP), three complete games, 117 strikeouts and a .229 opponents average over 14 starts with the Wolfpack. He ranked among Division I leaders in strikeouts (ninth) and strikeouts per 9.0 IP (10th, 10.67). Rodon has gone 25-10 with a 2.24 ERA (86 ER/345.2 IP), eight complete games, 436 strikeouts and a .201 opponent average over his three-year career at N.C. State.

Rodon's 436 career strikeouts are a school record and make him just the fourth pitcher in ACC history to record 400 career strikeouts. A finalist for the 2014 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (also 2012-13), the left-hander is a two-time selection to USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. He tossed 6.2 scoreless IP and allowed just two hits with 11 strikeouts in a win over Cuba in last year's World Cup tournament.

Following his sophomore season in 2013, Rodon was honored as the USA Baseball Player of the Year and was named a Second Team All-American by Louisville Slugger. He was selected as the ACC Freshman of the Year, Louisville Slugger National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American in 2012. He tied for third nationally in strikeouts (135) and ranked fourth in ERA (1.57).

Rodon, a product of Holly Springs (N.C.) High School, is the highest draft pick by Chicago since the team selected outfielder Harold Baines with the No. 1 overall pick in 1977.

Rodon joins infielder Tim Anderson (2013, 17th overall), outfielder Courtney Hawkins (2012, 13th) and left-handed pitcher Chris Sale (2010, 13th) as the White Sox most recent first-round selections. The last player to be selected by Chicago in the Top 10 was infielder Gordon Beckham in 2008 (eighth).

Rodon was recommended by White Sox scout Abe Fernandez.