White Sox sign off on Broadway deal

CHICAGO -- The description provided by Lance Broadway to the Chicago media in regards to what should be expected when he is on the mound was succinct and to the point. That explanation mirrored the length of time it took for the first-round pick and the White Sox to reach contractual terms.
Broadway, the 15th overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, signed on the dotted line Monday, receiving a $1.57 million signing bonus. Broadway made it clear during a conference call after his somewhat surprising selection that he would quickly be in the fold with the White Sox, and proved to be a man of his word.

"That's exactly what happened," said Broadway of the quick negotiating period, handled by Ryan Ware, his representative. "Things went well. Things went smoothly. It's what I expected.

"You can't get better unless you are playing, and if you are not signed, you are not playing. Baseball is my dream, and you have to play baseball to be able to achieve your dream."

The 6-foot-4 right-hander, who played one season at Texas Christian University after pitching two seasons at the NAIA level for Dallas Baptist, mentioned that the first-round contracts being slotted based on the deals for previously drafted players certainly sped up the process. He also pointed out that clubs are truly taking a stand on how far they are willing to go with a rigid first-rounder, and that nobody really wins during a prolonged negotiating period.

It's Broadway that clearly won in this particular situation. Broadway was considered by many to be a late first-round or early second-round selection during much of the time leading up to last week's draft, but his value skyrocketed in the final few weeks. That period included a complete-game victory for Broadway over Stanford in the NCAA Regionals.

Duane Shaffer, the team's senior director of player personnel, stated previously that Broadway was the team's target for the past two months, with his value simply being confirmed by others within the organization. Broadway has a fastball clocked between 88-92 mph, not exactly the classic first-round capabilities for a pitcher.

But Broadway also had a 15-1 record for the Horned Frogs as a junior, leading all NCAA Division I pitchers in victories, while setting a school record for wins and strikeouts at 151. He posted a 1.62 ERA and five complete games in 19 trips to the mound, leading the White Sox to believe that his collegiate numbers would translate favorably at the Major League level.

"They felt he was the guy that was more than likely going to be in professional ball what he is as an amateur," said White Sox general manager Ken Williams of Broadway's selection. "There are other guys out there that people talk about, some that people felt maybe had better fastballs here or more zip on some of their pitches.

"But in terms of consistency, getting here quickly and entrenching himself in a god spot in the rotation, we decided he was the guy," Williams added.

Broadway expects to join Class A Winston-Salem at some point this weekend and move right into the Minor League experience. He doesn't expect any extra pressure to fall upon him from being a first-round pick, and has already talked to a few friends who play professionally about the entire experience.

A stint in the Northwoods League last summer, playing for the Wisconsin Woodchucks, gave Broadway his own first-hand knowledge of pitching as part of a five-man rotation and frequent travel. Once he starts with the Warthogs, though, Broadway knows it all comes down to making pitches.

"All I can say is I would like to make it to the Major Leagues as soon as possible," Broadway said. "They won't put me out there until I'm ready. I want to go out there and pitch the best I can and I expect to hopefully be there soon.

"There's no timeframe there. I'll be up [in the big leagues] when I'm ready. I expect to pitch well. I believe I have the ability and mental capacity to do it. But it will take innings and repetition to get that done."

As for Broadway's repertoire, he described it Monday as throwing a "fastball, curve, changeup and strikes." That description wasn't exactly on display Monday night, when Broadway threw out the first pitch prior to the Arizona game.

His toss, which resembled an eephus pitch, one-hopped Mark Buehrle behind the plate. Nerves could be blamed for that situation. Then again, very few first-round picks are judged solely on their first pitch.

"It was great walking out there, but the throw really didn't turn out too good," said Broadway with a laugh. "But no, it was great. The guys have shown me a great time. I love Chicago already."

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/