Renteria: Prep, process outweigh Sox record

CHICAGO -- A reporter mentioned the White Sox 14-15 record during Rick Renteria’s pregame interview session Friday, drawing an interesting response from the manager.

“Wow,” Renteria said. “I did not know that.”

Renteria hasn’t looked at the team’s early May record and doesn’t plan to, explaining in detail that interesting outlook for a big league manager.

“Guys have come in looking at their statistics. I'm talking Minor Leagues, big leagues, everywhere,” Renteria said. “And I would say, 'Are you hitting the ball well? How do you feel?' 'I feel good.' 'What do you need to look at the numbers for? That's something you can read at the end of the year.'

“You don't need to look at those numbers to know if you're swinging the bat well, if you're seeing the ball well. Is that going to change the way you do things? Your approach is your approach, and the way you play the game is the way you play the game, so I don't need to look at the freaking numbers.”

How the White Sox are preparing on a daily basis, the process for success, is more important to Renteria.

“I look at all the other stuff,” he said. “If we do everything we're supposed to on a consistent basis, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win a ballgame on a daily basis, and it's very difficult to win a Major League ballgame.”

Kopech supports Anderson’s fun run
Michael Kopech, the No. 2 White Sox prospect and No. 17 in baseball per MLB Pipeline, is a big supporter of Tim Anderson’s quest for fun on the diamond.

“It’s at a point where the game either has to change or it’s not going to,” said Kopech, who visited the White Sox this week during his recovery from Tommy John surgery. “Tim is making a push for the game to change, which is fine by me. Have all the fun you want.

“If I strike somebody out and I pound my chest or whatever, I don’t want anybody getting [upset] at me. If I give one up next year and it’s over that scoreboard, I don’t really care. Flip your bat. Do it. I might get mad at the time, but I’ll get over it.”

Robert, Pilkington honored
Outfielder Luis Robert and left-handed pitcher Konnor Pilkington were named the White Sox Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for April as voted on by Chicago media. Robert, the No. 4 White Sox prospect and No. 37 in baseball per MLB Pipeline, hit .453 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem before being promoted to Double-A Birmingham.

Robert missed a week of action after hurting his left hand sliding head-first into third base, but he is healthy and continuing his quick ascent toward the Majors.

“Even though I feel physically and mentally good and strong, I still have to learn things about the league, about the game,” Robert said through interpreter Billy Russo during a Friday conference call. “I just need to keep playing every day.”

Pilkington, a third-round selection in the 2018 Draft and Chicago's No. 20 prospect, has a 1.98 ERA over five starts for Class A Kannapolis to go with 34 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.

“Four out of my five starts I've given up one earned run or less, and that's huge for our team,” Pilkington said. “I'm just trying to give our team a chance in this first month of the season. I'm just grinding away, trying to put strikes in the zone and letting them put it in play.”

He said it
“He ran today. He was throwing. He continues to progress. I think we're getting close to expanding his work and still determining where we're going to be.” -- Renteria on outfielder Jon Jay, who has yet to play for the White Sox this season due to a right hip/groin strain