Dec. 04--Adam Engel received a trophy, the opportunity to give a "nerve-wracking" acceptance speech in front of a baseball stadium and prestige for winning the Arizona Fall League's MVP title this year.
But the White Sox center-field prospect hopes that the real payoff will come down the road as he tries to translate his impressive strides made in the fall to the Double-A level next year.
Engel, a Sox 19th-round pick out of Louisville in 2013, is a career .266 hitter with a .344 on-base percentage over three minor-league seasons. While the fall league is known to amplify hitters' statistics, Engel's league-leading numbers were still pretty eye-popping -- .403 batting average, .523 on-base percentage and .642 slugging percentage. He also was second with 10 stolen bases and third with 16 runs scored.
Engel spent time at the instructional league this fall, and he said that's where the improvement started. He credits time spent with coaches and teammates -- including a few "really good conversations" with Sox minor-league hitting coordinator Vance Law -- for helping him nail down a more consistent approach.
"I've had an approach, but not one that has been consistent and one that I know works, so that's definitely something I'll be able to take with me," Engel said by phone this week. "And also, it does help going into the offseason knowing what exactly you're trying to do at the plate, so you can make adjustments to your swing. It helps with your work, and gives you somewhere to start out every year and build on."
Engel, 23, is expected to build on that progress in Double-A Birmingham next year. With Class-A Winston-Salem in 2015, he hit .251 with 39 extra-base hits, 90 runs scored, 62 walks, 132 strikeouts and 65 stolen bases over 136 games.
Having not produced consistently at the plate yet during his professional career, Engel was just the 17th-ranked prospect in the Sox system in 2015, according to MLB.com, but his speed and his solid defensive capabilities are intriguing.
"Speed is the biggest part of my game," Engel said. "I'm just trying to really learn how to maximize that speed tool. I was able to get on base a lot (in the fall league). The stat I was most proud of was the on-base percentage, trying to help the team in that aspect."
Engel said he would be crazy if he didn't think about the kind of company he keeps as a fall league MVP. The Cubs' Kris Bryant, this year's National League Rookie of the Year, was the 2013 fall league MVP.
"Not that confidence has ever been an issue with me, but it definitely helps knowing I was able to compete with these guys," Engel said. "Confidence is a big part of hitting. It will help my work knowing that what I'm doing is working. I've always felt I had what it takes to compete. It's just a matter of getting there."
