The White Sox normally hold their warm-weather retreat for White Sox prospects in the form of a Todd Steverson hitting camp at Camelback Ranch.
This time around, a baker's dozen of top White Sox prospects took a trip further south, heading to the Dominican Republic to visit the White Sox' academy. The trip aimed to give the stateside prospects a better understanding of both the baseball culture and the upbringing of the Sox' Latin American players.
The White Sox' international system hasn't yet turned into a pipeline. This tweet reminds me that Yolmer Sanchez is really the only signed-and-developed international player the White Sox have on their roster, especially now that Gregory Infante is in Baltimore.
But for one, Micker Adolfo should break down the barrier that has stood in between Marco Paddy's signings and Birmingham. More than that, it's also a way for players like Reynaldo Lopez and Eloy Jimenez to share their experiences. Even if they didn't come all the way up through the White Sox' compound in Boca Chica, it stands in as an accurate-enough representation.
James Fegan made the trip and wrote a couple of great stories, including one that illustrates the kind of connection such an experience forges.
Just a week in a Spanish-speaking country is enough to lend a lot of sympathy to foreign-born players who are hesitant to have clubhouse conversations, let alone do a media interview in their still-developing English. When something as simple as a food order in an unfamiliar language is too difficult to execute in the moment, you can understand why a TV camera might be daunting.
“When you’re in America you’re like, ‘Give it a try, who cares?’ But when you’re on the other side, you think of it differently,” Lambert said. “You can see why they would be hesitant to do an interview or talk (with an American) without one of their friends who knows English.”
I didn't understand this myself until I had to attempt conversing in pidgin German for a couple hours straight. It's exhausting, and it can be demoralizing.
Spare Parts
The years-old warning from Buster Olney applies:
The Twins are shopping from the same bin I expect the White Sox to explore. Perez had an ugly 2018 -- 6.22 ERA, 5.72 FIP -- which was stunted by an injury to his non-pitching elbow, which he suffered trying to avoid a charging bull. Minnesota is hoping for a $3.5 million rebound.
Gray fits in Cincinatti's offseason plan -- patch holes with low-cost veterans possessing some upside -- so a match here makes a lot of sense.
Dallas Keuchel resorted to gallows humor to describe the state of his free agency, but Evan Longoria dropped the pretense:
"We are less then a month from the start of spring and once again some of our games biggest starts remain unsigned. Such a shame. It’s seems every day now someone is making up a new analytical tool to devalue players, especially free agents," Longoria's post said.
"As fans, why should 'value' for your team even be a consideration? It’s not your money, it’s money that players have worked their whole lives to get to that level and be deserving of. Bottom line, fans should want the best players and product on the field for their team. And as players we need to stand strong for what we believe we are worth and continue to fight for the rights we have fought for time and time again."
