Dick Allen wasn’t a batting practice guy

Two quotes on Dick Allen from George Castle’s book ‘When the Game Changed’:

Former White Sox 3B-man Bill Melton:

It was his MO (skipping batting practice). If the game started at 7:30, he got there a quarter to 7, 7 o’clock. He never took batting practice. When he did get there an hour early, he always liked to take ground balls at second base, shortstop, any place but first base. He actually had terrific hands. This guy was a terrific first baseman.

and manager Chuck Tanner:

Nobody had to take batting practice if they could hit like him. (Bleep), he used to sit in the dugout with a bat and not take it. Before 9 o’clock at night, he hit more home runs than anyone in baseball. I talked to him all the time. He said, ‘Y’know, this batting practice, you got guys throwing 40 mph, it throws my timing off.’ I said I don’t care if you do. I witnessed him hitting left-handed in BP.

and another quote from Chuck Tanner:

I don’t know why (Allen is not in the Hall). He’s the best player I ever managed, that carried the team by himself.

White Sox want Chris Sale to add a pitch

Handel @ N-P:

The White Sox would like Sale to add a three-finger fastball to his repertoire. If he can master that pitch, he may find a regular spot in the rotation.”

They said if we have to send you back to the pen, we will,” he said.

Is the cutter considered a three-finger fastball?

AFL Game #14: Peoria Saguaros @ Surprise Rafters [UPDATE]

Boxscore. Gameday. Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy. Jared Mitchell starts at LF and Eduardo Escobar at 2B for the Saguaros.

UPDATE: Mitchell got a hit!

Peoria Saguaros
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Escobar	2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.306
Mitchell	LF	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.195

BASERUNNING
CS: Escobar (2, 2nd base by Hurley, E/Perez, Sa). 

FIELDING
DP: (Negron-Escobar-Ruiz).

Kevin Goldstein: Eduardo Escobar is the real deal

Goldstein @ BP:

Eduardo Escobar, SS, White Sox (AFL: Saguaros): 2-for-3, HR (3), 2 R, 2 RBI.

Shortstop prospects who really are shortstops are a rarity, and it’s surprising the Escobar doesn’t warrant more attention. The 21 year-old Venezuelan has above-average range and a plus-plus arm, and his bat started to show some signs of life in 2010, as Escobar showed a surprising ability to drive balls into the gap. In a system desperate for prospects, as a good defender with some offensive value, Escobar is the real deal.

and from Phil Rogers:

Reports from the Arizona Fall League on rehabbing White Sox prospect Jared Mitchell are mixed, at best. He has been healthy enough to play, which is the best sign, but the torn tendon in his ankle does appear to be impacting his play. Through Tuesday he was batting .184 in 11 games, and had struck out in 11 of his 38 at-bats. Any impact on Mitchell‘s speed is a bad thing, as the ability to get on base and create havoc made him projectable as a leadoff man, but he has shown that speed only once so far, on a triple. He’s 0-for-1 on stolen-base attempts. Shortstop Eduardo Escobar, on the other hand, is looking great in the AFL. He’s a switch hitter with strong fielding skills and he’s hitting .333 with three homers in 12 games.