Sox Pitching News

[Gregory Pratt]

Mark Buehrle's reality is that he will likely be wearing a different uniform at this time next season.

Until then, the White Sox are hoping that the free agent-to-be pitches like the team ace he was for five of the last six seasons.

 

He just won't get that opportunity on Opening Day.

 

Not only will Buehrle's streak of five consecutive Opening Day starts end on April 2 when the Sox host Cleveland, but as it sits right now he has slipped to the No. 3 spot in the starting rotation.

 

''Ozzie gave this to me a while ago,'' pitching coach Don Cooper said of the rotation order Tuesday. ''I have everything mapped out, working backward from the regular season to spring training and as it stands right now it's Jose Contreras, Jon Garland, Buehrle, Javier Vazquez and then whoever steps up and grabs that No. 5 spot.''

 

Cooper was adamant that Buehrle and Garland could be flip-flopped if need be, but Guillen wanted to reward Contreras and Garland for what they've accomplished since the second half of the 2005 season.

 

It doesn't help Buehrle's case that he is coming off his first losing season. He was 12-13 with a 4.99 ERA in 2006.

 

''We feel good about any one of those four going out there on Opening Day,'' Cooper said. ''But look at Jose the last few years. There's definitely a strong argument for him. Hey, then you look at Garland, an 18-game winner two straight years. It could easily be his time for an Opening Day start.

 

''I think Ozzie felt that it was time to give Contreras that honor. For services rendered he deserves that reward.''

 

Contreras went 13-9 with a 4.27 ERA last year, but was 9-0 with a 3.38 ERA before the All-Star break. He struggled with hamstring and back problems in the second half, finishing the year with a dismal 4-9 record and 5.40 ERA.

 

And it's those injuries that have the Sox and Contreras a bit concerned.

 

''The big concern last year was my back,'' Contreras said through translator Ozzie Guillen Jr. ''Whether or not that caused the hamstring problems, I don't know, but the back definitely slowed me down.''

 

So Cooper, along with director of conditioning Allen Thomas, are looking to add by subtraction to Contreras' rigorous regular-season workout program.

 

''We constantly examine what everyone is doing,'' Cooper said. ''For example, I spoke to Buehrle about the time it is in his career and what he might need to do or need not to do. Everyone still has to pay a price, but you have to watch that.

 

''Contreras is a workaholic. Buehrle, he works, but he may have to change things. We want to make sure these guys can go to the post for 35 starts. It's a man's workload, for sure. Contreras has a program that is a strenuous one. What we've talked to him about, and Allen Thomas has talked to him about, is maybe he has to watch what he's doing.''

 

Easier said than done, however.

 

''You know what? It's going to be hard for me to change the routine that I have done for most of my life,'' Contreras said. ''I do it every day and that's what has worked.''

 

Cooper, however, plans to have that discussion with Contreras again this week when catchers and pitchers report on Saturday.

 

''Plus, Jose might be 50 or 60 years old, and that stuff might not be good for him anymore,'' Cooper joked. ''We don't know how old he is.''

 

Then there's this:

 

The changes will extend beyond the new faces arriving at Tucson Electric Park when the White Sox's pitchers and catchers open spring training Saturday in Arizona.

 

There will be competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, which was secure until Freddy Garcia and Brandon McCarthy were traded to stock up on young pitching prospects.

 

The "Gong Show"-like audition of left-handed relievers has been replaced by a competition among power arms hoping to shore up a weakness that was evident as early as last March.

 

Youngsters such as Josh Fields, Ryan Sweeney and Jerry Owens will receive more opportunities for playing time in the outfield, while 24-year-old Brian Anderson no longer is assured of the starting spot he earned last spring before struggling through the regular season.

 

Scott Podsednik's latest injury setback has lengthened the list of candidates for the leadoff spot until he returns.

 

And the addition of catcher Toby Hall gives manager Ozzie Guillen more flexibility to experiment with different lineups, which may be necessary in American League Central play against left-handed pitchers such as Minnesota's Johan Santana, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee and Detroit's Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson.

 

Thus it's all business this spring for the Sox organization, which realizes that dust has settled on its 2005 World Series trophy because of shortcomings they will address this spring.

 

"Everything is under review," general manager Ken Williams said last month. "The goal is much greater than what happened two years ago. I want to sustain a successful run."

 

After talking to several players during SoxFest last month, Williams sensed his group was embarrassed by "how could we not get to where we wanted to last year."

 

"They were a little anxious as well," he said

 

Utility player Rob Mackowiak, a newcomer in 2006, was particularly disappointed by the team's failure to repeat.

 

"I know you go home in the off-season and sit back and think of things you need to improve on and why you didn't do well in center field or whatever," he said. "I'm sure other guys do it. You work harder at getting better and do the things right that we did wrong."

 

Deeper, wiser—but not faster

 

But no one seemed as eager to address 2007 as Williams, Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper. As early as last June, Williams sent several of his professional scouts to watch young pitchers in pitching-deep organizations.

 

Those missions eventually brought the Sox projected No. 5 starter Gavin Floyd from Philadelphia, potential middle reliever Nick Masset from Texas, 6-foot-10-inch left-hander Andrew Sisco from Kansas City and potential starters for 2008 in left-hander Gio Gonzalez from Philadelphia and lefty John Danks from Texas.

 

And after watching the top and bottom of his batting order struggle, Guillen said in the final days of the 2006 season that he wanted a faster team that reached base more frequently.

 

The Sox didn't get faster, but Guillen believes his hitters will be wiser and more productive thanks to preworkout and pregame sessions stressing bunting and hit-and-run situations, as well as baserunning.

 

The only players exempt from the "small-ball" drills are power hitters Paul Konerko, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye.

 

"Last year I was the only manager to make his ballclub practice bunting and hit-and-run every day for a week," Guillen said of the remedial work during the regular season. "That's embarrassing for a big-league club, [but] players weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing from the beginning. They were wasting my time, wasting my energy. We were pathetic, very bad. And I take the blame."

 

Piecing puzzle together

 

Before embarking on a working vacation last month in Grand Cayman, Cooper gathered more information on his newest pitchers from various major-league sources and set up their spring pitching schedules.

 

In an effort to eliminate distractions, Williams said he wouldn't publicly address the contract status of Dye, a free agent after 2007. Williams also apologized to popular left-hander Mark Buehrle after Buehrle said he wanted to stay but might be gone after this season. His feeling was based on comments Williams made regarding his preference for young pitching instead of overpaying free agents, including his own.

 

Nevertheless, most of the scrutiny this spring will fall on the fifth starter, the final two bullpen spots on what could be a 12-man staff and whether Darin Erstad, Pablo Ozuna or Tadahito Iguchi can handle leadoff duties capably until Podsednik returns to full health.

 

The Sox have insurance in dependable switch-hitter Alex Cintron, Arizona's starting shortstop in 2003-04, if Juan Uribe's legal troubles continue in the Dominican Republic.

 

The final pieces of the Sox's Opening Day roster, however, could hinge on Podsednik's health and left-handed relief candidate Boone Logan.

 

If Podsednik recovers from his sports hernia by late March, that would leave one position spot open for Anderson, Sweeney, Fields and perhaps Owens.

 

The Sox don't want to stunt the growth of their youngsters by using them only in spot duty, so the winner would have to be assured substantial playing time.

 

Guillen has said he prefers a 12-man staff with three left-handed relievers to combat the likes of Minnesota's Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, Cleveland's Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, David Dellucci and Trot Nixon and Detroit's Curtis Granderson and Sean Casey.

 

But Logan, who rose from Class A ball to make the Opening Day roster last March, will have to improve dramatically on an 8.31 ERA in 21 major-league appearances. Worse, left-handed batters hit .357 against him with six walks.

 

Furthermore, Guillen prefers a reliever who can pitch an entire inning, preferably a scoreless one. Too often he found himself burning up his bullpen early last season because of ineffectiveness.

 

"Our philosophy, with the quality we have now, is that whoever comes in and starts the inning should finish the inning," Guillen said.

 

Well-armed for future

 

The Sox appear to be leaning toward Floyd, 24, as their fifth starter. His 24 major-league starts give him the most major-league experience among the candidates, and he impressed Williams with his repertoire during the Arizona Fall League, where opponents batted .233 against him.

 

They also see Masset landing a spot in the bullpen, with David Aardsma, knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, Sean Tracey and Logan competing for the final two spots if they carry 12 men.

 

But if Floyd suffers a setback, the development of non-roster invitees Gonzalez, 21, Danks, 21, and Lance Broadway, 23, could be accelerated. It will be tough to judge Haeger because of the difficulty of throwing a knuckleball in Arizona, but Haeger's versatility helps his chances.

 

Because there is plenty of competition and only backup Luis Terrero is out of options, the projected shape of the Opening Day roster could change frequently during spring training.

 

Williams hopes his moves can offset the impending free agency of Buehrle after 2007 and Javier Vazquez and Jon Garland after 2008.

 

"Where we were headed pitching-wise, if we didn't address that, we'd be a 90-loss team sooner rather than later," Williams said.

[Flash Tizzle]

"Where we were headed pitching-wise, if we didn't address that, we'd be a 90-loss team sooner rather than later," Williams said.

Of course, because when Williams peered down into his minor league system, all he could see was Lance Broadway and Charlie Haeger competing for future rotation spots. Atleast within the next several seasons.

 

I'd like to believe from quotes given this offseason by Williams, he's placing some people on notice. Here, he's basically saying, "I had to go out and trade for young pitching because there's no one within our organizaiton capable of replacing these starters."

Edited February 15, 2007 by Flash Tizzle