by Michael Lee, a Chicago Tribune reporter
CHICAGO DRAFTS CLOSE TO HOME
Right now there are organizations and executives crunching numbers and trying to discover the next big thing in the MBBA. The Black Sox found themselves with the 7th overall pick in this years Amateur Draft, and they have just reportedly make their selection:
SP - ABE COLBERT.
The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher is definitely not a new name in Illinois. Abe, having grown up in southwest Chicago is a longtime Black Sox fan. He is one of the more highly touted pitching prospects in this year's draft. You won't see high heat from Abe, even though his fastball clocks in at 87-89 MPH. The pitch he is well known for is the Knuckleball--it's his signature 'out' pitch. Abe has a strong list of pitches in his arsenal: Knuckleball, Forkball, Changeup, Slider, Fastball.
Although Abe had a rough go with the Winn-Dixie White Shirts, posting a 6.98 ERA, a 2-8 record, GM Ryan Collins saw promise and potential in the young man. "We definitely need to address our Rotation. Juan Nieves is in the last year of his contract and Washington Jones is 38 years old and already informed the organization he will test the market--but we will not be pursuing Washington for another season. Gary Lammond will be coming back, unless he doesn't change [Collins referring to Lammond's recent 1.2 inning outing where he posted a 30+ ERA]. And then JP Morgan is also just a one-year signing from this off-season. So as you can see, our starting pitching is going to be our focus in this next year...and this is the beginning. Abe will not come in and change the rotation...we want to make sure that he is groomed and placed in a situation where he can shine as bright as we think he can."
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