Sox happy with prospects play in AFL

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From Whitesox.com:

 

Prospects close out AFL experience

Club happy with accomplishments of star pupils

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

 

 

Pedro Lopez is expected to start 2005 at Double-A Birmingham. (Chris Shuttlesworth/MLB.com)

 

 

 

CHICAGO -- Analysis of the White Sox's play in the Arizona Fall League usually begins with Brian Anderson.

The team assigned five other players to the Mesa Solar Sox, along with the talented young outfielder. But with the 22-year-old first-round pick from the 2003 First-Year Player Draft perceived to be no more than one year away from his Major League debut, interest in his efforts sits rightfully high.

 

A simple check of Anderson's numbers might suggest a slight cause for concern. The right-handed hitter, who resides in Tucson and basically was playing at home, posted a .233 average with three home runs and 13 RBIs. He struck out 21 times in 90 at-bats, drew 14 walks and swiped five bases.

 

Those numbers pale in comparison to his combined 2004 production at both Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham during the '04 regular season, when Anderson hit .298 with 12 home runs, 73 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Dave Wilder, the team's director of player development, claims there is absolutely no cause for concern in regard to the team's most advanced outfield prospect.

 

"Anderson's average is not a real [.233]," Wilder said, after watching Anderson play in one of his final AFL contests. "It's a little different in the Fall League. You don't play every day, and you don't get a rhythm.

 

"We just wanted him to play," added Wilder. "It would have been great if he tore up the league, but the more experience he gets, the better he understands every avenue of the big-league game."

 

Wilder also mentioned that Anderson battled a sore right wrist early on in Arizona, a function of the surgery he had two seasons ago. The White Sox thought the wrist had been re-injured, but that residual pain simply was part of the continual move toward 100 percent health.

 

After playing through his first official Spring Training invite in February, Anderson figures to start 2005 at Triple-A Charlotte. Anderson will tell the White Sox when he's ready for the Major Leagues, and he won't exactly convey that message through words. But Wilder claims there will be no rush to show off Anderson on the South Side.

 

"We won't bring up guys who aren't 100 percent ready to play," Wilder said. "That means hitting, running and defensively. Hopefully, we won't need him when the team breaks, he can get as much experience as possible and Brian will be ready to play regularly by 2006.

 

"There are guys with great talent who come to the big leagues, but they lack in some areas because of a lack of experience. They don't bunt in high school or college, don't hit and run or go from first to third and take the extra bases. We want to give these players every chance to develop."

 

Wilder seemed pleased with all six White Sox players who suited up for Mesa, although the team finished below .500 and didn't qualify for the championship game. The quintet of infielder Pedro Lopez, outfielder Casey Rogowski and pitchers Jeff Bajenaru, Matt Smith and Denis Ulacia all showed improvement.

 

Lopez, who won't turn 21 until the end of April, could play in the big leagues right now solely because of his defense, according to Wilder. That high opinion is shared by general manager Ken Williams, who pointed to Lopez as one of the reasons that not signing free agent shortstop Omar Vizquel wasn't devastating.

 

The native of the Dominican Republic also was one of the six finalists for the MLB.com Dernell Stenson AFL Sportsmanship Award, named for the Reds' prospect who was murdered last November during the AFL season. Lopez played with Winston-Salem during the 2004 regular season, and will start 2005 at no lower than Birmingham.

 

"He's the best shortstop down here, in my opinion," said Wilder of Lopez. "He's also a great kid. It's just a matter of gaining more experience and maturity to handle the big leagues when the team comes calling."

 

Rogowski, 23, is in the same basic position as Lopez, with a certain shot to start next season with the Barons after another stellar campaign with the Warthogs. His AFL action featured him solely in the outfield, giving his resume a little versatility from previous days as a stellar first baseman.

 

Hitting coach Greg Walker was impressed with the little he watched of Rogowski and plans to bring him into Chicago during the offseason to refine some hitting skills with other minor league prospects. As a 13th-round draft pick, now two years removed from a torn right labrum, Rogowski told MLB.com that it was important to impress the White Sox brass without the presence of a high draft pick pedigree coming in.

 

"It's a showcase to prove what you are made of and prove I can play at this level," said Rogowski of the AFL, where he hit .292 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 27 games. "I believe that I made the best of the situation."

 

"Casey has battled his way up and become more comfortable with the finesse part of hitting," Wilder added. "We are going to look at a No. 1 pick and give him every opportunity to make it, but guys who can play the game will be looked at the same way. When it's all said and done, we are looking for the best players to help the White Sox."

 

Bajenaru, one of 27 players in the AFL with previous Major League experience, had a strong finish and struck out 23 in 18 1/3 innings over 14 games. Ulacia needed innings, according to Wilder, and finished amongst the league leaders with 33 2/3 in nine games and eight starts.

 

Smith, 26, continued to prove he has Major League talent after six minor league seasons. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound right-hander from Godfrey, Ill., finished with a 3.06 ERA in 16 games.

 

"This kid has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues," Wilder said of Smith, who throws in the low- to mid-90s. "How he does could depend on what role he has."

 

Wilder was equally impressed by the White Sox farmhands who took part in the instructional league in Arizona prior to the start of the AFL. When asked to name a few players who stood out, Wilder pointed to outfielder Chris Young's tremendous power and third baseman Antoin Gray's continued hitting prowess.

 

But Wilder believes it was hard to single out any specific kid or two after such a strong few months. Even with the flurry of Major League trades that sent away 12 minor leaguers over the past couple of years, the White Sox system still appears to be stocked.

 

"During the instructional league, we heard other organizations commenting on how our kids prepared themselves and how hard they played as a team," Wilder said. "They far exceeded our expectations."

 

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