Keith Foulke just happened to be listening to sports radio in his car Tuesday afternoon when he heard the White Sox had chosen San Diego State closer Royce Ring with the 18th pick in the first round of the amateur draft.
As soon as he got to the ballpark, Foulke was bombarded with questions about his future as the Sox’s closer.
“I’ll start packing my stuff and give my locker to him,” Foulke said with a laugh.
Foulke doesn’t have to pack his suitcase just yet, but the Sox did draft Ring with the idea of developing him into a major-league closer. The 21-year-old left-hander went 5-1 with 17 saves during his junior year, recording a 1.85 earned-run average and striking out 54 men in 39 innings.
Sox scouting director Doug Laumann said the 6-foot, 215-pound Ring could be placed on “the fast track to the big leagues,” though Ring is not in the Sox’s immediate plans.
“He was not drafted with the thought of helping the major-league club this year,” general manager Ken Williams said.
Ring, ranked 16th among pitchers on Baseball America’s list of top draft prospects, throws a two-seam fastball that averages 88-91 m.p.h., plus a curve and a changeup. How long does he expect to pitch in the minors?
“That’s up to the White Sox,” he said. “Hopefully I come out of the chute ready to go. I keep my weight training and conditioning going to get me ready to be as close to where I want to be. I’m not expecting the Sox to [bring] me up in the next week. I’ll just go play hard and hopefully do well. That’s a good idea for me.”
The Sox like Ring’s powerful arm and the fact he apparently is not going to hold out for the last dime. Whether Ring can develop into a top-notch closer with so little starting experience is a risk the Sox are taking.
“We’re talking about a power arm,” Laumann said. “He was a closer in college. We feel like we’ll develop him, give him some innings and see where his career takes him. We don’t anticipate stretching him out a lot because he’s only pitched in closing situations. I feel like we’ll give him 30 to 40 pitches every two or three days, let him do that this summer and see what role it takes him to.”
How long will it take Ring to get from Class A to the majors?
“I don’t think that’s my call,” Laumann said. “There’s no telling with a power lefty how quickly he can move. But we like for guys to have success and see where that takes him.”
Ring said he is a cousin of former Sox reliever Bill Simas’ wife.
But Simas wasn’t aware of Ring and said he would have to check into his wife’s family tree before commenting on the kid.
“I’d like to talk to him,” said Simas, whom the Sox recently signed to a minor-league deal.
Foulke may want to talk to Ring too. He almost certainly will be getting a call from Williams after the GM hears about Foulke’s comments on the advisability of drafting a closer.
“All your best pitchers are starters,” Foulke said. “Even in college your best pitchers are starters. But that’s just my opinion.”
The Sox drafted Long Beach State outfielder Jeremy Reed with their second-round pick, the 59th overall. A left-handed hitter who measures 6 feet and 185 pounds, Reed wasn’t highly touted in predraft roundups. He batted .339 this season with 50 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 50 games.
“We think he’s a quality center fielder, can lead off and can handle the bat,” Laumann said. “He’s also an exceptional defensive outfielder.”
The Sox chose pitchers with 13 of their top 17 selections.
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White Sox’s draft picks
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RD. NO. PLAYER POS. SCHOOL
1 18 Roger Ring lhp San Diego State
2 59 Jeremy Reed lf California State
3 90 Joshua Rupe rhp Louisburg
4 120 Ryan Rodriguez lhp Keller (Texas) H.S.
5 150 William Lamura rhp Clemson
6 180 Christopher Getz ss Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South H.S.
7 210 Micah Schnurstein 3b Basic H.S., Henderson, Nev.
8 240 Sean Tracey rhp California
9 270 Todd Deininger rhp Texas A&M (from Joliet)
10 300 Orionny Lopez rhp Forest Hill H.S., West Palm Beach, Fla.
11 330 Samuel Herring 1b Georgia Southern
12 360 Jayson Ruhlman lhp L’anse Creuse N. H.S., Chesterfield, Mich
13 390 Demetrius Banks lhp Chattahoochee Valley CC
14 420 Christian Madson rhp Bloomingdale Sr H.S., Valrico, Fla.
15 450 Adam Larson rhp Middle Tennessee State
16 480 Daniel Haigwood lhp Midland H.S., Pleasant Plains, Ark.
17 510 Brandon McCarthy rhp Lamar CC
18 540 Shane Scoville c South Alabama
19 570 Paul Keck c Granada H.S., Pleasanton, Calif.
20 600 Boone Logan lhp Sandra Day O’Connor H.S., Helotes, Texas
21 630 Seth Morris cf Kentucky
22 660 Eric Keefner 1b-3b Mesa CC
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