Getting a promotion is something most people remember.
Former Arkansas Razorbacks first baseman Andy Wilkins, who now plays for the Class AAA Charlotte Knights in the Chicago White Sox organization, is no different.
But it wasn’t memorable for the reasons one might think.
Wilkins said he learned of his promotion to Charlotte from Class AA Birmingham in a customary call to the manager’s office June 24 before the final game of a road trip. It was getting back to Birmingham that Wilkins remembers.
“Our bus broke down on the way back to Birmingham, so we were stuck on the side of the road for about 2 ½ hours,” Wilkins said. “I finally got home at 5 a.m. and had to be out of the door by 7:45, so I was going on only about three hours of sleep.”
The bus incident has served as a metaphor to Wilkins’ career. Wilkins was drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2010 major-league baseball draft, then went on to hit .307 with 6 home runs and 40 RBI in 53 games at rookie-league Great Falls. In 2011, he batted .278 with 23 home runs and 89 RBI with Class A-advanced Winston-Salem.
But it was when Wilkins was promoted to Birmingham in 2012 that his numbers began to suffer. He batted .239 in 116 games, including a .222 mark in the first half of the season, with 17 home runs and 69 RBI. Wilkins batted .201 with 3 home runs and 18 RBI at Regions Park, Birmingham’s home ballpark, compared to .273 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI on the road.
“I thought it was more of a down year for me,” Wilkins said. “I had high expectations, so it was a tough year. But it was a year I learned about myself.”
Buddy Bell, the White Sox’s vice president and assistant general manager, said Wilkins’ swing “got a little lengthy” and said the dimensions at Regions Park got in Wilkins’ head.
Wilkins agreed with that assessment.
“I think [hitting at Regions Park] affected my average, but it [was] a good learning experience,” Wilkins said. “My RBI numbers [were] good, but a lot of balls gt hung up in gap.
“You don’t try to hit home runs, because when you do you pop out. Instead, you try to hit line drives with a little backspin.
“It”s just a tough park to hit in. But they’ve made some changes and now it’s more of a hitter’s park.”
The changes were beneficial to Wilkins. In 67 games with the Barons this season, Wilkins batted .288 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. At the time of his promotion, Wilkins was tied for the Southern League lead in RBI, fourth in on-base percentage (.386) and tied for eighth in batting average.
“The goal is to always improve,” Wilkins said. “You’re doing everything you can to put all the work in [the front office’s court]. The best thing is to work and play hard, and hopefully your numbers will speak for themselves.”
In 22 games at Charlotte, Wilkins is batting .271 with 5 home runs and 11 RBI.
Wilkins’ rebound is key to the White Sox’s long-term future. First baseman Paul Konerko is in the final year of his contract and Adam Dunn had two years and $30 million remaining on his deal at the beginning of the season.
Wilkins, though, isn’t concerned with any of that.
“I”m just trying to concentrate on what I”m doing here,” Wilkins said. “If I allowed myself to think like that, I’d be hurting myself. I’m just trying to stay grounded and focus on what I can control.” Information for this article was provided by Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune and by Kevin Scarbinsky of AL.com.
Sports, Pages 27 on 07/21/2013