Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 68

10 Section 4 Chicago Tribune, Thursday, June 19, 1997 Friday: PrepsPlus Saturday: PrepsPlus Sunday: PrepsPlus Monday: TennisPlus Tuesday: CubsPlus a For the Sox, it's Miami twice To Chicago via Miami Miami-area residents Carlos Castillo (below) and Mario Valdez (left) have risen quickly in the White Sox system. Castillo's rise was somewhat expect-, ed, as he was a third-round draft choice. But Valdez is a 48th-round surprise. A look at their progress: Stats ind stuff ML 10 Rookies Valdez, Castillo share quite similar backgrounds Reliever Matt Karchner has worked 10 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, including two perfect innings in Tuesday's victory over the Cubs. He has lowered his ERA to 2.70.

He was 2-1 with three saves and a 1.93 ERA in 13 outings with Triple-A Nashville before being promoted May 13. SJJ Carlos Castillo BatsAhrows: Rightright. Heightweight: 6-2240. Born: April 21, 1975, in Boston. Resides: Miami.

Acquired: Selected in third round of June 1994 free-agent draft. Year team Gm W-L ERA '94 Sarasota 12 4-3 2.59 Hickory 3 2-0 0.00 "95 Hickory 14 5-6 3.73 '96 South Bend 20 9-9 4.05 Prince William 6 2-4 3.95 '97 WHITE SOX 20 0-1 4.58 By Phil Rogers Tribune Staff Writf.r Life always is viewed through the prism of experience. So it is that White Sox rookies Carlos Castillo and Mario Valdez see a little bit of themselves in each other. Their families too. When Castillo looks at Valdez, he sees his father, as well.

Rolando Castillo, now a handyman in Miami, left Cuba to be a professional ballplayer in the- late 1950s. But he opted to play in Mexico rather than sign with the Cleveland Indians organization, because he couldn't speak English. That is precisely why Valdez left his home in Obregon, Mexico, to attend Miami High School in 1992. He wanted to learn to speak English and to study in an American university. He didn't plan on a professional baseball career.

Castillo, a pitcher with a weight problem, and Valdez, a first baseman with a language problem, knew each other vaguely from American Legion baseball in Miami. They became fast friends when they were assigned to the White Sox's Rookie League team at Sarasota in 1994. Valdez has spent time with Castillo's family in Miami. He is almost as much a source of pride for Rolando Castillo as his own son, because Valdez is making the transition the elder Castillo shied away from almost 40 years ago. "Mario learned English," said Carlos Castillo, who was born in Boston but spent most of his life in the bilingual world of Miami.

"He studies very hard and he is real bright. He is respectful to everyone. In my family, everybody knows him. My dad watches Mario on the satellite dish when he plays in Mexico during the winter. I think my father sees in me what he could have become.

He sees that in Mario too." Carlos Castillo comes from baseball stock. His grandfather, a shortstop, played on teams with Minnie Minoso in Cuba. Rolando, who played right field when he wasn't pitching, left Cuba shortly before Fidel Castro came into power on Jan. 1, 1959. Rolando Castillo had dreamed of the day when the Havana Sugar Kings would compete in the major leagues.

But he had to leave his native land to pursue his baseball career. He went to the Mexican leagues, because it was easier there. But he hurt his arm and was forced to return to Miami and find work to support his family. Still, he never has abandoned the game that took him from Cuba. "He still plays, if you can believe that," Carlos Castillo said.

"He is 60 years old, and he still plays in a baseball league. He plays first base. He can't move, but he can swing the bat. He taught me how to swing." Having gotten a single last Sunday in Cincinnati, Castillo is the proud holder of a 1.000 career average. "That's what my dad taught me," he said.

"I wish I could hit all the time." Valdez was raised in a middle-class family in northern Mexico, about 250 miles from the Arizona INSIDE THE WHITE SOX 6 Terry Bevington has used six -different No. 3 hitters since Frank Thomas went out with a strained muscle in the left side of his abdomen June 6. Dave Martinez and Jeff Abbott have been there three times, Mike Cameron twice and Lyle Mouton, Norberto Martin and Mario Valdez once. McKay Christensen, Hickory Crawdads McKay Christensen, the former No. 1 draft choice of the Angels acquired in the 1995 Jim Abbott trade, is putting his sprinter's speed to use with the Class A Hickory Crawdads.

He is batting .275 with 20 stolen bases, tops in the organization. He also leads the organization with nine triples. i AP photo Ellis Burks, Colorado Rockies It took one game back at Coors Field for Burks to collect two more hits (five) than he had on the four-game road trip that preceeded it (three). Burks went 5 for 6 with a home run in the Rockies' 10-8 loss to Texas Tuesday. He's batting .283 at home and .216 on the road.

He has raised his batting average to .249 overall after hitting .195 in April. He has 16 homers and 45 RBIs and is among the NL leaders with a .352 batting average with men in scoring position. rrn IE Albert Belle continues to defy his reputation for coming through. Not only is he batting 38 points lower with men in scoring position (.255) than otherwise but only four of his 16 home runs have tied games or put the White Sox ahead. Nine of Frank Thomas' 16 have made that kind of a difference.

A look at Belle's 16 home runs: JAN. i $TnN Yt i i 4 if riY' dent that he led the team with a .408 batting average as a sophomore. White Sox scouts Jose Ortega and Mark Bernstein saw him while making visits to watch other prospects. They recommended him, although not that highly. He was selected in the 48th round of the 1993 draft but didn't sign until the next spring.

He didn't want to leave school. "That was tough for me," Valdez said. "When I signed with the White Sox, I talked to my mother and my father. They just told me, 'Hey, that's your decision. You have to decide if you want to finish school or play Valdez apparently made the right decision.

It has taken only three years for him and Castillo to advance from the lowest rung of the Sox organization to Comis-key Park. The two 22-year-olds were All-Stars in the Class A Midwest League at this time last year. "I thought about that the other day," Valdez said. "Last. year I was in South Bend.

Now I am in the big leagues. I cannot hardly believe it." means big with a strained muscle in his left side. He is eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday, when the Sox face Minnesota, but there are no indications he will be ready. He's following the doctors' recommendation for complete rest. He says he will test his side during batting practice this weekend.

The other Hernandez: Sox closer Roberto Hernandez never got much of a chance to see Willie Hernandez pitch in his prime. But he watched him regularly in the winter of 1995-96, when the 42-year-old ex-Cub was pitching for Caguas in the Puerto Rican League. He hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 1989. "I was amazed he still wanted to pitch," said Roberto, who spends his winters in Cobo Rojo, P.R. "I saw him pitch a lot.

Sometimes it seemed like he was over the hill. Somedays he ready impressed me. He had good velocity and he was a competitor. He still wanted to I i ill 1 I i I 1 I i Tribune photo by Nuccio OiNuzzo Both Castillo and Valdez opened eyes in spring training. Castillo had the same live fastball that had marked him as a top prospect for years.

But he had a new willingness to maintain his weight after an off-season trip to Duke University's fitness program. He weighed almost 300 pounds during parts of the 1996 season, which he split between Class A South Bend and Prince William. He was down to 252 at the end of spring training and has avoided gaining the weight back. Manager Terry Bevington said Castillo showed him "more guts than a lot of guys with more experience" during the spring. The Sox put him in a long reliever's role but believe his future lies as a starting pitcher.

Through Tuesday, he was 0-1 with a 4.58 earned-run average in 20 games. He earned his first career save last Sunday but remains in search of his first victory. Valdez, as a non-roster player, was afforded a spot in the Sox camp only because Frank Thomas was the lone first baseman on the major-league roster. But he hit the Mario Valdez BatsAhrows: Leftleft. Heightweight: 6-2190.

Born: Nov. 19, 1974, in Obregon, Mexico. Resides: Hialeah, Fla. Acquired: Selected in 48th round of June 1993 free-agent draft. Year Team Gm HR RBI Avg '94 Sarasota 53 2 25 .236 '95 Hickory 130 11 56 .272 '96 South Bend 61 10 43 .376 Birmingham 51 3 28 .274 '97 Nashville 58 11 49 .303 WHITE SOX 3 0 2 .222 ball better in the spring than either Thomas or Albert Belle.

He was named the organization's top player for the spring. More important, he moved ahead of former No. 1 draft choice Eddie Pearson and former major-leaguer Gene Schall to become a regular at Triple-A Nashville. Valdez just kept hitting there. He was batting .303 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in 58 games when the Sox called him up Sunday and put Thomas on the disabled list.

He had started three games in a row before Bevington gave him the night off Wednesday against Cubs left-hander Terry Mulholland. Valdez knows he will be back in the minor leagues before long. But Castillo believes he and Valdez will be big-leaguers together for a long time. "He's just one of those guys who has a great swing," Castillo said. "He is going to be able to hit, really hit.

And it won't take him long until he's doing that here." Valdez took a chance. Now he's an advertisement for the path of greatest resistance. Martinez Jason Bere will resume his rehab assignment in Florida. He was examined by Dr. James Andrews Friday after complaining of tenderness in his surgically repaired elbow.

Catcher Tony Pena is eligible to be activated from the DL, but the Sox don't appear anxious for him to return. He worked with bullpen coach Art Kusnyer on his throwing Wednesday. The Sox signed two more of their picks in the recent draft fifth-rounder Pat Daneker, a right-hander from the University of Virginia, and 46th-rounder Francisco Aguilrregaviria, a catcher from South Ridge High School in Miami. Nashville (40-26) continues to win despite the recent promotions of Mike Cameron, Jeff Abbott and Mario Valdez. It had won four of its last five through Tuesday.

Outfielder Mag-glio Ordonez is leading the American Association with a .342 batting average. Jeff Darwin leads with 14 saves. border. His father and his uncle are in the loan business. He is the oldest of three children.

"We have a good family," Valdez said. "It is a good life." But he wanted to continue his education in the United States. One of his baseball-playing friends, Francisco Minjarez, moved from Obregon to Miami in 1991. He offered Valdez a chance to join him a year later. He didn't have to ask twice.

Valdez was a senior when he enrolled at Miami High School. He was behind his classmates in many ways but tackled the challenge enthusiastically. "It was kind of hard," Valdez said, smiling. "I tried to pay attention every day. And every day I would study before I went to sleep at night.

I opened up my books every night. But it was a little tough." After graduating from high school, Valdez accepted a baseball scholarship at Miami-Dade North Community College. He studied international business, planning one day to return to Mexico with a degree. It was almost by acci swing match the career high he set with Montreal in 1990. Martinez says his new-found power is the result of work done with hitting instructor Bill Buck-ner earlier this month.

"We were looking at some film, kicking some ideas around," Martinez said. "I told Buck I'd like to drive the ball a little bit. He suggested this." There have been no drastic changes in Martinez's hitting style. He said he is shifting his weight later than before, which gets his legs and hips into the swing more. "It's working," he said.

Martinez was 2 for 6 with three RBIs in the first two games against the Cubs. He played for the North Siders from 1986 through '88 but denies getting any extra satisfaction from his success against them. "I just like doing well," he said. "I don't care who it's against" Thomas watch: Thomas missed his 11th game Wednesday night change in MEN SCORE DT PITCH. TM INC.

ON ftfT.HR 4-1 Hentgen Tor. 8th 1 4-5 4-16 Boskie Bait. 4th 2 9-1 4-25 Wells NY 5th 0 5-0 4- 26 Nelson NY 8th 0 2-6 Martinez Sea. 1st 2 3-1 5- 11 Adams Oak. 3rd 3 5-2 5-21 Hammond Bos.

2nd 0 7-1 5-24 D'Amico Milw. 1st 1 2-0 5-25 Eldred Milw. 1st 2 3-0 5-27 Lopez Cle. 4th 3 8-0 5- 28 Sele Bos. 4th 0 2-0 6- 1 Mercedes Milw.

2nd 0 1-2 6-3 Ogea Cle. 5th 2 7-1 6-9 Mussina Bait. 7th 0 1-7 6-13 Schourek Cine. 3rd 1 3-0 6-15 Sullivan Cine. 6th 0 9-4 A later weight shift provides him with more power By Phil Rogers Tribune Staff Writer Dave Martinez isn't trying to replace Frank Thomas.

But it is not by accident that the White Sox's outfielder-first baseman has begun to hit with some power. His first-inning home run Tuesday night was the 17th for the Sox's No. 3 hitters but just the first by someone other than Thomas. The Sox's No. 3 hitters had gone 33 at-bats without a home run since Thomas went out of the lineup June 6.

When Martinez followed with another homer Wednesday night, it was his fifth in the last 16 games, raising his season total to eight. He needs only three more to play, even on the island." With his save Tuesday night, Roberto Hernandez became the all-time saves leader by a Latin pitcher, breaking Willie Hernandez's record. He has 148 career saves. Bilingual baseball: SportsChannel announced that several area cable operators have installed equipment to allow viewers to watch Sox games with the audio feed coming from WIND-AM's Spanish broadcast. It is available through Prime Cable, US Cable and Jones Interca-ble.

TCI-Chicago Cable and Cox Communications are in the process of installing the equipment. "The feature is activated by pushing the 'SAP' button located on your television or VCR, allowing the viewer to watch Sports-Channel's game and listen to WIND'S audio," said SportsChan-nel's Julie Johnson. Short hops: No word on when Full coverage of the 1997 White Sox, plus updated major-league scores and standings at www.chicago.tribune.com sponVsox.htm.