Rogowski not wrestling with self

[SSH2005]

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Rogowski not wrestling with self

First baseman enjoying the game, time in camp

 

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- In a very loose White Sox big league camp, the talk often turns to professional wrestling.

 

That should come as no surprise to people who know that the world champion's conditioning coordinator is Dale Torborg, known to pro wrestling fans as "The Demon." Add in the fact that catcher A.J. Pierzynski made his pro wrestling debut this offseason and it's not wonder people talk body slams almost as much as they do split-fingered fastballs.

 

White Sox first base prospect Casey Rogowski has to sit back and laugh. The 24-year-old used to be pretty good at the real version of the sport back in his high school days, a Michigan state champion in the heavyweight division.

 

"I love it," Rogowski said. "I think it's entertaining. Having a coach that does it, you realize the work these guys have to put forth to do a show and the beatings these guys take even though it's not all real.

 

"Me and The Demon, we kind of go over some stuff because I just love to wrestle, it doesn't matter to me if it's fake or not. I used to love that stuff as a kid. It still hurts and these guys do it a lot. It's fun that these guys are into some kind of wrestling."

 

Rogowski, who was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, is clearly at a stage in his career where he's just enjoying everything about the game, from clubhouse antics to spending time with established All-Stars. The 13th-round pick back in 1999 is in a place he wasn't sure he'd ever reach: on the doorstep of the big leagues.

 

It's been a slow climb for the big first baseman. He spent parts of three seasons with Winston-Salem, and becoming a Carolina League mainstay isn't anyone's objective when they become a professional. But Rogowski stuck with it, had a breakout year in 2004 (.286, 18 HR, 90 RBI, 16 SB, .401 OBP) and was added to the 40-man roster after that season. He finally earned a ticket to Double-A Birmingham and put up decent enough numbers to earn another trip to big league camp and a jump to Charlotte.

 

"Getting here, to be able to be here, is great," Rogowski said about big league camp. "You realize you're not as far away as you think you are. You're up here possibly fighting for a job, maybe being up here at some point during the season. Being in Triple-A, you're one situation away from being in the big leagues. It's amazing.

 

"But looking at these guys, especially hanging around Jim Thome and Paul Konerko, just the way they play the game, how consistent they are, you might be close, but you realize you still have a lot of work to do to be the caliber player these guys are."

 

To that end, Rogowski has spent as much time with the current White Sox first basemen to try to soak up as much information as he can. Thome and Konerko have six All-Star appearances, an ALCS MVP, a World Series ring and 640 homers between them. Rogowski, for his part, realizes this kind of opportunity doesn't come every day for a young player eager to learn.

 

"I'm just trying to learn from these guys, pick their brains, not just about they play the game, but the way they handle certain situations, the other aspects of the game," Rogowski said. "Not just the physical aspects of the game, but the mental.

 

"You can't explain it, the knowledge they can give you, just by watching them hit or by watching them play in the field. Just watching these guys, you're kind of in awe of them, just the way they play the game."

 

The key bit of advice Rogowski has gleaned so far is so simple, it may seem obvious. But for a guy who thought he'd be perpetually going to Carolina in his mind, being told by established big leaguers to have fun could be easier said than done. Rogowski knows how tough, how humbling this game can be as well as anybody. It's understandable that his first instinct may have been to go out and try really hard to make an impression, knowing that another chance at this level could be a long time in coming.

 

"That's the mentality I had, but these guys keep telling me to have fun, not to worry, just to play the game the way you play the game, and let the chips fall where they may," said Rogowski, who's 1-for-14 spring may show an inclination to pressing. "If you don't worry about it, good things will happen.

 

"The more you worry about it, then when it's over and you're back in the Minors, they'll say, 'What did you accomplish? You tried too hard and made yourself look worse than you were.' If you have fun, you're going to look like you're having fun on the field and you'll play well."

 

Rogowski probably learned more about playing the game with passion over the offseason than he has in his six-plus years in the Minor Leagues. He had the opportunity to play for Azucareros in the Dominican Republic's Winter League. Not only did he more than hold his own, hitting .282 and finishing fifth in the league with 29 RBIs, his stay there made him realize that perhaps he does belong and re-ignited his desire to play the game.

 

"You have veteran guys, you have guys with unbelievable talent who have played in the big leagues," Rogowski said. "Playing against those guys, knowing you can hit that pitching, then coming here it gives you confidence.

 

"Culture-wise, it's different. They take baseball to another level. It's life for them. A lot of guys over here, it gets to be a job for some of these guys. The love is just different. I love playing baseball, but then I went over there and saw the way they love to play baseball and it reinstilled the love for me to play the game and be excited, and not worry about, 'I have to be here now, I have to do this.' There's so much worry over here about moving up. There, they just play, have a good time and play hard. The fans, they love just watching the game. It's awesome. They may not have much down there, but the way they love baseball, you can't even explain it."