Chicago White Sox

Up next for Gordon Beckham is making the adjustment from third to second base at the major league level.

The top rookie was already informed that he will be the starting second baseman following the acquisition of Mark Teahen and the departure of Chris Getz, and he plans to enroll in "Camp Cora" come January. Beckham will join shortstop Alexei Ramirez and third base prospect Dayan Viciedo in an offseason defensive workout session with bench coach Joey Cora.

It's not only to get Beckham acclimated to his new spot, but to work on the language barrier between he and Ramirez.

"I talked to Joey and he said he would come to Atlanta and work with me, but knowing Alexei (will be there), it will give us a chance to get some things ironed out," Beckham said. "We want to make sure we enter camp on the same page."

That wasn't the only reason Beckham was in the news last week, as the AL Rookie of the Year Award was announced, and Beckham finished fifth.

While he wasn't expecting to win, he admittedly was surprised that he finished fifth in the voting by the baseball writers -- especially since the 23-year-old's mantel already had AL Rookie of the Year honors by both The Sporting News and the Major League Baseball Players Association sitting on it. He received each last month -- as voted on by the players.

"I'm feeling a little bit of everything," Beckham said. "I thought I might be a little higher than fifth, but I knew it was an uphill battle for me, getting up (to the major leagues) a little later. I thought I had a great season, but so did those other guys."

Beckham was the first selection (eighth overall) of the White Sox in the 2008 draft after putting on a show at the University of Georgia.

He wasted little time making an impact in his first spring training, and by June 4 was on the big-league roster.

Playing third base on a regular basis for the first time in his life, the former shortstop ended up hitting .270 with 14 home runs, 28 doubles and 63 RBIs.

What might have hurt him, however, was an inconsistent August in which he hit just .223, followed by a .266 last month of the season.

"It was the first full season for me, not even in the big leagues, but ever, and it probably didn't help I struggled the last month," Beckham said. "I won two awards that were voted on by the players. At the end of the day, I would want the players to respect me more than the writers."

--inf O

mar Vizquel proved last season he could handle a utility infield role when he hit .266 for the Rangers and provided his usual sterling defense. The White Sox were suitably impressed and signed him to a one-year, $1,375,000 contract. Chicago has young players at both middle-infield spots and third base, and Vizquel figures to be a good mentor as well as a quality backup. He will be playing for another Venezuelan (and a former shortstop), manager Ozzie Guillen.

• RHP Brandon Hynick, who was acquired from the Rockies in the Jose Contreras deal, was one of five players added to the White Sox's 40-man roster. The others: RHP Sergio Santos, RHP Brian Omogrosso RHP Santo Luis and OF Stefan Gartrell.

• INF Jayson Nix has been put on alert yet again, as manager Ozzie Guillen warned the infielder that he needs to have better at-bats in the spring if he hopes to make the 25-man big-league roster as a key reserve. Nix did hit 12 homers off the bench, but his .224 batting average and 64 strikeouts in 255 at-bats were not what Guillen wants to see off the bench. According to Guillen, both Nix and Brent Lillibridge need to start playing like "the little players they are, hitting the ball on the ground and using their speed." And if not? "Then they both better like playing in (Class AAA) Charlotte," Guillen said.

• RHP Jhonny Nunez will be under close watch this winter, as the rookie could be a key figure in rebuilding the bullpen. GM Ken Williams said when he acquired Nunez last winter that he had "closer stuff," but what they need from the 23-year-old is to have seventh- and eighth-inning stuff. The Sox are counting on him to be a bridge guy, or at worst, middle reliever, and gave him a brief look this past season, throwing him in seven late-inning games. He did go 5-0 with four saves in the minors as the setup man in Class AA Birmingham and then Charlotte. If he shows continued improvement in offseason play, that would give the Sox another option in the 'pen.

• Pitching coach Don Cooper will begin visiting with his pitchers, either face to face or over the phone, making sure they are ready to start their offseason workout programs. The arms that most concern Cooper are LHP Mark Buehrle and RHP Jake Peavy. Peavy fought through an elbow bruise until pitching the last two weeks of the season, and the White Sox want to make sure there are no setbacks with that. Meanwhile, Buehrle will be undergoing a new arm-strengthening program to make sure that he doesn't get bogged down with all the innings he's thrown the last nine years.

• OF Alex Rios will be getting his first of what could be two visits by hitting coach Greg Walker this month, as the two will sit down and watch video of his struggles with the Sox. Walker saw a few things Rios was doing differently but believed most of it came from simply pressing and trying to do too much. In other words, very easy fixes. The visits will be more to reassure Rios that he has a good track record as a big-leaguer and there's no reason to believe he's lost it.

• Manager Ozzie Guillen has already spoken with bench coach Joey Cora and third base coach Jeff Cox about changing up some spring training drills, and the biggest thing will be more of an emphasis on bunting and situational hitting. The Sox had a bunting field built into their new facility, and they plan to spend a lot of time on it.

By The Numbers:

87—Strikeouts for reliever Matt Thornton in 2009, establishing a career high. He also had career highs in saves (four), wins (six), holds (24) and innings pitched (72 1/3).

Quote To Note:

"A lot of ups and downs, that's basically what it was about. We really didn't get on any hot streaks. Kind of just an up-and-down season. That sums it up."

—OF Jermaine Dye, on the White Sox's 2009 season.

It isn't very often that a team finishes third in the division race but goes into the offseason feeling as if it is the club to beat the next year. Then again, the White Sox aren't most organizations. The late-season additions of Jake Peavy and Alex Rios have the Sox going forward toward 2010 with a bit of a swagger, especially in a division as weak as the AL Central proved to be in 2009. They then wasted very little time improving defensively, as Mark Teahen was acquired from the Royals to start at third base, moving Gordon Beckham over to second base.

Biggest Needs:

The Sox need to answer the leadoff question, and it seems as if Scott Podsednik is still on the radar. GM Ken Williams all but ruled out the pipedream that was Chone Figgins because of the payroll situation. After the lineup is done, expect the Sox to at least make a tweak to the bullpen.

Arrival:

INF Omar Vizquel (free agent from Rangers).

Free Agents:

OF Jermaine Dye, RHP Octavio Dotel, OF Scott Podsednik, C Ramon Castro, OF Dewayne Wise.

The Sox were talking with Podsednik and his people about keeping him off the market. Dye, Dotel and Castro likely will walk. Wise chose free agency when he was outrighted off the 40-man roster.

Arbitration-eligible:

RHP D.J. Carrasco, LHP John Danks, RHP Bobby Jenks, RHP Tony Pena, OF Carlos Quentin, 3B Mark Teahen.

The Sox will try and lock up Danks and Quentin to contract extensions, as they did last spring training.

In Limbo:

RHP Bobby Jenks is still the likely candidate to be sent elsewhere, enough so that GM Ken Williams is taking a "no-comment" stance on the subject. Jenks stands to make $7 million-$8 million in arbitration this winter, and there had been growing concerns about his conditioning and the fact that nagging injuries have slowed him down. If Jenks shows a better commitment to an offseason workout program, he may stay put, but LHP Matt Thornton has made Jenks somewhat expendable.

Medical Watch:

OF Carlos Quentin (right wrist surgery in September 2008) had the pins removed from his right wrist, while his foot and knee injuries have improved with rest.