White Sox hitting coordinator Andy Barkett was in Charlotte last week and he was gracious enough to take some time and tell me a bit about the next wave of players headed to White Sox affiliates.
Here’s what he had to say:
I watched Elko and Burke last night. Very impressive.
“Those guys are exceeding expectations and it’s been fun to watch them both.”
Elko, being 24, needs to move quickly through the system, right?
“I think the organization will put him where they think he’s ready. I think we all have our recommendations. I’m sure he could probably hold his own here (Charlotte). He’s a really good defensive first baseman. He gives you really good, professional at-bats wherever you put him in a lineup, so we’ll see what happens, but yeah, he’s advanced, just in his maturity level and his approach to the game, and I think he could handle himself just about anywhere.”
And Jacob Burke’s season has been remarkable. Did you see it coming?
“This kid’s kind of been on a mission. It’s hard to say you saw it coming because he had been hurt and you never know how a player’s going to come back when he’s been hurt, especially the type of injuries he’s had.
“But he really latched onto our hitting program early on. I think it pays dividends to get the guys on our program and teach them the fundamentals, what we look for, what to work on in the off-season. He grasped it really fast and so it’s been has been really good.”
At some point, the guys you’re working with in Arizona are going to go to Kannapolis. Who should we keep an eye out for?
“Ryan Burrows is someone I think you should keep an eye on. He’s a really talented young man, but he’s young. He’s only 18, I believe. He’s maturing before our eyes. I’m looking forward to getting to watch him play next week.
“Godwin Bennett is an outfielder that’s really grown up over extended spring training, and is showing positive signs so far early in the season. Very strong, big, explosive power.
“Carlos Jimenez, the first baseman, he’s injured right now, but this guy’s really gotten better. He’s got some big upside with the bat. Big-time power and gap type hitter. Line drives. Very physical body that could grow into something special. It’s not a guarantee, but I think it’s somebody that, if it hits, this kid’s going to be big time.”
And another guy we’ve talked about before, Loidel Chapelli, skipped Kannapolis and is Winston-Salem.
“Right, Chappie’s in Winston-Salem and he’s going through the growing pains, getting used to professional baseball in the United States. Honestly, he came from playing in Cuba, where the pitching velocity isn’t very high, and in the Dominican Summer League, where there are some good arms, no disrespect to any pitchers there, but obviously you go to High-A, those guys that have played college baseball and they’re playing against him, and now he’s learning how they pitch, and getting used to the velocity. I’m not saying I’m thrilled with every one of his numbers so far, but I can say that I am happy with his growth and development through this process. We’re going to see a really good baseball player down the road.”
Am I the only one who cringes when I hear a White Sox employee talk about “our hitting program” and “what we look for”?
No. I wonder if he’s watched any Sox games this year.
You most certainly are not….
I’ll bet Andy whatshisname is among the lowest paid minor league hitting coordinators in baseball.