Venezuela has produced White Sox standout shortstops Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio and Ozzie Guillen, as well as top Latin American victory leader Freddy Garcia.
But it might be a while before potential Sox stars polish their skills there for winter ball.
Less than 48 hours after new Sox third-base coach Razor Shines was fired as LaGuaira’s manager last week, prospects Josh Fields, Ryan Sweeney, Sean Tracey and Heath Phillips returned to the United States.
All four players succeeded last summer for Shines at Triple-A Charlotte, and their return to the U.S. after less than a month in Venezuela doesn’t bode well for the future development of Sox prospects in that country, although Sox manager Guillen said relations with LaGuaira “will be fine.”
“It’s a tough spot,” Guillen said Monday after the Sox concluded their annual organizational meetings. “We want to help people, but I don’t know if these guys were ready. It’s a different country, a different culture, a different way of life. It isn’t easy.
“I don’t think these guys were ready for all that.”
The lack of playing time has virtually ruled out the possibility of third-base slugger Fields moving to left field or receiving an extensive look there in spring training.
“I never saw him out there, and I don’t know how many innings I can give him [in spring training] with the other outfielders we have,” Guillen said.
Fields, 23, batted .214 (9-for-42) with one walk and 15 strikeouts in 10 games in Venezuela.
“It’s been a long year for Josh,” said agent Jeff Barry, who wasn’t worried that his client’s return would stunt his progress. “He’s getting married this winter. He’ll take a little break, then resume his workouts and get ready for his wedding.”
Guillen was less concerned with Sweeney, who batted .260 but hit only one home run in 50 at-bats for the Sharks. Hitting coach Greg Walker was scheduled to travel to Venezuela later this winter to oversee his hitting prospects and study Sweeney’s attempts at hitting for more power.
“I don’t think Sweeney is going to have any problems,” Guillen said. “He just has to come ready for spring training.”
The same could be said for center fielder Brian Anderson, who said he is scheduled to see a gastroenterologist in the San Diego area to determine the cause of a 20-pound weight loss that prompted him to leave Venezuela after only 19 at-bats.
“I wasn’t feeling any better, and I need to get ready for spring training,” Anderson said. “I know this is a big off-season for me, and I want to report in the best shape of my life. I’m only 24, and I want to get faster and stronger. But I have to get healthy first.”
Anderson declined to comment on his experience in Venezuela.
“I wasn’t trying to skip out,” he said. “We were off on the days I felt OK, but I wasn’t doing anyone any good by being sick and weak.”
The remaining Sox minor-league players on the LaGuaira roster are pitchers Ehren Wasserman and Stephen Randolph and infielder and Venezuelan native Jorge Velandia.
Left-handed reliever Boone Logan was limited to 4 1/3 innings because of left-arm stiffness and returned home last week. Tracey and Phillips pitched a combined 7 1/3 innings.
The defections leave outfielder Jerry Owens as one of the few minor-league prospects still playing.
Owens is batting .242 in 33 at-bats with six stolen bases for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League.
———-
mgonzales@tribune.com
