July 23--Fishing, not baseball, was the original plan for Tyler Saladino out of high school.
A San Diego native, the new White Sox starting third baseman spent his teenage summers working on boats, which seemed like a more realistic course of work than baseball upon graduation. Saladino was a high school infielder, but he remembers his thoughts when scouts passed on his teammate, a towering left-handed pitcher whose fastball could touch 90 mph.
"I thought if he couldn't get anything there's no way I could," Saladino said. "So I could make money on the fishing boats, and that's all I thought about. I just wanted to make money to support myself and family and stuff."
One of Saladino's friends, whose mother worked at nearby Palomar (Community) College changed Saladino's course when he suggested they try out.
Eight years later, after two colleges, two drafts and multiple minor-league stops, Saladino started his major-league career in Chicago and hit safely in seven of his first eight games, the first Sox rookie to do so since Frank Thomas in 1990. His seven-game hitting streak came to an end Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field in a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals, in which he was 0-for-4 with a run scored.
The 26-year-old has gone 11-for-35 with a triple, two homers and four RBIs while playing mostly solid defense at third base in place of Gordon Beckham and Conor Gillaspie, who was designated for assignment Sunday.
"It's kind of crazy, but it has been a lot of fun because I learned so much along the way, like how much hard work does for you," Saladino said. "It has been pretty cool."
Saladino began to draw attention at Palomar, being contacted by two bigger college programs and piquing the interest of the Astros, who advised him to work on his speed from home to first off the bat and drafted him in the 36th round. He took their advice to increase his speed and strength but decided instead to attend Oral Roberts in Oklahoma, a program he chose for its family atmosphere, if not for its weather.
"I had no winter clothes or anything," Saladino said. "I had to get good boots, and I would slip on the ice. I had never dealt with ice. It was cold going to South Dakota in April. It was a huge change, but I loved it because I was playing baseball."
It was just the start of changes for Saladino, who became the Sox's seventh-round pick in the 2010 draft and spent the next several years working his way up in the minors. He had a solid 2014 season before he needed elbow surgery but was back in the mix by spring training.
Adam Eaton said he was impressed with how Saladino handled himself while going up against rookies Micah Johnson and Carlos Sanchez for the second-base job in the spring, and he thinks he continues to exhibit that professionalism.
"He wasn't the big headline guy," Eaton said. "He wasn't the front-runner, but he worked his butt off. And I think what he did there helped him to have such a good start (here)."
Sox manager Robin Ventura said he had a feeling Saladino would be able to handle the move up from Triple-A Charlotte, which includes his first true big-league road trip this week to Cleveland and Boston.
"He just has instincts, and it's coming through," Ventura said. "He's not taking it for granted. He's not a first-round pick or expecting anything. He's trying to take advantage, and you see it in the way he plays."
ckane@tribpub.com
