SAL notes: Zangari comes out swinging

Corey Zangari created quite a stir in the summer before his senior year at Albert High School in Oklahoma City. Upon taking the mound during an Area Code Games tryout, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound right-hander lit up the scouts' radar guns by touching 97 mph. He proceeded to sit in the low-to-mid 90s, which had numerous Major League teams as well as Zangari believing his future would be on the bump.

That scenario, however, didn't unfold. Poor mechanics, which included an inability to consistently repeat his delivery, led to a lack of control. As a result, Zangari spent most of his senior year in the field instead of on the mound while helping lead Albert High to its third straight Oklahoma state 5-A state championship.

"I was starting to throw the ball pretty hard and started getting looked at a lot as a pitcher after my junior year," he said. "I'd have my off and on days, but I thought I might pitch one day. All of a sudden, my senior year I threw one time. My agent was pushing me as a pitcher, but when it all came down to it, I knew I was going to hit."

Zangari committed to Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys wanted him to focus on pitching while saying there might be an opportunity to serve as a designated hitter on occasion. Meanwhile, scouts who projected him as a possible first- or second-round pick as a pitcher still liked his power potential at the plate. No team was more enthralled than the White Sox, who made Zangari their first position player taken in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft by selecting him in the sixth round and signing him to an above-slot bonus of $510,000.

After going hitless in his first two games in the Arizona League, Zangari lived up to the White Sox's expectations by ranking fourth on the circuit with six home runs and seventh with a .323 batting average before playing his final six games of the campaign in the Pioneer League. Promoted to Class A Kannapolis to open the 2016 slate, the right-handed-hitting first baseman continues to demonstrate his prodigious power, tying for second in the South Atlantic League with eight home runs, one behind the leader, Jose Pujols of Lakewood. Entering Wednesday, his 63 total bases and 24 RBIs also paced the Intimidators.

"It's a big step," said Zangari, who is the White Sox's No. 10 prospect. "In high school, I'd see a guy once and they'd challenge me by throwing me a fastball. Now I'm seeing some guys more than once and it's definitely more of a challenge. We're seeing a Friday night Big 12 starter every day. It's tough, but you have to have fun and not get down on yourself. I'm focusing now on trying to stay positive. If I strike out or hit the ball well, I'm trying to stay level."

Zangari admits that staying on an even keel can be challenging. Through his first 174 at-bats, he posted a .178 batting average that included a SAL-high 78 strikeouts. Despite his tremendous bat speed, Zangari tends to swing with an uppercut in an effort to do too much. His manager, Cole Armstrong, says making the necessary adjustments while playing under control are parts of the game Zangari as well as every other player in the SAL are learning while discovering how to overcome failure early in their careers.

"I realize you have to stay level-headed, and if you have a bad day, you have to get over it," said Zangari, who turned 19 on May 7. "You have to take everything day by day and not worry about the past or the days to come. The key is to grind it out and be consistent. It's a long season and a grind, but I love it. I definitely made the right decision [by signing]."

In brief

Fuentes en fuego: Asheville's Josh Fuentes, the reigning SAL Player of the Week, continued his torrid ways at the plate on Tuesday in a 17-7 victory over Greenville. Fuentes became the first Tourists player this season to record five hits in a game when he went 5-for-5 with three doubles, four runs scored and four RBIs. In his last nine games entering Wednesday, Fuentes was 21-for-34 (.618) with nine RBIs.

Longing for lefties: Delmarva catcher/designated hitter Yermin Mercedes is faring well this season against all pitching, but he is feasting on southpaws. Entering Wednesday, the 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic was hitting .465/.500/.860 with eight doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 43 at-bats versus southpaws. Overall, the right-handed hitter entered Wednesday ranked second in the SAL with a .357 batting average, third with 82 total bases and a .573 slugging percentage, and fifth with 51 hits.

Conlon cruising: P.J. Conlon won his seventh straight start in a victory over Augusta on May 23 when he allowed one earned run and six hits over 7 2/3 innings. The left-hander is the only Minor League hurler to win seven consecutive starts this season; his streak is topped only by White Sox starter Chris Sale, who won nine before losing on Tuesday. Conlon leads the SAL with seven victories and ranks second with a 1.06 ERA.