upnorthsox Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=whit...ov=st&type=lgns CHICAGO (Ticker) - The Chicago White Sox signed eight players to minor league deals Wednesday, including veteran righthander Robert Person and outfielder Marvin Benard. Also signed were righthanders Mike Jackson and Jose Santiago, lefthander Vic Darensbourg and infielders Bobby Smith, Kelly Dransfeldt and Mike Bell. All eight were invited to spring training. Person, 34, is 51-42 with a 4.64 ERA in 206 major league appearances. Always considered talented, Person has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, although he went 15-7 in 33 starts for Philadelphia in 2001. Benard, 34, spent his first nine big league seasons with San Francisco, batting .271 with 54 home runs and 260 RBI. He ranks 11th among active players with 52 pinch hits and still can provide speed in the outfield. Jackson, 39, was out of baseball last season after making 58 relief appearances with Minnesota in 2002. He is 60-67 with 142 saves and a 3.35 ERA in 960 games - all but seven out of the bullpen - over 17 major league seasons. The other five also have major league experience, most notably Smith. The 29-year-old Smith hit .276 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI as a rookie for Tampa Bay in 1998 but never developed at third base and enters the 2004 season with a .232 lifetime average. Outfielder Jeremy Reed, one of the top players in minor league baseball last season, also received an invitation to camp. Reed, 22, combined to bat .373 with 11 homers, 95 RBI and 45 stolen bases between Class A and AA last year. The White Sox invited three other non-roster players with major league experience to spring training - righthanders Carlos Castillo and Ryan Kohlmeier and lefthander Josh Stewart. White Sox pitchers and catchers report to camp February 20, five days before position players Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 Another Josh Stweart reference, I guess he may be ok now. I forgot we had Kohlmeier. Is there any realistic chance he could help the club? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I would think Kohlmeier is destined for Charlotte, he's never been consistent enough to stick in the majors. Same for Carlos Castillo. Looks like Benard will be the backup outfielder ... not a bad move. I've never heard of Bobby Smith, maybe he's who they plan on being the Charlotte 3B. Also not a bad idea to give Mike Jackson a look see. If he's healthy he'll help us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 OK ... this Bobby Smith guy: Played for the Yankees AAA team last year (Columbus). Hit .282, 40 walks, 70 strikeouts. Seemed to split his time between SS and the outfield, played more at SS. Also logged a few games at 3B and 1B. Right handed hitter. Seems like a Charlotte guy to me who can maybe be the 25th man with a good spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSteve Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 We do have a hole it would seem at 3B when Joe needs a day off. We did have Tony play some, and remember when D'Angelo Jiminez played some last year. I would kind of perfer a 3B on the bench, who could also play some other positions. Maybe Smith could be good for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 We do have a hole it would seem at 3B when Joe needs a day off. We did have Tony play some, and remember when D'Angelo Jiminez played some last year. I would kind of perfer a 3B on the bench, who could also play some other positions. Maybe Smith could be good for us. Could be. I think Ross Gload can play a little 3B also. He's a left handed stick, which may be preferable coming off the bench. It will be interesting to see who the last 1-2 guys are. I presume if Benard is healthy, he's in, even if his spring numbers are weak. He had arthro knee surgery last year so he's likely just now coming around. I talked to a Giants fan who's seen this guy play a lot in SF, he says Benard can play all 3 OF positions but is more of a corner guy. Has the speed to play CF (before knee problems?) but isn't the best at taking good routes to the ball. He said he's "adequate" in CF, and added he was well liked out there and should be a decent fit with the Sox. Sounds like a definite upgrade over Armando Rios!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostInBoston Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 How many players are invited to Spring Training in total? Is this just guys from outside the Sox farm system that were invited? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSteve Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 How many players are invited to Spring Training in total? Is this just guys from outside the Sox farm system that were invited? Go to cw's post, he has the whole list of non-rostered players who have been invited. It is just a few threads down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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