The following comments coming from Greg Walker concerning the White Sox offense contain a March 8 disclaimer.
"It's still very, very early," said Walker, speaking following Monday's B game tie with the Dodgers. "Considering the time here, we're good, we're doing well here.
"Two days ago, we played a split-squad game and a lot of good things happened. It's the first week of Spring Training, but I'm pleased where a lot of guys are. I really am."
That split-squad action spoken of by Walker took place on Saturday, when the White Sox clubbed the Cubs, 15-3, and took down the Dodgers, 8-4. That weekend offensive outburst was followed by Monday's 5-4 loss to the Mariners, where the White Sox finished with six hits.
As Walker pointed out, it's far too early to make any sort of broad-sweeping judgments on 2010 output based on one solid afternoon. But if crucial factors to the offense's success are being judged, then the White Sox have started ahead of the game.
The team has 10 stolen bases in just five games, showing off the aggressive style of play Ozzie Guillen promised would be on display from the outset of Spring Training. More importantly, Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios, quite possibly the two keys to leading this attack, appear to be locked in at the plate.
Quentin homered twice and drove in five runs against the Cubs on Saturday, but those results aren't what have Walker encouraged. It was the words coming from White Sox athletic trainer Herm Schneider during a meeting at the start of camp.
"Herm Schneider stood up in the meeting that first day and said, 'Listen, this guy is off the injury report,'" said Walker of Quentin, who battled through plantar fasciitis in his left foot, which limited him to 99 games in 2009. "If that stays the case, then watch out. When Carlos is healthy, he's one of the best players in the game.
"Right now, he's healthy. He's on the right track. We had a plan for the winter, and Carlos worked hard and smart. He paid the price this winter to get back to play well, and if it holds up, I expect a big year out of him."
Walker and Quentin have developed a strong bond through their work over the past two years, along with their extra work from this past offseason during Walker's trips to California. While being completely on the same page as Quentin in what they want to accomplish, Quentin's success all comes back to being healthy for Walker.
"He's coming off an injury the year before, and boom, it's right back in his face," said Walker, referring to Quentin's fractured right wrist costing him the last month of his Most Valuable Player-caliber 2008 campaign. "He was playing pretty well at the time, and people don't realize he was playing hurt for a while, for several weeks with it bothering him, until it finally blew.
"Once he got hurt, it became a real frustration factor. During the last week of the [2009] season, he swung the bat extremely well. We are both on the same page on what we value as far as mechanics, and he's a bright guy who evaluates his swing all the time.
"As long as you are thinking about the right things, I have no problem with that," Walker said. "We won't change how Carlos goes about the game, who he is. But Quentin is healthy, and that's the biggest thing."
Rios' sore right shoulder not only kept him out of center field, but also has prevented him from doing any extra work offensively, according to Walker. The work Rios has done has been "pristine," by Walker's estimation, but he just hasn't done enough of it.
Finding talent in Rios is not an issue. Rios holds a career .281 average with 201 doubles and 117 stolen bases, showing extra-base power and speed. It's primarily a game above the neck for the veteran playing his first full season with the White Sox, after hitting .199 over 41 games following his August waiver claim from Toronto in 2009.
In Monday's loss to the Mariners at Camelback Ranch, Rios returned to center field and belted his first Cactus League home run. He didn't really want to analyze the long ball or talk about his hitting mechanics this spring or his lack of hitting last fall, keeping the overthinking to a minimum.
"See the ball, hit the ball. That's what I'm trying to do," said Rios, who admittedly is more comfortable as part of the White Sox clubhouse. "I have a clear mind. I don't want to think about last year."
"There's no reason for him to think about last year because there's nothing to be learned from that," Walker said. "You watch Alex take batting practice, and we see the elite player we thought we got and we think we have."
Due to Rios' sore shoulder causing that lack of extra work, Walker believes his timing is a bit off and it's causing him to be "a little quick" and pull everything. That problem will be fixable with time.
"When the game slows down and he gets his timing, he's going to be fine," Walker said. "If he's not, we feel like we know enough about his swing now and the way he thinks to help him. That's where we are with him."
It's this sort of early optimism with Quentin and Rios permeating throughout Walker's entire view of his charges.
"Early on, we are letting them go play and watching the quality of work," Walker said. "There are constantly things we are working on to get better, but I'm pleased with almost everything."
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