White Sox sign former first-rounder John Van Benschoten

December 5, 12:39 PMChicago White Sox ExaminerJJ Stankevitz

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Van Benschoten was a first-round bust for the Pirates. 

The White Sox made a low-risk, possibly high-reward signing Friday when they inked John Van Benschoten to a minor league contract. Van Benschoten was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2001 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but never lived up to his potential thanks in part to a injuries earlier in his career.

His major league line is far from pretty: 2-13, 9.20 ERA, 1.40 HR/9, .330 BAA, and a 6.33 FIP tell the story of a classic draft bust. So why did the White Sox even bother giving him a roster spot?

Well, he doesn't have all that bad of a minor league track record. In 2008 with Triple-A Indianapolis, Van Benschoten posted a 3.92 ERA in 80.1 innings as a starter. His FIP of 3.49 with Indianapolis indicates that he still has something left in the tank, albeit at a minor league level.

The Pirates organization has notoriously ruined pitchers (see: Zach Duke), so maybe a change of scenery is what Van Benschoten needs. He doesn't have overwhelming stuff, featuring a low-90's fastball along with a quick slider, slow curveball, and (judging by the average speed of 84.2 mph) a poor changeup. That difference of 6 mph between his fastball and changeup won't cut it, so maybe that's a reason he doesn't throw it that often.

I hate to play the "Dr. Don" card, but pitching coach Don Cooper does have a decent track record of taking untapped potential like Van Benschoten still may have and turning it into major-league success. I'm not saying that's guaranteed to happen with Van Benschoten, but at least Cooper has the chance to do it with another pitcher.

The worst-case scenario with Van Benschoten is that he bombs in spring training and gets cut for hardly any cost. The best case is that he competes with Jeff Marquez, Clayton Richard, and Lance Broadway in March and, at the least, pushes the other three to pitch better. Keep an eye on Van Benschoten this Spring, because with a good performance in spring training, he should make the Opening Day roster.

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Can't you make this trade? The White Sox apparently have inquired about Florida infielder Jorge Cantu, who hit .277 with 29 home runs for the Marlins last year. The reason why I linked Cantu's Baseball Cube page is because it shows the various positions he's played around the infield, including second base as recently as 2007. He's only 26, and if it doesn't cost the White Sox too much, going out and getting Cantu wouldn't be such a bad idea. He'd provide far more insurance than Wilson Betemit in case Josh Fields flops at third or the trio of second baseman can't cut it in spring training.