Thome open to return to White Sox

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

11/20/09 4:51 AM EST

CHICAGO -- If White Sox fans made the judgment regarding Jim Thome's immediate baseball future, then the prolific slugger would be chasing 600 career home runs at U.S. Cellular Field in 2010.

That judgment came from a sample size of South Side fandom in attendance Thursday night at the Champions for Children's charity event hosted by Kerry and Sarah Wood at the Palmer House Hilton. With each autograph signed by Thome, the individual recipient offered up some words of encouragement ranging from 'We want you back next year' to 'You belong in Chicago.'

Thome simply smiled and thanked the fans, primarily offering up a 'We'll see' in response. It was the same sort of response Thome presented when briefly questioned by the media in attendance.

"Obviously, it's real early in the stage of all this," said Thome, who was joined by his wife, Andrea, in downtown Chicago on Thursday. "It's new for me. I haven't been through too many of them. We will see what happens as we go on."

The last foray into free agency for Thome came prior to the 2003 campaign, when Thome moved from making history as part of the vaunted Cleveland franchise in the American League to launching home runs off of National League hurlers for Philadelphia. That contractual agreement stood at six years, $85 million, with a $13 million option for 2009.

Of course, that contract finished out through parts of four seasons with the White Sox and a little more than one month with the Dodgers in 2009. Thome was moved by White Sox general manager Ken Williams to Los Angeles at the start of September in an attempt to put the 39-year-old in a better position to capture that elusive first World Series title.

Everything from the suddenness of the deal to his limited role as an NL pinch-hitter was part of a late-career learning experience for the owner of 564 home runs.

"To be honest, it was a little crazy," said Thome, who was informed of the deal after a White Sox loss at the Metrodome on Aug. 31. "I had 45 minutes to an hour to decide.

"You are with a group of guys you love. One of the toughest things about baseball is you have to make these sorts of decisions but you want to get input from everyone. And my teammates were great. Paulie and A.J. and Jermaine and Buehrle, they were all great. They were like, 'Look, go try to win a championship,' and it really was a good experience.

"Getting to meet (Dodgers manager Joe) Torre," Thome said. "Pinch-hitting was a challenge in regard to something in my career where I had to work and learn a new thing."

Those final Dodgers numbers came out to four hits and three RBIs in 17 at-bats for Thome, who added one hit in three at-bats, a walk and a hit by pitch during the postseason. The Phillies eliminated Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series, but it was a good move for Thome in more ways than the obvious thrill of playoff baseball.

"You know what, I was telling my agent the other day how good I felt," Thome said. "Going to Los Angeles, maybe it helped me heal a few things at the end of the year."

Pat Rooney, Thome's agent, also was in attendance at Thursday's charity event for Children's Memorial Hospital and talked about the right fit being an important factor for Thome in choosing his next team. At 39, Thome might not get more than a one-year deal and his base salary certainly will be below last year's $13 million.

Yet, there are plenty of American League teams who need a designated hitter with a .249 average, 23 home runs and 77 RBIs, as Thome put up in 2009. Tampa Bay, Seattle, Detroit and Minnesota could be among them.

Playing in Chicago also would seem to be a natural fit, with the White Sox looking for another left-handed bat for their lineup. And the loyal fans aren't the only ones who hope for Thome's return.

"Everybody knows how about I feel about Jim," White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said. "I'm very fortunate to have been around him and I hate to even use the word coach because you don't coach Jim Thome. You hang out with him. He's that good.

"I don't get involved in the money part. I'm going to let [general manager] Kenny [Williams] and [White Sox chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] work it out. If it's my preference, he'll be back. But we will wait and see and let it play out."

Williams hasn't ruled out a Thome return but certainly made it seem as a topic to be broached a little later, rather than sooner, during the Hot Stove period. As far as having a gut feeling in predicting a White Sox return, Thome espoused his version of the wait-and-see approach.

"Baseball can be a weird thing, and you never know how things are going to play out," Thome said. "Everyone knows how I feel. I love Chicago, but I don't know the direction they want to go.

"Ultimately, if things work out, I would love to come back. It's a great city. It's home. It has been a great place. Jerry, Ozzie, the whole organization, they have all treated me great."


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

White Sox add five to 40-man roster

Kelly Thesier / MLB.com

11/20/09 2:55 PM EST

On Friday, the deadline for clubs to protect prospects from next month's Rule 5 Draft, the White Sox added five players to their 40-man roster.

Chicago added outfielder Stefan Gartrell and right-handed pitchers Brandon Hynick, Santo Luis, Brian Omogrosso and Sergio Santos. The South Siders now have 37 players on their 40-man roster.

If a non-protected player is selected in the Major League portion of the Draft on Dec. 10 in Indianapolis, he must stick with the Major League club that claims him -- either on the active roster or disabled list -- for the length of the 2010 season or else be offered back to the White Sox for $25,000, half the fee for selecting such a player.

Of the players the Sox protected, the most notable addition to the roster is Santos. A first-round pick by Arizona in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Santos spent his first seven Minor League seasons as a shortstop before being converted into a pitcher prior to the 2009 season. Santos, 26, went 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA in 26 relief appearances between Class A Kannapolis, Class A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte.

Santos' numbers might not stand out, but he's touched 97 mph while pitching in the Arizona Fall League over the past month and has shown improvement

"Sergio has a plus arm, and he's someone who is drawing attention out there," said Kirk Champion, the White Sox Minor League pitching coordinator.

Champion also said Santos' slider is around the plate more than when he first transitioned and he has an outstanding changeup.

Gartrell, 25, led the White Sox Minor Leaguers in RBIs last season with 89 and was second in home runs (23) while batting .281 in 132 games between Birmingham and Charlotte. Gartrell was a 31st-round selection in the 2006 Draft.

The White Sox acquired Hynick, 24, from the Rockies on Aug. 31 in exchange for pitcher Jose Contreras. Hynick went 11-9 with a 3.72 ERA in 27 combined starts with Triple-A Colorado Springs and Charlotte. He made just one start for Charlotte following the trade, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings. An eighth-round pick of the Rockies in the 2006 Draft, Hynick has gone 41-24 with a 3.25 ERA in four Minor League seasons.

Omogrosso, 25, spent most of the 2009 season with Birmingham. He went 7-2 with a 4.19 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 13 starts before being promoted to Charlotte. The fifth-round selection in the 2006 Draft made four relief appearances for the Knights following his promotion.

Luis went 5-4 with a 4.34 ERA and 14 saves in 47 relief appearances at Winston-Salem in 2009. He struck out 79 over 56 innings, averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The 25-year-old was selected from Houston in the 2007 Rule 5 Draft.

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

Source: White Sox close to signing veteran SS

The White Sox are close to signing free-agent shortstop Omar Vizquel to a one-year contract, according to a major-league source.

Vizquel, 42, will serve largely as a backup to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, but also can spell second baseman Gordon Beckham and third baseman Mark Teahen.

He spent last season with the Rangers in a similar role, appearing in 27 games at short, 20 at third and 16 at second.

The move will unite Vizquel, perhaps the greatest shortstop from Venezuela, with his countryman, White Sox manager — and former shortstop — Ozzie Guillen.

The White Sox's lineage of Venezuelan shortstops goes back even further — all the way to Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio.

Courtesy of FOXSports.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Younger Danks eyeing Major Leagues

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Pregame batting practice and infield drills have come to a close for the Peoria Javelinas on this warm November evening. But Jordan Danks' early work at Scottsdale Stadium is not quite finished.

Danks stops for a pair of interviews, and then before retreating back to the clubhouse in preparation for that night's game, he signs a handful of autographs for about five minutes. Both the media and Arizona Fall League fans know a good thing when they see one.

"I feel the same about him as I felt about Gordon Beckham at this stage last year," White Sox general manager Ken Williams said with a smile. "That's pretty good. Jordan Danks is making it interesting."

There's strong statistical evidence to back Williams' comparison to Beckham, who quite possibly could be named the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year on Monday afternoon. Some in the White Sox organization believe Danks, the 23-year-old outfielder, was defensively ready for the Major Leagues in 2009, just his second year of professional baseball.

Now, Danks' swing seems to be catching up to his glove work. Through 21 AFL contests, Danks sported a .329 average with two home runs and 17 RBIs. His on-base percentage checked in at a robust .457.

During 30 games this past season with Class A Winston-Salem, Danks hit .322 with three home runs, 21 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage. But there's still a great deal for Danks to learn, and nobody understands that room for growth more than this confident and laid-back young man.

For example, after Danks' 2009 jump to Double-A Birmingham, his average dipped to .243 and his on-base percentage fell to .337. Much of these struggles can be blamed on a minor cartilage problem in his right wrist that did not require surgery and a jammed thumb on his left hand caused by diving after a fly ball.

Those nagging maladies threw Danks off track. He also admitted as to how his first season over 100 games wore him down.

"I can't lie. It really got to me," Danks told MLB.com before knocking out a single and driving in a run against the Scorpions. "My bat speed slowed down at the end.

"Having two weeks off and coming back here ... getting my strength back was really big. It's going to be 160-some games in the Majors, and I'm training and getting ready for next year. There's nothing you can do to save energy. Just whenever you feel like you have about 50 percent, you still have to give everything you got."

Talk of a 2010 Major League arrival for Danks certainly is not out of the question. In fact, with Williams reinforcing the point concerning the White Sox being without a great deal of money to dip into the free-agent pool, Danks would serve as a talented internal option to complete the outfield with Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin at pretty much any of the three slots defensively.

If the White Sox still need a leadoff hitter when the Hot Stove period runs out in February, Danks has experience with that particular lineup spot. In fact, a number of scouts watching Danks during AFL action raved about the surprising speed shown by the lanky 6-foot-5 Texan.

"Some people will look over and say, 'Oh, it's a 6-foot-5 guy on base. He's not too fast. He won't take off,'" said Danks with a wry smile. "But I'm able to get good leads and when I do, they definitely keep me close the next time."

"If anyone notices anything the last couple of years, we are not afraid to put young guys into the equation once they can handle it physically and mentally," Williams said.

One of those young guys thrown into the White Sox mix was John Danks, a 24-year-old left-handed starter who has won 25 games over the past two seasons and just happens to be Jordan's older brother. They are part of a close-knit family, which also includes younger sister, Emily, a volleyball player for Ohio State University and maybe the best athlete of the group.

When the Danks brothers talk baseball, it's more about game-related matters such as John encouraging Jordan to drive the ball more and take advantage of his untapped power, as opposed to a timetable for his Chicago arrival. Jordan agrees with John's power assessment, but has been focusing more on making contact when hitting leadoff at the University of Texas and in the Minors, at times.

"He's a strong kid with leverage," said John Danks of his brother. "He gets on base and is quick and can drive the ball. I'm not really comparing him to anyone, but he's like an Alex Rios -- same build, lots of power and lots of speed."

"My power is more gap-to-gap, where I get doubles," Jordan Danks said. "The home runs come every now and then, but I will say I had more power in high school."

Round Rock High School marks the last time the Danks brothers were together on the same team. John was a senior, Jordan was a sophomore and at one point, their squad was ranked No. 1 in the country.

As for playing together with the White Sox, that moment would be memorable for the entire Danks family. And it could come as soon as the 2010 season, even if it arrives in the form of a June callup for the organization's top prospect, just like Beckham in 2009.

"Obviously, he has to earn it and work his way to that point," John Danks said. "If it does get to that point playing together, it's a big deal for us. We've been dreaming of that day."

"To be on the same Major League team," Jordan Danks said, "it would be absolutely insane."


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


Might as well bring him up we need Outfielders                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Royals, Betemit agree on Minors deal

By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com

11/12/09 12:00 PM EST

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals on Thursday confirmed they have agreed to a Minor League contract for 2010 with infielder Wilson Betemit.

Betemit has seven years of Major League experience, mostly as a backup player, but he logged just 20 games with the White Sox last season with a .200 average. He spent most of the year with Triple-A Charlotte and batted .241 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs.

A switch-hitter, Betemit gives the Royals another new infielder to add to second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman Josh Fields, obtained from the White Sox last Friday in a trade for infielder-outfielder Mark Teahen.

"His Major League statistics are solid," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "I think he's got like a .324 on-base percentage and he's a switch-hitter and can play multiple positions. I don't know where he'll fit in, but it's depth for the system and he'll get a chance to compete for a job in Spring Training."

Betemit, 28, has played all four infield positions in the Majors with the Braves, Dodgers, Yankees and White Sox, primarily at third base. He also has appeared in the outfield. In 516 big league games, his career average is .258 with 42 homers and 154 RBIs.

Signed originally by Atlanta from the Dominican Republic in 1996, he has a history with Moore, a long-time Braves official. Betemit's best year came with the Braves in 2005 when he batted .305 in 115 games.

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

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