Thomas focused on team

[greasywheels121]

White Sox notes

 

Notes: Thomas focused on team

Process, not results, important for Schoeneweis

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

 

PHOENIX -- Individual goals of 40 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .300 average aren't foremost in Frank Thomas' mind for the upcoming 2004 season.

 

It's all about a division title and adding championship jewelry for the most prolific home run hitter in White Sox history. It's an attitude that manager Ozzie Guillen has watched and appreciated since Thomas' Arizona arrival in late February.

 

"Frank Thomas is the best thing to happen to us this Spring Training," Guillen said of Thomas. "He showed up with enthusiasm. He showed up without complaints. He wants to play first, and he wants to do stuff with the team.

 

"He's there on time every day. He leads the team in the dugout, and I couldn't be more pleased with what he's done so far. Mentally, he's really fresh, and we are going to make it easier for him to come here."

 

Thomas wholeheartedly believes the White Sox have what it takes to not only compete in the Central Division but also with the top teams in the American League. The core of the team has been together for a while and doesn't get intimidated by high-payroll squads full of superstars, according to Thomas.

 

There's also the addition of Guillen, who will keep the team loose and shake up the White Sox to avoid complacency. The White Sox have been favored in the Central during the past couple seasons, but Thomas believes they can sneak up on baseball in 2004.

 

It will be hard for Thomas to sneak up on anyone with a .310 career average, 418 home runs and 1,390 RBIs. But those are just numbers to the veteran, fulfillment of past potential.

 

"I'm not setting any goals this year," Thomas said. "I'm just going to give it all I got. It's just one of those years where the team goal is more important than anything.

 

"The core of this team can compete with anyone. We are going to surprise everyone and have a wonderful year, and we have a lot in this locker room to do it."

 

Reality check: Wednesday afternoon's game against Oakland provided some regular-season game situations for Thomas.

 

He found himself in "good driver's counts" at 2-0, 3-1 and another 3-1 in three of his four at-bats. Thomas also saw a wide array of pitches, which is a change from the early stages of Spring Training.

 

"You get more excited in Spring Training because you get more balls in the zone," said Thomas, who had one hit Wednesday. "When I'm swinging good, it will be more like what I saw today. More 2-0 dead fishes, changeups and things like that.

 

"They threw me all kinds of stuff today, and that's more realistic as to what the season will be like. That's when I have to take my walks."

 

Reality vs. perception: Scott Schoeneweis doesn't like getting touched up for six hits and four earned runs, as he did Wednesday while pitching four innings. But when working with only his two weakest two pitches, the immediate results don't come close to comparing to the long-term development.

 

The left-hander has been working throughout Spring Training on adding a changeup and a cutter to his pitching arsenal. He used them almost exclusively Wednesday, as he has done during his first two starts. Schoeneweis threw a changeup on a 1-2 pitch and even tossed two or three changes in a row.

 

It's certainly not a plan Schoeneweis would use during the regular season, not with a devastating sinker and an equally effective slider.

 

"Right now, I'm doing something because I know that if I do this, I will become a more complete pitcher than I've ever been in my career," Schoeneweis said. "The things I've been lacking in my career are the things that I'm working on.

 

"I'm seeing 90 percent of the time that they're working, but 10 percent of the time they're not. And that 10 percent of the time I want to get that diminished even more, but I can offset that by, in the tight situations, I'm not going to throw my fourth-best pitch."

 

Schoeneweis plans to incorporate his full range of pitches in the next couple of starts, hopefully producing fewer pitches and fewer deep counts. For now, he's sticking to a plan that could make him a viable starter in the White Sox rotation.

 

"I come off the mound and go home, and again, I'm upset with the results," Schoeneweis said. "But I'm optimistic about the majority of the good pitches I throw, and those are outweighing the bad.

 

"It's a process. When the process becomes more of a package and I put everything into play and go out and say, 'OK, I'm going to pitch this game like it's April 8 (his first regular-season start), hopefully the results will be better."

 

Minor competition: Both Dan Wright and Neal Cotts will stay on their regular turn and pitch during a White Sox minor league intrasquad game Thursday morning on one of the back fields at Tucson Electric Park. Wright appears to have an edge in claiming the rotation's final spot, with a 2.79 ERA over three appearances and three walks and five hits allowed in 9 2/3 innings.

 

But pitching coach Don Cooper said Wednesday that the final decision might not be handed down for another week to 10 days.

 

"We've all been watching," said Cooper of the importing pitching decision. "There is still evaluating going on and still a number of guys throwing the ball well."

 

A decision will be made in time to keep the fifth starter in line for his first appearance on April 11 at Yankee Stadium. It also looks as if the last spot in the rotation will get fairly regular work to start the season.

 

Come together: Guillen plans to start using the regular-season lineup every day approximately eight or nine games before the end of Cactus League action.

 

"We will be together," Guillen said. "We will travel together, and the pitchers are going to come with the team. Relievers will throw on a regular basis.

 

"During the last 1 1/2 weeks, we will start putting together the team and figure out how we will work the bullpen," Guillen added.

 

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[SoxAce]

Reality vs. perception: Scott Schoeneweis doesn't like getting touched up for six hits and four earned runs, as he did Wednesday while pitching four innings. But when working with only his two weakest two pitches, the immediate results don't come close to comparing to the long-term development. 

 

Now that's very important to know than to be so panic because of his outings show. He is working on his weakest pitches. We have to remember that.

 

A decision will be made in time to keep the fifth starter in line for his first appearance on April 11 at Yankee Stadium. It also looks as if the last spot in the rotation will get fairly regular work to start the season.

 

Now that'll be somthing if Cotts wins the 5th spot. (even though he mosty likely won't) He'll have his revenge at Yankee Stadium in his 1st app. Talk about payback if he does good!

[CSF]

That's great that they won't name the 5th starter yet. It keeps Wright, Cotts, & Rauch (I know he wasn't mentioned, but still believe he's in the hunt) on their toes and motivated to pitch every game like it's Game 7.