White Sox sign 23 year-old SS D.J. Jarrad

Scott DeCamp:

The former Portage Northern High School standout received a surprising phone call Friday from Del Matthews, who is assistant director of player development and scouting for the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox wanted Jarrad to report to their spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz., immediately. They sent him a plane ticket, and the recent Oakland University graduate flew out of Detroit Metro Airport on Monday morning.

The former Golden Grizzlies shortstop is expected to be in Glendale for extended spring training through mid-April. Depending on the organization’s needs, Jarrad could very well end up playing rookie ball or low Class A. Contract discussions would ensue at that time, he said.

From D.J. Jarrad’s Oakland U page:

Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6’01″
Weight: 170
Born: 1989-02-15
Hometown: Portage, MI
Class:  Senior

Jarrad’s stats:

Year	AVG	GP-GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	SLG%	BB	HBP	SO	GDP	OB%	SF	SH	SB-ATT	PO	A	E	FLD%
2011	.304	50-50	191	37	58	8	3	2	33	78	.408	24	4	19	3	.386	4	5	14-20	76	132	15	.933
2010	.282	44-43	163	33	46	11	0	2	23	63	.387	13	3	14	3	.343	2	3	4-6	61	104	15	.917
2009	.291	37-27	110	19	32	8	2	0	18	44	.400	11	6	17	3	.383	1	5	0-2	36	67	10	.912
2008	.211	24-12	57	3	12	3	0	0	4			2	0	14	1-1				0-0	6	29	4	.907

In which Alex Rios doesn’t want to change his hitting stance this year

Scott Merkin:

Now, Rios employs a stance that seems to fit best, which was the culmination of an extended search process beginning with offseason video studies of previous standout years to incorporate into the present.In Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Padres at Camelback Ranch, Rios faced Edinson Volquez with his legs spread shoulder width apart, his hands back and just above mid-chest height and in a slight crouch.

“It’s kind of like in 2010, when my hands were a little lower and I was crouched a little bit,” said Rios, who hit .284 with 21 homers and 88 RBIs to go with 34 stolen bases that season. “So that’s where I’m trying to stay the whole year. That’s how I feel strong and comfortable.

“When you do constant changes like that, you never feel comfortable in one spot. You are always searching, and when you are searching, you don’t focus on your approach. And it’s like a chain reaction. Everything piles up, and when you look back, it’s too much. Just too much to handle.

“I don’t want to go back to the changes,” Rios said. “I know that doesn’t work. I’m going to stick to it this year and be positive. That’s the only thing I can do, stay positive and have a good approach at the plate.”

If things don’t go as planned, the temptation to tweak something is enormous.

Palehose 12 [UPDATE #3]

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 9

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 10

UPDATE:

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 11

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 12

UPDATE #2:

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 13

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 14

UPDATE #3:

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 15

Hellbreak Part 1, Page 16

White Sox @ Dodgers @ 3:05 pm CT; game on CSN-TV [UPDATE]

Watch live on CSN-TV as Chris Sale takes the hill as the Sox are hosted by the Dodgers today at 3:05 p.m. CT. Rookie closing candidates Addison Reed and Hector Santiago will be throwing their second game in back-to-back appearances, while Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain also are scheduled to pitch. Brent Lillibridge will be at 1st base. Gameday | Boxscore

UPDATE: It was the Chris Sale show baby! 7 striKeouts (3 of them were against Matt Kemp) and 0 walks in 6 innings. And Spring Training strikeouts and walks matter.

John Sickels’ favorite young players

John Sickels:

Gordon Beckham, 2B, Chicago White Sox: Age 25. Three-year downtrend in performance but still young enough to live up to what he showed in college. As with Pedro Alvarez, it is too soon to give up on him.

Dayan Viciedo, OF, Chicago White Sox: Age 23. Not as good as he hit in 2010, and not as bad as he hit in 2011. Real skills somewhere in the .280/.325/.440 range with a chance for more eventually.

UPDATE: And on the pitching side:

Chris Sale, LHP, Chicago White Sox: Age 23. I’m optimistic that the conversion to starting will go well, provided the White Sox don’t do something stupid with his workload. Considered for Top 12.