Minors report: Gonzalez competes

[ShoeLessRob]

Good read on Gio and even some Broadway in it. First article I've really read with Gonzalez being interviewed. Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders, can't wait to get him on the team eventually.

 

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When Gio Gonzalez dominated the South Atlantic League for Class A Kannapolis in 2005 and earned a promotion to Class A Winston-Salem, he found himself with a fairly well-known roommate within the organization. It was right-hander Lance Broadway, the team's top draft pick from that particular year out of Texas Christian University.

"They put me with Lance the first day I got there," said Gonzalez of the living arrangements with the Warthogs in 2005. "He's a great guy, a very nice guy.

 

"Of course, when I got traded [to the Phillies in the 2005 offseason], he stopped being my roommate," added Gonzalez with a laugh. "He got someone else to live with him."

 

Gonzalez, who won't turn 22 until Sept. 19, has returned to the White Sox from Philadelphia via the highly publicized offseason trade involving Freddy Garcia and Gavin Floyd. Broadway, 23, continues to work his way up the organization's ladder, posting a 2.74 ERA over 25 starts for Double-A Birmingham in 2006, and following up that effort with two starts for Triple-A Charlotte. That brief stint with the Knights included an 11-strikeout effort over six innings during the International League playoffs against Toledo.

 

Both hurlers are part of a young talent pool currently competing in the White Sox big-league Spring Training, a group that has supreme potential but probably needs another year or two of Minor League experience before bringing that ability to fruition at the Major League level. When pitchers such as Gonzalez, Broadway and even Heath Phillips, Adam Russell or Kyle McCulloch arrive, though, this could be a group that helps maintain fluid White Sox success for many years to come.

 

"We have a brotherly relationship, all of us," said Gonzalez of the young arms trying to impress the White Sox brass in Tucson. "We all sort of know each other, treat each other really well and take care of each other if there's any problem. We know what's going on with each other.

 

"It's a really good future with a bunch of the guys here. They are all very talented, even some of the guys working right now on the Minor League side."

 

The diminutive left-hander, who is generously listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, has been even better than advertised since his return to the White Sox following the initial two-year stint. Manager Ozzie Guillen watched Gonzalez throw two or three early bullpen side sessions and immediately remarked that Gonzalez's velocity was stronger than he anticipated.

 

When Gonzalez received the chance to pitch during Cactus League action, the southpaw has posted four scoreless innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts. Broadway hasn't been quite as sharp, issuing seven walks over 7 2/3 innings, an alarming and frustrating number for a pitcher with a fastball in the 90-mph range who relies so heavily on exact location.

 

But Broadway is learning as he goes, trying to add a two-seam fastball to his repertoire, a pitch that impressed general manager Ken Williams days after Broadway picked it up.

 

"Basically, I've learned how to throw a two-seamer, so that's a positive," said Broadway after his first Cactus League start Saturday against the A's. "That's the main thing I'm focused on.

 

"Last year, it was just to be here, see what it was about. I came into this Spring Training wanting to show people what I could do and I'm not really doing that right now."

 

This learning curve will continue for Broadway, as he will take the mound every fifth day and practice his craft in his first full season for the Knights. Gonzalez also is slated to be part of the 2007 Knights' rotation, after finishing 7-12 with a 4.66 ERA for Double-A Reading in 2006.

 

By Gonzalez's own estimation, mental adjustments have been as important this spring as his work on the mound or in the weight room. Gonzalez admitted that if he was called up to the Majors in 2006, he wouldn't have been successful because of being too hard on himself with every mistake made and having the wrong frame of mind.

 

Basically, Gonzalez came into Tucson and worked hard on a daily basis, not worried where he fit in the big picture. And there will be a definite fit for Gonzalez and Broadway in the next year or two.

 

In fact, this group of young hurlers might arrive together, although there's no guarantee they will be living in the same place like Gonzalez and Broadway did with Winston-Salem.

 

"To be honest, as soon as I came over, I didn't think about any picture I was in," Gonzalez said. "I thought, 'I'm coming back home.' I just wanted to continue where I left off here.

 

"Basically, so far, I have to crack a little bit of eggs to make the cake and work my way up there," added Gonzalez with a smile. "By the end of Spring Training, I'll probably put the icing on it. I'll just play it one game at a time and enjoy my time here."

 

Whitesox.com

Edited March 12, 2007 by TheOcho

[Heads22]

He's saying all the right stuff.