Black Sox Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
Sarasota, Fla. – What to do about Jorge González?
The 22-year-old center fielder out of Nicaragua joined the Chicago Black Sox in mid-December after he was chosen from Omaha in the Rule 5 minor league draft.
With roster spots at a premium and the club’s investment in special training for CF Jim Lorenzen, though, no one gives González much of a chance to stick with Chicago – especially since Rule 5 players must stay on the major league roster for the entire season or go back to their original club.
Jorge González
“Not too shabby, right?” he said after the March 10 game against Portland, where he went 2-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in a losing cause. “If they’re going to send me back to Omaha, at least I’m going to make the decision a tough one.”
Making the decision even harder are the intangibles González brings to the clubhouse. He’s already emerged – along with catcher Diesel Dave – as captain material.
“Guys just gravitate towards Jorge – and Diesel, of course,” said left fielder Fernando Reyes. “They’re both upbeat, they want everyone to succeed and they just make things better. I, for one, am sure rooting for Jorge to stay.”
The problem, of course, are González’s skill ratings: the BBA Scouting Consortium doesn’t think much of his hitting ability, although his defense and base running scores are excellent.
He grades out at a 4/4 for contact; 5/6 for gap power; 4/5 for home run power; 5/6 for plate discipline; and 5/5 for avoiding strikeouts. His latest scouting report – while conceding his “plus-plus” speed and “excellent instincts with the glove” – concludes that he’s no better than an injury replacement or borderline reserve as a "below average center fielder."
“So, yeah, he’s put up a good couple of weeks in spring training, but can he sustain that? The odds are stacked way against it,” said Malcolm Wilkes, who covers the Frick Heartland Division for BBA Weekly. “If the Sox are serious about trying a 6-man starting rotation this season, they can’t really afford to carry a lot of excess position player reserves. And is Jorge better than, say, Lorenzen? I don’t know about that.”
Sox management, so far, isn’t tipping its hand, beyond saying they like what they’ve seen so far out of González.
“There’s a reason we took him in Rule 5, and you’re seeing it now,” said Bill McGuffin, assistant general manager. “We’re rooting hard for him.”
