March 06--GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Tim Anderson is treating his first major league spring training as a sort of silent apprenticeship.
White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez plays. He soaks in all he can from the 2014 Gold Glove finalist.
Like "a sponge," Anderson recently tweeted.
Verbal communication is limited between the Spanish-speaking Ramirez and Anderson, a 21-year-old who was the Sox's 17th overall draft pick in 2013 and is ranked No. 92 in Baseball America's Top 100 prospects. But Anderson is content with observation as he tries to build the skills he needs to remain a shortstop down the line rather than be moved to another position.
"It's basically just watching and learning, as he takes ground balls, just watching his every move," Anderson said. "He's just athletic. He's a good shortstop and someone I can learn from him."
Ramirez said Thursday he would love to finish his career with the organization with which he has spent all seven of his major league seasons.
But the 33-year-old, who is now the longest-tenured Sox position player, also doesn't mind serving as an instructional tool for a player who potentially could be the Sox's next generation shortstop -- one Ramirez said has the requisite talent and confidence.
"I think (I can show him) about the simple things about the game -- don't rush when he's going to catch a ground ball and to be confident," Ramirez said through a team interpreter. "I'm not very good at speaking in English, but I'm trying to let him know that any question he has, I can help him."
Anderson is still raw defensively, and he committed two fielding errors while filling in for Ramirez in the Sox's spring training game against the Dodgers. But he also helped turn a double play and had one of five Sox hits.
"Bat-wise, he's probably further ahead than he is defensively, but he's got good tools," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "So I think for him it's always going to be something to work on."
Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell said Anderson has been good at learning on the fly and thinks he has handled himself well in big league camp. Bell is not surprised. He remembers being impressed with Anderson's overall package from one of the first times he saw him in a junior college game in Mississippi.
"The way he handled himself, the way he was with his teammates, he's been awesome from the very beginning," Bell said. "He's one of those kids who absolutely is not going to change. He's had an outstanding upbringing. Don't let that trick you though. This kid is edgy. He's a tough, edgy kid, so he has an outstanding mix."
As Anderson works, neither the Sox nor Ramirez are ready for a changing of the guard yet.
With only 151 professional games under his belt, Anderson will start the 2015 season in Double-A Birmingham, where he spent 10 games in August after he came back from a fractured right wrist before going to the Arizona Fall League.
Meanwhile, Ramirez, coming off a season in which he hit .273 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs, is signed with the Sox for $10 million this season, with a $10 million club option or a $1 million buyout for the 2016 season. If he had his way, he would stay with the Sox as long as he can.
"I feel happy (to be the veteran here) because I hope to finish my career here with the White Sox because this is a good organization," Ramirez said. "(Finishing my career here) is very important for me because this is the team that gave me the opportunity to play in the big leagues. That is something I always want to appreciate."
But Ramirez also knows that if his career extends into free agency it could be more complicated.
"This is a business, and it's for the team and the agent to negotiate it," Ramirez said. "But yes, I would be happy if (an extension with Chicago) happens. But the only thing I have control over is just to play good and make the team feel happy about me and about my performance."
Having Ramirez on board allows the Sox to be patient with Anderson's development, and Anderson said he is trying not to worry about how quickly he might receive a real big league chance.
"I'm not putting too much pressure on myself," Anderson said. "When it happens, it's going to happen."
ckane@tribpub.com
