White Sox aim to improve lower levels

Team: Chicago White Sox
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Date: March 6, 2007

Burning Question

Can the White Sox put together a solid season at their Class A and Class A Short-Season affiliates?

Farm directors, general managers, scouting directors and other front-office types are always quick to spit out the expected answer when it comes to winning and losing in the Minor Leagues. While winning as a team is nice, it's the development of the player that truly matters. It's a time-tested answer, almost boring.

So it was refreshing to hear Alan Regier, Chicago's director of player development, emphasize that the burning question for him regarding his club's farm system this season was whether they would be able to put a few more notches in the win column at the lower levels. While Double-A Birmingham finished 22 games under .500, Regier wasn't as concerned about the Barons as he was about Kannapolis, Great Falls and Bristol.

The lower three rungs on Chicago's organizational ladder combined to go 92 games under .500 with, Kannapolis bringing up the rear in the South Atlantic League, finishing an astonishing 52 games under .500. Great Falls (Pioneer League) and Bristol (Appalachian) were each 20 games under .500.

"We going to be solid at Triple-A Charlotte, Double-A Birmingham and Class A Advanced Winston-Salem," Regier said. "But can we improve Kannapolis, Great Falls and Bristol. It's true to a certain extent [about the importance of wins and losses], but if you look at the numbers for those clubs last year there's a difference between development and learning how to win. We're a developmental organization philosophically, no doubt. But we also need to learn how to win.

"We have good pitching depth but we need to catch the ball better and have a better situational record. A lot of the guys need to earn their promotions, so we hope to do a better job of teaching. We've gone out and acquired some players from independent leagues [e.g. SS CJ Lang out of Reno and C Jeremy Frost from the Atlantic League], and we hired Chris Jones as the manager in Kannapolis. He was a manager in the North Atlantic League."

Other News of the Day

Lance Broadway, a 2005 first-round draft pick, has been working on incorporating a sinker into his repertoire this spring with mixed results. He's been having trouble keeping it in the strike zone consistently and that's been a source of frustration. Under different circumstances, he'd probably throw the pitch over and over again in game situations. But since he's trying to make the big-league club, that's not really an option. "It's kind of a double-edged sword," he said. "A guy like [Mark] Buehrle can afford to throw it every pitch, but I'm a guy without a spot. I have to show them what I can do and they have to see that I can pitch." Broadway is expected to begin the season in Triple-A Charlotte. ... RHP Lucas Harrell, a 2004 fourth-rounder, is in camp and rehabbing after getting his shoulder surgically "cleaned up" in the fall. He's expected to head to Great Falls in the Pioneer League in June after going 7-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 17 starts at Winston-Salem last year. He made three starts for Double-A Birmingham but was ineffective. "He's one of the best arms in the organization," Regier said. "His surgery was nothing major, though." ... C Cole Armstrong and RHP Brian Omogrosso each came to camp between 15 and 25 pounds lighter than last year, a fact that Regier said was impressive. ... 3B Josh Fields will be seen working from time to time with roving outfield instructor Daryl Brown, but there's no position switch in the works just yet. The club still views him as a third baseman.

Five Questions with Josh Fields

MiLB.com: Who is the one person in history you'd like to have dinner with and why?

JF: Jesus. I've had to deal with a lot of adversity in sports. But that's nothing compared to the stuff he went through and for him to remain faithful was hard to do. I really respect that and would like to know how he did it.

MiLB.com: It would surprise people to know what about you?

JF: You don't know it by looking at me, but I'm a dork, just a regular dork. Everyone has a little dork in them. I pride myself on not trying to be a cool guy. I like the dork side of myself, staying home and playing PlayStation.

MiLB.com: Who is the most unusual character you've come across in the Minor Leagues?

JF: Casey Rogowski. He's been one of my good friends ever since we were drafted. He's a good person to talk to. If you have a bad game, he'll make you laugh. He's a big guy [6-foot-2, 234 pounds], but when he looks at you a certain way you start laughing.

MiLB.com: Of what accomplishment are you most proud?

JF: My recent marriage to my wife, Ashleigh. We were married on Dec. 17 and it's one of the coolest things a person can go through. Mine was awesome and we had a great time. Being part of a family and having that support is awesome.

MiLB.com: The original question was Ginger or Maryanne? But since Fields didn't understand the Gilligan's Island reference -- he is only 24 -- the query was updated to a more contemporary version -- Rachel or Monica?

JF: Oh Monica, definitely. She's a little sassier and has a little more of an attitude. I know most people will disagree but I like to go out on my own. That's what makes her hot in certain ways is her attitude.

Lasting Impression

Long and lanky first baseman Chris Carter showed his awesome power potential during batting practice Tuesday morning, sending one offering the other way, deep over the right-center-field fence on one of the back fields at the White Sox complex. The shot was a perfect example of why Chicago is so high on the 20-year-old. But when watching him take batting practice, it was clear that some indecision was there at times and that's what the Sox are hoping to eliminate this year at Kannapolis.

Carter started last year in the South Atlantic League and hit .130 in 13 games with a homer and five RBIs. He was dispatched to extended Spring Training before joining Great Falls, where he hit .299 with 15 homers and 59 RBIs in 69 games. The former third baseman struck out 87 times in 297 at-bats, which obviously remains a problem.

"He's a big kid with tremendous power and he has his moments," Regier said. "But he strikes out a lot too, and we're working with him in that regard. But it's a lot easier to tame a mustang than it is to get a plow horse to go for you. He had a good instructional league, though, and he's got raw power. He just has to learn to make adjustments."

Off the Beaten Path

Sit in the stands at Tucson Electric Park long enough watching the skies and you're sure to see several fighters from nearby Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Flyovers are common and the roar from the fighters is pretty cool. You can also check out the Pima Air and Space Museum and walk aboard the jet that served as Air Force One for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. A few miles south of town is the Titan Missile Museum, where a guided tour of an ICBM silo is available.

Parting Shots

In talking to several people with and around the club, there is a strong feeling that everyone wants to rededicate themselves to making the lower Minor Leagues a more productive collective. The Sox have some fabulous pitching down below and have developed that pitching at the expense of the position players. The organizational philosophy is now one that will focus on rectifying that problem. It will be interesting to see how quickly such a renaissance can take place.