Zack Burdi Ironing Out Final Details

GLENDALE, Ariz.—Invited to big league camp after being drafted 26th overall out of Louisville last June, Zack Burdi drew plenty of attention while throwing batting practice in the early days of spring training.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria, among others, liked what he saw from the hard-throwing 22-year-old righthander.

“Pretty impressive,” Renteria said. “He had a couple of balls get away in the total sequence, which gets hairy. But for the most part, he worked down in the zone and to both sides of the plate. He mixed in some changeups, which for him are still high-velocity. He looked good.”

Burdi pitched well in his busy pro debut last season, recording a 3.32 ERA in 26 appearances at four stops, which included nine games at Triple-A Charlotte.

A suburban Chicago native who grew up a White Sox fan, Burdi collected 51 strikeouts in 38 innings, but he also issued 20 walks.

After walking 4.7 per nine innings last year, he needs to improve his control before making the jump to the big leagues, which should come some time this year.

Burdi worked with minor league pitching coaches Jose Bautista(^), J.R. Perdew, Richard Dotson and Curt Hasler last season and is under the watchful eye of Chicago pitching coach Don Cooper this spring during his first big league camp.

“I’ve grown tremendously,” Burdi said, “not only pitching, but my work ethic, too.”

To improve his strike-throwing ability, coaches have tinkered with Burdi’s delivery.

“I’m more spread out,” Burdi said. “I’m just really focused on getting the ball out of my mitt. The leg kick comes naturally, so I don’t want to focus on that. I just need to get the ball out of my mitt, so it’s not lagging so much and the balls are fading away or fading down.

“I’m just trying to live in the strike zone a bit more.”

CHI-LITES

• Outfielder Charlie Tilson suffered a stress reaction in his right foot early in camp that sidelined him for 10 days. The White Sox expected him to make a strong push to break camp as the club’s starting center fielder.

• Ticketed to begin the season in the Charlotte rotation after a brief, unsuccessful stint in the big league bullpen in 2017, Carson Fulmer started the Cactus League opener against the Dodgers.

— Scot Gregor covers the White Sox for the Daily Herald