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Hansen, Fry, Zangari headline White Sox instructs
- Updated: October 6, 2016
The White Sox 2016 Draft looks promising, and many of those picks are getting extra work during instructional league.
First-round picks Zack Collins and Zack Burdi aren’t on hand, but the other 14 players whom Chicago signed in the top 15 rounds reported to the organization’s training base in Glendale, Ariz. Of the 47 players on the White Sox instructional league roster, 21 were drafted in June.
Right-hander Alec Hansen (second round) is the highest selection in camp, which runs from Sept. 19 through Oct. 15, and he’s coming off an exceptional pro debut. After losing his control and command during a rough junior season at Oklahoma that torpedoed his candidacy as a possible No. 1 overall pick, he recorded a 1.32 ERA in 12 pro starts, averaging 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings and holding opponents to a .133 average across three levels.
In his introduction to pro ball, the White Sox had Hansen focus on staying taller in his delivery and getting the ball out of his glove more quickly. That helped him cut his walk rate from 6.8 per nine innings with the Sooners to 3.3 in his debut. He didn’t lose anything off his mid-90s fastball while also showing more consistency with a slider than can be devastating.
“Alec is continuing to work on the mechanical stuff we did early with him,” Chicago farm director Nick Capra said. “We’re trying to keep it pretty simple. He’s mostly fastball/changeup right now. We’re trying to get his changeup a little better. We’re doing that with all of these guys, because the changeup is an important pitch to learn and this is a great environment to work on it.”
Though he had a 5.26 ERA in his debut, fifth-rounder Jimmy Lambert is one of the more polished pitchers in the system. The Fresno State right-hander commands his fastball well and can throw four pitches for strikes. He’s the older brother of Peter Lambert, a Rockies second-rounder in 2015 who’s also advanced for his age.
“Jimmy has got a little more velocity than everyone thinks,” Capra said. “He’ll be 92-93 at times. The kid really knows how to …