Kirk McCaskill reported to his new place of employment Monday and liked what he saw. All that snow and ice covering the pitcher`s mound at Comiskey Park only helped fire him up.
”I`m real excited about this,” said the newest member of the White Sox starting rotation. ”This is a fantastic facility, and I`m going to enjoy working in it and playing in it.”
McCaskill, winner of 78 games in the last seven seasons for the California Angels, signed with the Sox as a free agent late last month. He appeared Monday at a news conference to kick off the Sox`s winter fan caravan, which runs through Thursday.
”I`ve been fortunate enough to win a division (with the Angels) in 1986, and we were a lot like the White Sox are at this point,” McCaskill said.
”Things went our way because we were aggressive and forced things to happen.
”I know that 1986 was the most fun I`ve ever had. I don`t know how many guys with the Sox have been there, but when we get there, everybody can see how fun it is.”
The Sox appear to have dramatically improved their chances of getting there in recent weeks by signing McCaskill and obtaining second baseman Steve Sax in a trade with the New York Yankees.
”(Sax) is going to be a great player for us-and Kirk is going to be a real mainstay on our pitching staff,” said manager Gene Lamont, another newcomer. ”Needless to say, it`s exciting. I set the alarm every night for about 3 o`clock (just) to make sure I`m not dreaming.”
McCaskill, 30, was 68-55 in his first six seasons with California but had a 10-19 record last year when the Angels, second to last in the league in hitting, invariably fell short on run support.
”It got a little frustrating-when you go into the fifth or sixth inning time after time and you`re (trailing) 1-0, 2-1. You just never seem to have that lead,” he said. ”I`m not trying to make any excuses. The good pitchers win those games, and I didn`t happen to win too many of them last year.”
This year, however, he says he shouldn`t have that problem. The Sox were tied for fourth in the American League in on-base percentage last season and sixth in hitting and scoring. And that was before they picked up Sax, who hit .304 with 31 stolen bases.
”The thing I always liked about the White Sox, in playing against them, was the fact that they never quit,” McCaskill said. ”You knew, going late into the game, that you really had to nail it down because they were going to be there. I think that`s the trademark of the White Sox-offense.”
Just by signing his three-year, $6 million-plus contract, McCaskill changed the nature of competition among some younger pitchers looking for spots in the Sox rotation. Lamont said three prospects who otherwise might have had a shot at winning starting jobs now probably will spend a little more time in the minors.
”I don`t rule (Wilson) Alvarez, (Roberto) Hernandez or (Ramon) Garcia out of the picture at all,” Lamont said. ”But maybe they`ll be able to pitch in a different role other than having to come to spring training with the pressure that you have to be a starting pitcher.”
Asked if that meant any or all three would be kept in Triple-A ball for a time this season, Lamont said: ”Well, I think probably it might not hurt them.”
If they do spend any extra time in the minors, the young pitchers probably have ex-Angel Wally Joyner to blame. McCaskill said he might have stayed put if Joyner, the hard-hitting first baseman, hadn`t signed a one-year contract with Kansas City.
”I think I`d be lying if I said that what happened over the winter had zero impact, because it did,” McCaskill said. ”When (the Angels) didn`t get (free agent Bobby) Bonilla and Wally left, I didn`t see the team as being much better than it was last year and I had to look.”
”I felt very fortunate that the White Sox wanted me, because they are a contending team and they`re a great organization. Really, they were my first choice.”
