Morel not ready for any comparisons to his boss
--3B Brent Morel is no stranger to hearing players he's compared to. As a rookie last season, he heard the Joe Crede comparisons because of his stellar glove at the hot corner. Now that he has Robin Ventura as a manager, he knows where the next comparison is going. "I don't feel like there should be a comparison (with Ventura) at all, or anything like that," Morel said. "But I'm happy he's my manager and will be open and will help me to get to that next level offensively and defensively. I'll be able to pick his brain. He's so open about it. He wants everybody to get better and I'll try to help as much as possible." Ventura did admit that he has already taken extra interest in Morel's development, simply because of the fact that they both come from that third base pedigree.
--Former manager Ozzie Guillen still is living in Chicago until he heads to Florida for the start of spring camp for his new Marlins team, and that means Guillen still is talking. Appearing on a local Chicago radio station, Guillen was asked about the job facing Ventura and any advice he had for his former teammate, and all Guillen said was: "Robin needs to be himself and he'll be fine." Guillen even took it a step further and said the team would be much better under Ventura than they were last year in Guillen's final season.
--INF Dan Johnson was signed to a minor league contract two weeks ago, and while it might seem like a the White Sox were simply bringing in a veteran presence for competitive reasons, as well as having Johnson's bat with the Class AAA team, Johnson could actually push for a reserve spot. Not only because he gives them a left-handed bat off the bench, but also because of the uncertainty with how Adam Dunn can handle the expected increased playing time at first base. Ventura and 1B Paul Konerko have admitted that Konerko needs more off days from first this season, which means more work as the designated hitter. Johnson could be the replacement on those days if Dunn's fielding is too big of a liability.
--OF Yoenis Cespedes continues to be more of a pipedream for the White Sox than reality, as the reality of his asking price continues to go higher than first anticipated. Weeks ago, the White Sox seemed like contenders for the Cuban defector, even going to watch a private workout for the outfielder. They have had Dayan Viciedo and Alexei Ramirez reach out to their countryman as well. But general manager Ken Williams admitted two weeks ago that there was very limited money left for any offseason spending, and then the team signed INF Dan Johnson to a minor league deal. It would seem that the only way to open up salary at this point would be to trade Matt Thornton or Gavin Floyd, and the White Sox don't look like they want to move either pitchers just yet.
--RHP Mitch Mustain became the latest gamble for the White Sox, with the team giving the former USC quarterback a minor league contract to see what he can do. Mustain, 23, hasn't pitched since high school, but reportedly hit 90 mph in a recent workout. That seemed good enough for the White Sox to give him a shot. The team is no stranger to gambles, especially where football players are concerned, making former Stanford quarterback Joe Borchard and former LSU wide receiver Jared Mitchell first-round picks. They also converted former infielder Sergio Santos from a shortstop to a pitcher, before trading the closer to Toronto this winter. General manager Kenny Williams always says he will look everywhere for a hidden gem, and Mustain is the latest gamble.
BY THE NUMBERS
.152 -- The batting average for Tyler Flowers in the final month of the season, after the rookie hit .259 in August. The White Sox are counting on Flowers to be the catcher of the future with A.J. Pierzynski in the final year of his deal, but he'll have to be more consistent in 2012 if they can have confidence in that.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Do I like being under the radar? I would rather be the one everyone is gunning for because that means you've put together a helluva team and everyone thinks you've got a great team on the field and you're going to do some special things. But at the end of the day, none of it matters. It doesn't matter whether you're picked first or picked last, it matters what happens on the field." -- General manager Ken Williams, on the low expectations surrounding the 2012 White Sox from the media and fans.
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