Jerry Manuel already has been thinking of ideas and players he might use in the 2002 season.
“Sure but I won’t share those ideas with you,” the White Sox manager said Wednesday night.
Manuel did say, however, that just because a young pitcher may be working out of the bullpen doesn’t mean he isn’t being considered for a spot in the starting rotation. Similarly, a position player batting No. 7, 8 or 9 in the order actually may be auditioning for a spot at or near the top of the order.
Take, for example, the leadoff spot. In the first 138 games this season, the team had a 47-55 record in the 102 games when Ray Durham batted first.
Durham has 18 home runs. His power helped the Sox win 16 of 24 games when he batted third. But his .336 on-base percentage for the season and his team-high 98 strikeouts are not the kind of numbers teams seek from their leadoff hitters.
Aaron Rowand, the rookie outfielder, has only had 102 big-league at bats, but went into Wednesday night’s game against the Tigers with a .314 average and a .395 on-base percentage. Could Rowand figure as a future No. 1 or No. 2 hitter?
“I have a pretty good feel on what the batting order should be like in coming years,” Manuel said. “We more or less give young players the opportunity to play at this level and see how they react.
“A lot of young pitchers were No. 1 or No. 2 starters [in the minors]. We pretty much start them in the bullpen, and watch them develop. Same with position players. A lot come here as Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters. We prefer to start them at this level as No. 7, 8 or 9 and project where they will fit in best.”
Jose Valentin has batted second in 64 games and has led off in 25. He has shown excellent power with 25 homers in 104 games. But like Durham, his strikeouts are high, 96, and his on-base percentage is only .347.
Coming on: Shortstop Royce Clayton went 5-for-8 with a double and a home run in Tuesday’s doubleheader victory over the Tigers and lifted his batting average to a season high .260. After a sub-.200 early spring, he has batted .341 (72-for-211) over his last 65 games.
“It’s good to see him bounce back,” Manuel said. “This is what we needed to see in order to evaluate him correctly. He has shown that he can help us in the future.”
Earlier this season Clayton went a career-high 51 games without committing an error.
Shot for Wells: Manuel said he wants to start Kip Wells in one game against the Yankees in next week’s series in New York.
“I feel good about the way he has pitched out of the bullpen,” Manuel said. “But I still need to know if he can maintain that over six or seven innings. If he can that solidifies one of our starters for next year.”
Baines’ chance: Harold Baines, reactivated after missing seven weeks with a hip injury, said, “all the serious pain is gone. I’m about 90 percent well.”
Manuel said Baines has spent time with hitting coach Gary Ward making adjustments in his swing.
Power guys: If Durham hits two more homers, the 2001 White Sox will join last year’s team as the only two clubs in franchise history to have five players who hit 20 or more home runs. Paul Konerko has 29, Magglio Ordonez 27, Valentin 25 and Carlos Lee 22. The Sox also have a chance to become the first team in club history to have three players hit 30 or more home runs.
