Unless you vacation in Winston-Salem, N.C., or scout minor-leaguers as a hobby, you probably never have heard of Carlos Lee.
But odds are that in the next year or two, you will.
Lee is the White Sox’s top third-base prospect, and Baseball America rates him as the organization’s second-best prospect after shortstop Mike Caruso.
Lee, 21, dominated Class A pitching last season at Winston-Salem, earning team MVP honors after hitting .317 with 50 doubles, 17 homers and 82 RBIs. He struck out just 65 times.
“Offensively you couldn’t ask for a whole lot more than that at his age,” said Ken Williams, the Sox’s vice president for player development. “There’s no doubt in our minds that Carlos is going to be a quality major-league hitter, but we’re in the process of figuring out whether he’s going to be good enough to play third base.”
As Williams is aware, not all of Lee’s gaudy numbers came at the plate. He also committed 34 errors in 139 games.
Lee’s arm is strong, but his footwork is suspect. If it doesn’t improve–or if the Sox sign Robin Ventura to a long-term contract–Lee’s future may be at first base or in the outfield.
“He may be a Bobby Bonilla-type guy,” Williams said. “I’m very comfortable that we will find him a place on the field to play, because we do believe he’s going to hit for a high average and for power.”
Lee was a skinny 17-year-old when the Sox signed him out of Panama in 1994. He has matured into a 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pounder with average foot speed–and excellent bat speed.
He will start the season in Double-A Birmingham and might be only a year away from seeing action in the majors.
“This is my opportunity to prove I can play,” Lee said. “I feel like I have to go hard and give a good impression.”
Black Jack update: The Sox are still not out of the Jack McDowell sweepstakes, but it’s getting close.
Jim McDowell, Jack’s agent and brother, said a broadcast report that had Jack signing with Anaheim was false. Anaheim did offer a seven-figure base salary plus incentives, but Jim McDowell said the proposal was “not good enough.”
Sox General Manager Ron Schueler said he would set a deadline “soon” for McDowell to take or leave the Sox’s offer. “If he’s going to make this club, he has to be in camp,” Schueler said.
“Teams that are serious don’t put deadlines on signing a significant pitcher,” Jim McDowell responded.
Play ball: Manager Jerry Manuel has named Mike Sirotka the starter for the Sox’s first exhibition game, against Colorado on Thursday. Sirotka, who went 3-0 with a 2.25 earned-run average for the Sox last season, is in the hunt for a spot in the rotation.
Gotcha! Ventura walked out to the main practice field Tuesday and made an interesting discovery: his Sox jersey was hanging in the center-field screen. It was an obvious act by team pranksters, who were poking fun at him for having his Oklahoma State uniform number retired over the weekend.
Will Ventura strike back?
“Yes,” he said with a grin, “but to do it right, you have to wait a while.”
